Attended the Williamston Homestead Festival last weekend. It was a free, family friendly event held at Mineral Spring Park in downtown Williamston. Celebrating a lifestyle of self sufficiency, the festival offered classes, vendors and a seed swap table. Homesteading can be characterized by agriculture, textiles, clothing, or craft work. I wanted to learn more about sustainable plants and crops. Useful Plant Nursery Chuck Marsh, Permaculture designer, of Useful Plant Nursery provided a very informative presentation of plants that provide benefits beyond looking pretty in your landscape. Many plants have medicinal benefits that nature has provided since our Indian, original homesteaders, lived off the land. Marsh explained his concern for the lack…