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Pine Forest Braucherei
Gretchen Swank
Nov 134 min read
Ewicher Yeeger- The Eternal Hunter Who Delivers Opportunity in Desperate Times
The myth of Ewicher Yeeger, the Eternal Hunter, is deeply rooted in the Blue Mountain region of the Deitscherei, and in the spirit of the...
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Gretchen Swank
Sep 41 min read
Lancaster News Online Video Article
https://lancasteronline.com/video/what-is-pow-wow-the-pennsylvania-dutch-spiritual-healing-practice- Check out this amazing video article...
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Gretchen Swank
Mar 1814 min read
Our Pennsylvania Dutch Culture: Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going
My love and passion for my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage extends deep and wide, much like my own family tree extends and roots in all...
77 views0 comments
Gretchen Swank
Jan 63 min read
55 views1 comment
Gretchen Swank
Dec 7, 20232 min read
More Than Pennsylvania Dutch Sugar Cookies
When I was a child, my best friend and I walked to visit my grandmother nearly every day in the summertime. A widow, she lived alone in...
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Gretchen Swank
Nov 25, 20237 min read
A People of Equality and Integrity- The Pennsylvania Dutch
Recently, a friend and I were driving home from celebrating Erntfescht, the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch "Thanksgiving," with our...
234 views2 comments
Gretchen Swank
Oct 9, 20233 min read
Ayurvedic Corn Soup and the Art of Healing Holistically
5 cobs of corn or 4 cups of corn removed from husk 5 cups of water 1 piece of ginger, peeled and chopped 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/2...
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Gretchen Swank
Aug 29, 20234 min read
The Work of a Healer
A new client came to my studio for the first time last week. During consultation he said he wished to receive Reiki treatments, but he...
131 views4 comments
Gretchen Swank
Aug 8, 20232 min read
Garlic Tincture
Cold and Flu Season is fast approaching, so I am preparing the best way I know how by stocking up on my herbs and home remedies. Garlic...
22 views0 comments
Gretchen Swank
Jul 12, 20237 min read
The Pennsylvania Dutch: Reflections on the Past and Pathways Forward
Traffic on the Walt Whitman bridge was relatively light as I gazed out the passenger side window into the waters of the Port of...
274 views3 comments
Gretchen Swank
May 7, 20232 min read
Harvesting & Processing Magical Burdock Root
Walking into my studio last week, I was both surprised and overjoyed to discover an abundance of Common Burdock growing near my flower...
33 views0 comments
Gretchen Swank
Apr 7, 20231 min read
Libby's Pickled Eggs and Beets
My great-grandmother, "Libby," was a woman of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, a practitioner of folk healing, and a woman of strength and...
62 views0 comments
Gretchen Swank
Apr 5, 20233 min read
Dandelion on Griedunnerschdaag (Green Thursday); a Pennsylvania Dutch Tradition
The Dandelion. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood gifts provided by Mother Nature. Their bright yellow heads pop-up everywhere, and...
41 views1 comment
Gretchen Swank
Mar 27, 20239 min read
The "Witches" of Tyrol & the Ripple Effect the European "Witch Hunts" Had Upon Folk Healers
Growing up, I knew two things-- I was "German & Swiss", and I was "Pennsylvania Dutch." The former I learned from my mother, who told me...
132 views2 comments
Gretchen Swank
Mar 25, 20234 min read
HEALING WITH FOOD
As a Healer, I live by the philosophy of Hippocrates, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Our bodies house our hearts,...
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Gretchen Swank
Feb 13, 20231 min read
Yarrick Kaundi Pefferminzkuche (York County Peppermint Pie)
I am revisiting one of my favorite recipes today, from one of my favorite Pennsylvania Dutch recipe books by William Woys Weaver; Yarrick...
16 views0 comments
Gretchen Swank
Feb 7, 20232 min read
Mini-Greenhouse
This year, I decided to try a new method for starting my seeds. This is a mini-greenhouse that is portable and easy to make. I bought...
10 views1 comment
Gretchen Swank
Jan 31, 20232 min read
der Butzemann; Not Just a Scarecrow.
Groundhog Day is so much more than the spectacle on display in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania every February 2nd, it marks the beginning of a...
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