Wild salsify (Tragopogon spp.) is a wild edible plant that has long been overlooked despite its nutritional properties, historical significance, and adaptability. Whether you stumble upon it in a meadow or decide to forage intentionally, learning to recognize and use wild salsify can be both rewarding and delicious.
Sweet woodruff, also known as Galium odoratum, is a delicate woodland plant that enchants with its sweet, hay-like scent and star-shaped leaves. Long used in traditional remedies and seasonal drinks, this small perennial hides powerful properties behind its modest appearance. Learn how to find, recognize, harvest, and use it — and why it deserves a spot in your herbal toolkit.
Often overlooked, knapweed (also known as Centaurea) is a wildflower that blooms in meadows, fields, and along paths throughout the summer. But behind its delicate blue or purple petals lies a rich tradition of natural remedies and gentle care.
St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a perennial herb that grows wild in sunny meadows, along rural paths, on dry embankments, and in abandoned fields. It thrives in calcareous, well-drained soils, and can be found from lowlands to altitudes of around 1,600 meters.
Alchemilla vulgaris and Alchemilla alpina may not be as well-known as other medicinal plants, but their virtues are both ancient and profound. Whether you're a herbal enthusiast or simply looking for natural support for painful menstrual cycles, this discreet plant deserves a spot in your natural medicine cabinet.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is one of those wild plants that has walked alongside humans for centuries, often in silence. But behind its delicate white (sometimes pinkish) flowers and finely divided leaves lies a true treasure trove of benefits. Whether you're interested in natural health, herbalism, or simply connecting with your environment, yarrow has something valuable to offer.
Nettle, that wild plant that we carefully avoid when out walking or gardening, is in fact a real ally for our health and our garden. Often seen as a weed, it in fact hides a treasure trove of medicinal, nutritional and practical virtues.
If you take a stroll along a stream or in a damp meadow in midsummer, your nostrils may be tickled by a soft, sweet, almost honey-like fragrance. It's probably the Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) that's welcoming you. Majestic, discreet and powerful all at once, this wild plant is an essential part of traditional herbalism.
When we think of insects in the garden, we often think of pests: aphids, slugs, flies... Yet a silent army works in the shadows to protect your plants, pollinate your crops and enrich the soil. These auxiliary insects are real living treasures that you need to learn to recognise - and cherish.
There's nothing like a good gardening session to reconnect with nature. But slipping your hand into a glove and finding a spider or small scorpion can spoil the moment, or worse: cause an unpleasant or even dangerous bite or sting.
Often trampled underfoot, ignored or even pulled out like a ‘weed’, the lanceolate plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is nevertheless one of the most useful and accessible wild plants in our regions. Discreet but hardy, this plant grows almost everywhere... and can be very useful in the garden, in the kitchen or in your natural first-aid kit.
The idea may seem surprising: why put salt - an ingredient often singled out for its excesses - in your water when you're trying to stay hydrated and look after your health? And yet a tiny pinch of unrefined salt can make a big difference, especially when you're sweating a lot in summer, or doing strenuous physical activity. Here's how.
In the collective imagination, Swiss cheeses are a symbol of quality, tradition and terroir. Gruyère, Tête de Moine, Vacherin fribourgeois or Appenzeller... These are all products that depend on a delicate balance between nature, climate and know-how. But in the face of global warming, is this culinary heritage in danger? The answer is more complex than it seems.
July is the height of summer. The markets are bursting with colour, the fruit is sweet and the vegetables are bursting with flavour. Eating in season has never been so easy... and so tasty. Here's a closer look at the products you can find in French-speaking Switzerland this month, to fill your basket with fresh local produce.
When the sun beats down and the heat sets in, our bodies send us a simple message: hydrate me! And while drinking water remains essential, it's perfectly possible to vary the pleasures by making your own natural, refreshing, healthy... and simply delicious drinks.
Summer is a generous season. As the sun warms the soil, country lanes and clearings abound with treasures close at hand: wild herbs. These often little-known plants are full of gustatory, medicinal and ecological virtues. But you still need to know which ones to pick, how to recognise them and how to use them. Here is a selection of 7 wild herbs to pick this summer, with their simple and accessible uses.
At a time when we are trying to live more frugally and the energy transition is forcing us to rethink our consumption habits, an invention that is as simple as it is ingenious is making a comeback: the Zeer pot, or desert fridge.
Summer is the season of juicy melons and sweet watermelons. But when it comes to choosing fruit at the market or in the aisle, who hasn't found themselves patting all the fruit with little conviction? Too ripe, not sweet enough, mealy... To avoid unpleasant surprises, here are all the practical tips you need to choose a melon or watermelon at the peak of their flavour and ripeness.
Not only are blueberries delicious, they're also rich in antioxidants, good for your health and incredibly rewarding to grow yourself. And the good news is that it's perfectly possible to have a continuous supply at home, if you grow them carefully. Here's how to turn a simple corner of your balcony or garden into an inexhaustible source of blueberries.
If you don't have the space, the garden or simply the desire to handle soil, there's an ideal solution: grow your herbs without soil. Yes, some plants can thrive perfectly well in water or in an above-ground growing system, without losing any of their flavour or benefits. Perfect for windowsills, bright kitchens or small urban spaces!
If you have a vegetable garden, a few vegetables in the ground or even potted plants on your balcony, you know how tedious watering can be, especially in summer. And yet, regular watering is the key to healthy plants. The solution? Drip irrigation, an efficient, water-saving system that you can make yourself in just a few minutes!
Courgette is a monoecious plant, which means that it produces male and female flowers on the same plant, but separately.
In a vegetable garden, not all plants have the same needs... or the same friends! Some plants grow better when they are side by side, protecting each other from pests, improving soil quality or encouraging pollination. These are known as beneficial associations, or companionship in the garden.
Basil is an essential aromatic herb, much loved for flavouring summer dishes, salads, sauces and especially the famous pesto. But growing basil in pots is not as easy as it sounds. Between yellowing leaves, wilting stems and plants that go to seed too quickly, disappointments are common. Here are the 7 most common mistakes to avoid to keep your basil in tip-top shape all season long.