Out on our usual daily walk with the dogs, we encountered fresh fall sprigs of a white wildflower. Hmm… fall-blooming, daisy-like wildflower.

As always, we wonder: Is it edible and/or medicinal?

Turns out the answer to both is 'yes'!

See lots more on the beauty and benefits of Calico Asters.

While we're not likely to harvest these so as to leave them for the bees, butterflies and any other fall pollinators, we love knowing about the benefits of the plants all around us.

It's fun, surprising, inspiring, and interesting, but beyond that, it's moving toward a reclamation of lost knowledge should we ever need it for self sufficiency and even survival.

Let us know what you think about asters and whether you're using them. We appreciate learning from you and what you're doing!

GARDENING: This week we planted more fall / winter crops:

• Arugula seeds - sown into the ground

• Broccoli (transplants we purchased)

• Garlic - red Romanian and Bavarian purple, both from bulbs

• Lettuce - Speckled trout, Merlot, and Rouge D'Hiver seeds from Baker's Creek

• Chijimisai - a cross between tatsoi and komatsuna greens for cooking and raw in salads

• Perpetual spinach, a perennial vegetable good raw and cooked

All for now... hoping all is good with you and your garden!

Coleman and LeAura Alderson,

GardensAll.com