The Merry Blogsters

Herbal Blog Party!

2010-04-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

Spring is a great time of year to start planning or expanding your herb garden, and Corey at Aquarian Bath is having a party! An herbal blog party that is and has invited the following bloggers to share their ideas, and gardens.

Take a minute to visit:

Tina Sams of from the Essential Herbal gives us a tour of emerging Spring herbs in Pennsylvania. Her Anise Hyssop photo is featured in this blog post. ~Cindy Jones of Sage Script also shows us what herbs are coming up in Colorado, and discusses plans for herbal planting.~Sarah Head of Tales of a Kitchen Herbwife in England shares a richly descriptive post on the first medicines of spring.~Lady Barbara of Lady Barbara's Garden in Oregon takes us on an exuberant Alice in Wonderland stroll finishing up with a treasury of Violet Magic.~Beth Brynne of the Garden Meanderings blog in Western New York also discusses emerging Spring Plants. Visit Maggie McMillan's lovely farm. What beautiful animals she has. Maggie shares about making biiter Dandelion coffee and Dock syrup.~Yael Grauer of Dirt Time is also "Embracing the Bitter" this month. Check out her post on Horseradish. ~Karen Vaughan of Acupuncture Brooklyn discusses the challenges and opportunities of Spring Time Urban Gardening.~Here at Aquarian Bath, my contribution to the blog party is Shapshots from my Spring day in the Garden at Fair Share yesterday. You will definately want to check out the new and unique "US mint" bed we started yesterday.

Happy Gardening
Karen

Spring has Arrived in the Ozarks

2010-03-31T17:55:00.001-07:00

Today it seems like everything decided it was time. Forsythia, Dutchman's Breeches, and Bloodroot all were blooming on the county roadside. Tomorrow I'll try to take some pictures.

Earth Hour

2010-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 PM your local time, turn your lights off and unplug your appliances for an hour. You will be joining with millions of people and thousands of municipalities around the world in a dramatic demonstration of unified global cooperation for a sustainable environment. www.earthhour.org

Snowing hard now

2010-01-29T10:06:00.001-08:00

It's snowing pretty hard now, a blizzard, even.

Kitchen Cosmetics Blog Party

2010-01-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

As winter drags on in most parts of the country our skin is probably suffering from dryness. Here are a few links to blogs with simple recipes that you can try at home to help your skin get through winter.

Cindy Jones from Colorado Aromatics at Sagescript Institute posted a recipe for a yogurt facial that is easy and soothing. You will find several good options for herbs to add to this right on your spice shelf such as parsley, thyme, even turmeric. http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics-blog-party.html

Mountain Mary posted some recipes for salt scrubs. Exfoliating is a great way to get more moisture into the skin.
http://mountainmarys.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics-blog-party.html

Maryanne Kudera posted a few recipes here; one of which uses 'old champagne'. Personally, I would never leave champagne around long enough for it to get old but you might try it.
http://maryannkudera.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics.html

Maggie at Prairie Land Herbs posted a recipe for a lemon egg shampoo. Soon our chickens will be laying too many eggs for us to eat so I'll try it then.
http://prairielandherbs.blogspot.com/2010/01/first-up-obligatory-weather-related.html

Cory Trusty of Aquarian Bath posted instructions for making an herb infused vinegar and them some great recipes using it. http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitchen-cosmetics-do-it-yourself-body.htmlThis time of year winter makes itself known by giving us dry itchy skin. Besides the wonderful skin care products offered by Colorado Aromatics and other small independent companies, there is also alot that you can do for your skin from your kitchen using simple ingredients. My all time favorite is the yogurt facial.

Happy Father's Day ~

2009-06-15T14:08:00.001-07:00

This weekend is Father's Day .. a day to celebrate and honor the men in our lives.
I was not fortunate in this lifetime to know my Dad ... however, my Grandpa and Uncles were very loving and positive roll models for me.

Some quotes for Father's Day:

'It is not flesh and blood ..
but the heart which makes us ..
fathers and sons. '
- - Johann Schiller

'Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life. '
~ ~Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

"My father didn't tell me how to live;
he lived, and let me watch him do it."
-- Clarence Budington Kelland

In honor of Father's Day ~

Blog Watcher's Special:
Free Shipping on all orders $50.00 or more
on UPS Ground in the continental USA.
This offer is valid thru June 22, 2009
Enter this in the 'comment section' when checking out.
We will only honor those that enter this code:
FD09 Free Ship

Our Father's Day Give A Way ~

1 - (4 / 5 oz bar) Working Man Hands Handmade Soap
1 - (4 / 5 oz bar) Scandanavian Woods Handmade Soap
1 - 4 oz Peppermint Hydrosol for a cooling after shave spray

Please be sure to put your name and email address so that we may contact you.
Pass this on to those that you think may enjoy our Give A Way.

