Nest & Netl

Nest & Netl Nest & Netl gathers what the land gives. Small-batch botanicals from the North Woods of Maine, harvested by hand with restraint and respect.

Look at this little one 🥹🌱My calendula babies are starting to wake up, and I swear this stage never gets old.From this →...
04/04/2026

Look at this little one 🥹🌱

My calendula babies are starting to wake up, and I swear this stage never gets old.

From this → jars of golden oil, soothing salves, and cups of sunshine tea.

It all starts with one tiny plant.

A little sneak peek at something I’ve been quietly working on… 🌿This page features **wild violets**, one of the first ge...
03/11/2026

A little sneak peek at something I’ve been quietly working on… 🌿

This page features **wild violets**, one of the first gentle gifts of spring in Maine. When the forest floor and lawns begin to wake up, their heart-shaped leaves and soft purple flowers appear like tiny lanterns after the snow. Both the leaves and flowers are edible and wonderfully mild — perfect in salads, infused into syrups, or brewed into a delicate tea.

I’m currently creating a **Spring Foraging Guide for Maine**, featuring 30 common wild edible plants that appear between March and June. It will include plant identification tips, harvest windows, habitat clues, look-alike warnings, and simple recipes so beginners can feel more confident exploring the wild foods around them.

This guide is still in progress, but I wanted to share a little preview of what’s coming. 🌱

If you love foraging, herbalism, wild foods, or learning the plants that grow around you, keep an eye out — I’ll be sharing more sneak peeks soon.

🌸 What are your favorite spring plants to forage?

Usnea often drapes from branches like pale green thread.It can be tempting to reach upward and pull it down.I don’t.When...
03/09/2026

Usnea often drapes from branches like pale green thread.

It can be tempting to reach upward and pull it down.

I don’t.

When I gather usnea, I look for fallen limbs — branches the forest has already released. Wind, snow, and time offer what is ready.

Usnea grows slowly. It is not a crop. It is part of a living canopy.

Harvesting from downed wood allows the tree to continue its quiet work above, and ensures that the lichen remains abundant for years to come.

Take only what is given.
Leave the rest.

🌲

Balsam fir has been with me since I was small.When I was a child, I would take a stick and gently press the little blist...
03/05/2026

Balsam fir has been with me since I was small.

When I was a child, I would take a stick and gently press the little blisters along the bark, watching the clear resin rise and spill onto my fingers. I would rub it between my hands and breathe it in, already memorizing that sharp, sweet forest scent.

It’s one of the reasons I can spot balsam fir so quickly now.

The flat needles grow in soft rows along the twig, each with two pale stripes underneath. The bark is smooth and gray when young, dotted with resin blisters. And the scent — bright, resinous, unmistakable — carries even in the cold.

When I was little, my father once gave me a small decorative sachet filled with dried balsam needles. I kept it near my bed. To this day, that fragrance means closeness and winter light and family.

This spring, balsam fir will be one of the ingredients in an upcoming tea blend.

Gathered slowly. With memory.

🌲

Some lichens hang like old forest beards.Others rise in soft, branching cups.At a glance, they can look similar — but th...
03/02/2026

Some lichens hang like old forest beards.
Others rise in soft, branching cups.

At a glance, they can look similar — but they are not the same.

Usnea (often called “old man’s beard”) has a pale elastic core inside. If you gently pull it apart, you’ll find a white filament running through the center.

Cladonia has no inner cord — it snaps clean.

When gathering usnea, I only harvest from fallen branches, taking what the forest has already released.

Knowing the difference matters — for medicine, for safety, and for respect.

🌲

Nest & Netl gathers what the land gives.Rooted in the North Woods of Maine, this small-batch botanical shop is built on ...
02/16/2026

Nest & Netl gathers what the land gives.

Rooted in the North Woods of Maine, this small-batch botanical shop is built on slow gathering, ethical harvest, and respect for place.

Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing glimpses of seasonal harvest, preparation, and the materials that will be offered this spring.

Thank you for being here at the beginning.

🌲

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Fort Kent, ME

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