“In all the world, no rarer treat than the lantern light of Bittersweet.”
As much a symbol of autumn in America as pumpkins and indian corn, American Bittersweet is in need of caring stewards who will offer it a home and salvation. Rather than search high and low for it in the wild, make a place for it on your own homestead. In doing so, you’ll help save an endangered native species.
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Thank you, Shery for the Bittersweet information. Just the other day I was saying how I wanted more Fall colors in my gardens – I have a front porch railing that NEEDS some interest and I wouldn’t have to cut it to use it – going to look into that for sure. As always a great time was had while you shared yourself. God Bless
Great information! Thanks so much. I have two true bittersweets that I nurture all year so I can add those lovely branches to my fall arrangements. Again, thanks for the information.
Hello!
This vine is surely a beauty! What a beautiful fall addition to ones own beloved garden, looks like I am going to have to find a resource so I can plant a "couple" in my own garden!
Thanks for the sharing !
Truly,
Colette
This is wonderful information! If anyone finds out where we can get seeds from please let me know, I would love to plant this, I have creeks and brush winding through my property in BC , and it will make such lovely wreaths! Too bad we couldnt locate seeds and share some amoungst us farmgirl sisters! I will see what I can find…
Thank you~
Ang
Shery: We have American Bittersweet in our back yard against the fence. We were in a drought this summer and we had about 6 berries. But when it does produce, it is really beautiful. Also I think of autumn when my chinese lanterns bloom. If you would like some I have lots of seeds to share. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.
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Hi Bonnie! Oh you lucky goil … … to have chinese lanterns! I love them. I planted seeds this past spring, but I didn’t get anything 🙁 Is there a secret to them?? Shery
Great information and thanks for sharing it Shery! I always love to read your blog!
Smiles, Cyndi
Hi Shery, Your bittersweet wreaths are sooo pretty! Thanks for all of the information! Fall is my favorite time of the year, sure wish it would last longer. What a pretty picture of you and your little sis. BTW I just looked at your last post and loved all of the beautiful pictures. Your Ribbon is quite a beauty!
I always look forward to you posts!
Happy Fall!!
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Thanks Jan for stopping by and for the kind comments 🙂
Shery,
I live in California, can I grow Bittersweet here?
I am from Germany, and when I saw the pictures, it reminds me of home, kinder, gentler good old days, with parents and grandparents, now long gone – but never far away, in my heart.
I do want to grow this plant. Thanks so much for your blog, and for sharing.
Ursula
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Hi Ursula, I don’t know, but, all the info I came across claims that it is easy to grow. It does like moisture and decent soil…neither of which I can provide naturally. That is why I’m going to plant it along my garden fence and hope for the best. Shery
Thank you Sherry for identifying the true Bittersweet for me! We found some near our property the other day, and the multi-colored berries were so lovely. My son almost ate them, but I reminded him that the rule for foraging is if we don’t know what it is, we couldn’t eat it. So thanks! Now we know!
What a fabulous article. I want to grow American Bittersweet but do not know how to obtain seeds or the plants. Can you help me?
Sandy Patzman
Lakeville, Minnesota 55044
sandypatzman@frontier.com