- until next time,
Rosanne
www.sunrosearomatics.com

Roses are Blooming

2009-06-10T07:37:00.001-07:00

I am very excited that the first roses started blooming This week. This is when I gather all my baskets to start picking roses and rose buds to dry and use later for Colorado Aromatics products and crafts I might do later. Some roses will be ground and used in bath salts and scrubs, some will be saved to use in potpourri. The buds will be saved for later use. One thing to do with buds is to string them like a necklace and put them on a lampshade. The warmth of the light will help release the scent. Later when more roses are blooming I'll harvest them for a small distillation run.
Cindy, Sagescript

It's almost February - where has the long dark winter gone?

2009-01-24T09:47:00.001-08:00

I know that the northern readers are wanting to come down here and give me a talking to about my thinking that winter is almost over. My tongue is planted firmly in my cheek, because I know the worst is yet to come. I like to think about spring though. It makes winter more bearable.

To be honest, I'm not much of a seed starter. Lancaster County is awash with greenhouses, herb farms, and the month of May (and parts of April and June) is crammed with herb festivals and herb farm open houses. It is a gardener's dream, and when I read of the people in other parts of the country who have nothing much except a hardware store or big-box store selection, I appreciate it even more.

So mostly, that is how my garden comes to life. Mostly I transplant what others have started and nurtured to a point that it might actually survive me.
What manages to survive my forgetfulness usually falls victim to the roving gangs of bunnies or the insatiably gnawing hunger of the unstoppable groundhog. Then there are the giant deer hoof prints I find in the garden, and the birds that sit waiting for the berries to ripen. But never mind that. If I think about that too much I might give up - and gardeners NEVER give up. So where was I?Oh. Right. We were talking about seed starting. There are parts of the country (and thriftier people than I) where seeds are the way to begin the garden. Many people wouldn't think of purchasing adolescent plants, and if they are vigilant, seeds will pay them back many times over.

We were talking on the Yahoo Group for The Essential Herbal Magazine, and some of the favorite seed sources can be found below:

Rare Seeds at Baker Creek

Seed Savers

Landis Valley Museum Heirloom Seed Project

Abundant Life Seeds

They all have lots of great information, and I could spend several days just visiting seed websites. I DO grow most of my vegetables from seed. Things like eggplant, where I only need one or two plants, and melon, which takes forever to grow, I will buy the plants. Everything else in the veggie garden is from seed. Come to think of it, this should be a post about PLANTS! Maybe later.

While you're thinking about gardening, consider our book, The Essential Herbal ~ Under the Sun. There are several articles on different types of gardens, how to create good soil, how to care for seedlings, and get rid of pests.
We also have the CobraHead tool available on our website. This is one tool you don't want to be without when you are out there doing battle with the dandelion, the sour dock, and the bladderwort. This baby is ergonomically designed to help you get more bang for your buck. Less wasted energy, more effect. And it is one of the few tools that can take me through season after season without rusting, bending, or breaking.

And before the season gets started and you need something for those tired muscles, head over and get your supply of Gardener's Soap, Arnica Rub and Gardener's Tub Tea from our sister site: The Sibling Group!

Credit for the pansy picture goes to Deborah Stiffler. Deborah, of Scent-sational submitted this photo for the cover of the May/June '07 issue of The Essential Herbal.

Operation World Smudge

2009-01-19T09:59:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I received an invitation to join Operation World Smudge. Anyone can participate. Maybe you'll want to, too! Here's the info:

Smudge where you are! Participate from home!

Smudging is a Native American tradition that involves the burning of herbs such as: sage, sweet-grass, tobacco and cedar for the purpose of purification. Join in the WORLD SMUDGE event and smudge your home, office or land on Inauguration Day. Help clear out the old administration and prepare a clear space for change.

Creative Work Spaces

2009-01-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

Okay the holidays are over, winter has decided to visit North Georgia, so there is not a lot to do outside. This years Burpee Catalog came in the mail yesterday, and I have plans with a hot cup of coffee and a recliner later this evening pouring over the tomatoe section. I will report on all the great new vegetables and flowers tomorrow on my gardenchick blog www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog

HOWEVER, today was the day to start crossing off the to-do-list, which is part of my 2009 goals. Today, clean and organize my office. I plan on making this years garden, and my Gardenchick business my priorities this year. I don't know about ya'll, but I can't think in clutter. I also have to have inspiration around me. Since I collect junk, what a great place to put it all together in my office downstairs. My son has almost finished painting (who would have known that the earlier green on the walls would have needed THREE coats of light yellow to cover it up.).

The computer hutch is filled with my gnomes, the 1950's pixies I just love, and old concrete dwarf I paid a whole dollar for at a flea market. On the top shelf you will see a picture of my mother and her sister in a cornfield (1930's). The red cabinet holds some 1950-1960 paint by number pictures, an old rose care kit, and other odds and ends.

But just in case you thought I had conquered the clutter I included a "left to do picture".

Karen

http://www.gardenchick.com/

It's all a blur....

