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Midwest Potential, 141 East Maple Street, Lancaster, WI (2026)

10/06/2026

🌿 PLANTED | PLANT OF THE MONTH 🌿

🌼 OCTOBER — CALENDULA 🌼

Let’s get to know a little golden flower with a long history in the herbal tradition.

This month, we’re exploring Calendula officinalis, also known as pot marigold.

Calendula is a great fit for a Wisconsin herbal garden because it prefers cooler growing conditions and can bloom almost continuously until a heavy frost.

🌼 WEEK 1 — SEE THE PLANT

Before we harvest a plant… before we make tea, oil, salve, or tincture…we learn to really look at it.

HOW TO SPOT CALENDULA?

Look for:

-Bright yellow → orange, daisy-like flower
-Green, slightly hairy or sticky leaves
-Branching, bushy growth
-Flowers that keep coming throughout the growing season

A LITTLE DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES

Traditional herbalists sometimes looked at a plant’s color, shape, habitat, or other characteristics for clues about its nature and possible uses.

Calendula’s golden-orange flowers have traditional connections with the sun, warmth, vitality, and the skin. ☀️🌼

Is that a coincidence?

A traditional teaching?

Or simply a beautiful way of learning to pay attention to plants?

That’s something we’ll explore together.

🌿 YOUR PLANTED CHALLENGE

If you find Calendula this week, stop for a moment.

Look at the:

🌼 Flower
🍃 Leaves
🌿 Stem
🌱 Overall shape
☀️ Color and character

Then ask yourself:

“What is this plant telling me?”

You don’t need to harvest it.
You don’t need to make anything.

This week is simply about observation.

Because herbalism starts long before the jar, the tea, or the tincture.

It starts with knowing the plant.

Throughout the week I will use the Doctrine of Signatures to further explore the plant characteristics.

Next week, we’ll dig a little deeper into Calendula as an herb, its traditional uses, the parts commonly used, and why herbalists have been so drawn to this golden flower. 🌼

Welcome to October’s Plant of the Month!

10/06/2026

I have something I’m really excited to finally share…

If you know me, you probably already know that I love plants, herbs, natural living, and learning the old ways of working with what nature has given us.

Over time, that interest has grown into something much bigger for me. I’ve spent so much time learning and practicing my “green work”, natural preparations, folklore, seasonal living, and all that connects us back to the natural world.

And I don’t just want to keep learning this for myself.

I want to share it.

So I created PLANTED, an educational part of Midwest Potential where I can share what I know, learn, and practice.

If you would like to slow down enough to notice a plant growing beside you.

Learn its name, understand what part you’re looking at, learn how people traditionally worked with it, and eventually incorporate nature into your everyday life.

Through PLANTED we will explore:

🌱 Plant identification
🌿 Herbalism
🍵 Teas & herbal preparations
🌼 Growing & harvesting
🏡 Home apothecary
🌾 Foraging & seasonal living
📚 Plant history & folklore
🌙 Earth-based traditions & practices
✨ And the relationship between people, plants, and the natural world.

Each month, I’ll choose a “Plant of the Month” and spend the next four weeks teaching about it.

Week 1 — Identify it 🌱
Week 2 — Learn it 📚
Week 3 — Work with it 🍵
Week 4 — Explore it 🌿

I’ll also be learning, researching, experimenting, and sharing what I discover along the way.

So if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about herbs and plants but didn’t know where to start, I hope you’ll follow along.

And if you already know a lot about plants, I hope you’ll share your knowledge too.

There’s so much wisdom to learn—and I think some of the best learning happens when we do it together.

Slow down and get curious…

Our first plant is Calendula 🌼

— Majesta

09/15/2026

FALL & WINTER CLOTHING DRIVE

As the seasons change, we’re opening up a little more space for community, connection, and helping one another stay warm.

Midwest Potential is hosting a Fall & Winter Clothing Drive for local individuals and families who may need a little extra help preparing for the colder months.

We’re collecting gently used and new:

🧥 Coats, winter jackets & snow pants
👖 Pants & jeans
👕 Sweaters & sweatshirts
🧤 Hats, gloves & mittens
🧣 Scarves
🥾 Boots & winter shoes
🧦 Warm socks
👶 Children’s winter clothing & gear
🎒 Other useful cold-weather items

HOW TO HELP

Want to donate?
Donation drop-off locations will be available throughout the community. We’ll be sharing those locations and collection dates soon!

Need clothing or winter gear for your family?
You can private message the Midwest Potential page with the sizes you need and the clothing or winter gear your family is looking for.

We’ll also have designated distribution dates where families can come pick up available items.

There’s no shame in needing a little help. Sometimes community is simply about making sure everyone has what they need to get through the season.

Whether you have a few coats sitting in the closet, a growing child who needs new winter clothes, or simply want to lend a hand — there is a place for you here.

Give what you can. Take what you need. Share what you have.

Let’s help keep our community warm this fall and winter.

More information, donation locations, and distribution dates coming soon!

09/06/2026

Did you know soap grows from the ground?

Well…the kind I use does.

Meet Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis),
a beautiful wildflower that’s been used for centuries as nature’s soap. Soapwort is rich in natural compounds called saponins, which create a gentle lather when simmered in water, making it a wonderful all-natural cleanser for your hands, face, hair, delicate fabrics, and more.

I harvested fresh plants, chopped up the flowers, leaves, and tender stems, then gently simmered them over a wood fire to draw out the plant’s natural cleansing compounds. After letting the mixture steep, I strained and bottled the finished liquid soap.
Because it’s made with only Soapwort and water (no preservatives or synthetic ingredients) it should be stored in the refrigerator and used within about a week, or frozen for longer storage.

For me, every plant is an opportunity to learn, grow, and reconnect with the knowledge that nature has always provided what we need to care for ourselves and our families. Each one brings me a little closer to creating a more natural, chemical-free lifestyle while honoring the wisdom that’s been passed down through generations.

09/06/2026

Did you know soap grows from the ground?

Well…the kind I use does.

Meet Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis),
a beautiful wildflower that’s been used for centuries as nature’s soap. Soapwort is rich in natural compounds called saponins, which create a gentle lather when simmered in water, making it a wonderful all-natural cleanser for your hands, face, hair, delicate fabrics, and more.

I harvested fresh plants, chopped up the flowers, leaves, and tender stems, then gently simmered them over a wood fire to draw out the plant’s natural cleansing compounds. After letting the mixture steep, I strained and bottled the finished liquid soap.
Because it’s made with only Soapwort and water (no preservatives or synthetic ingredients) it should be stored in the refrigerator and used within about a week, or frozen for longer storage.

For me, every plant is an opportunity to learn, grow, and reconnect with the knowledge that nature has always provided what we need to care for ourselves and our families. Each one brings me a little closer to creating a more natural, chemical-free lifestyle while honoring the wisdom that’s been passed down through generations.

Midwest Potential

10/06/2026

10/06/2026

09/15/2026

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09/06/2026

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