2008-11-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

I know, I know.....the yellow leaves of the last post have long dropped off and blown away and we are nearly dipping our frosty toes into December days. The last few weeks have been simply a blur of big activity around here. I have no other excuse other than to admit that my creative focus has been bound in production to fill holiday demand and scheduling out classes for all of 2009. I am thankful that I have big orders to fill and that demand for classes has grown. Oh so thankful.The sense of urgency that comes naturally with the changing seasons from fall to hunkered-down winter is layered with holiday cooking, days "off" in the middle of the week, unexpected visits and a break with the normal rhythm of my days. Wrapping up another year of classes collides with a jump in the truck and a weekend of driving to bring the wayward Iceman from the North for a quick week at home. All the while, mulling over important travel details with darling daughter as she prepares to maneuver through three airports to arrive on a sunny summer Australian beach a few days before Christmas. The blurry image above is my first published attempt with my new camera after attending the class to understand it's workings. I was practicing my action panning shot without a flash...a challenge even to those with more experience than I. Anyway, it does artfully depict the crazy scene around here, so I chose to post it. Fast, blurry and challenging !! Over the years, I have learned to adapt to the balance that is required with operating a home-centered business. It takes alot of juggling, compromise and multitasking skills. But sometimes it's just worth getting up in the dark hours before the rest of the world, to get things done, think uninterrupted thoughts and feel that tiny creative spark that comes with quiet rewarding work. It makes it that much easier to share an hour cuddled up with a kid who has a story to tell, a neighbor who needs a helping hand or to follow a cooking muse in the middle of the day. The days can be mighty long but the benefits and rewards are so worthwhile. It's the best of all worlds and I can never say I've led a boring, unfulfilled life.

Fall fun

2008-11-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

I know a number of people on the Merry Blogsters live in the Northern States, and I don't MEAN to rub it in but......it has been beautiful weather here in North Georgia (temperature high 50's, lower 60's). It was perfect weather to go out with my granddaughters and enjoy this fall weather. We have a beautiful maple tree that has just turned a golden yellow, and "blessed" us with a yard full of leaves. The girls and I went out to play in the leaves, and another one of their favorite things to do in the garden, "hunt for worms". If it makes everyone shivering from the cold feel any better, the forcast is for temperatures overnight in the low 30's with a possibility of snow flurries in the morning. Hope you enjoy our pictures!

Karen, Mackenzie, and Kendall

www.gardenchick.com

www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog

Tea Swap

2008-11-11T09:02:00.001-08:00

Its getting cold here and they call for snow. I am getting that tickly feeling in the back of my throat that warns of a cold coming on so I thought I'd have a cup of tea. We sometimes do swaps here at Essential Herbal and recently did a tea swap so I looked through the teas I had for an appropriate one. Oh, so many good ones to choose from. I settled on Debra's because I knew the echinacea, astragalus, rosehips as well as the other ingredients would do me well on a day like this. So I brewed my tea and settled in at my computer for more work. However, now, hours later, I can't feel that tickle in my throat any more.

Cindy Jones

http://www.sagescript.com/

Do You Recycle?

2008-11-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

Part of being green and sustainable is recycling and reusing. This is being made easier with a variety of websites dedicated to the cause. At Earth 911 you can look up information for your city on what can be recycled or disposed of and where. In fact, you can put in a specific item you need to get rid of such as used motor oil or electronics and then be directed to a location near you. It also carries news articles related to recycling. http://earth911.com.

We are probably all aware of thrift stores such as Salvation Army, ARC, and Goodwill as places to find a variety of used household items and clothing. Thrift stores have been around for along time and have provided me with many needed items at a discount price. These organizations are also been a valuable resource when cleaning out my closets and drawers and hopefully my children’s used clothing have benefitted others. I have been on several phone lists for thrift stores that call me about every 6 weeks to see if I have anything to pick up. Its convenient for me and provides an incentive to clean.

Restore is a store run by Habitat for Humanity and sells (as well as accepts) various household and building items for resell. I have bought many items there for the yard and office including fence posts, office chairs and room dividers. They usually have shelves and shelves of nails and screws as well as paint. Go here to see if there is one in your town: http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

The Freecycle Network was established to keep things out of the landfill and is an example of one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure. They have more than 4,000 local groups that are run as Yahoo Groups. If one person has something they no longer want and are willing to give it for free to someone else who needs it they can post it on their local Freecycle group for someone else to take. Go here to find a local group: http://www.freecycle.org/.

Craigs list is a site where anyone can post free classified ads. There are sites for over 500 cities. Many things on Craig’s list are free or at least inexpensive. I have used Craig’s list to find inexpensive yard tools and free firewood. www.craigslist.org.

I am posting these links and more when I find them on the right border of my website to make it easier to find them. Let me know if you know of any other useful ones.
Cindy
Sagescript

Pictures from the fair - Sonny and Andrea are engaged!

2008-10-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today we were summoned to the renaissance faire. It was a simply gorgeous day.

The immense straw man greeted us as we entered, in stark contrast to the queen growing by the side of the mansion. Heh heh... I have gardening gloves just like the queen's!
Our kids work there, and one of their best friends, Sonny, met his sweetheart there last year. Today he proposed to her on stage during the Queen's Court intro to the day. We were happy to go witness it. He did a fine job of it, too. Sonny approached the stage filled with confidence. We were all so happy when these two finally decided to stop the wild flirtation and finally date. They make a very sweet couple. They changed quickly and surely from 2 single people into a couple who are very much ready to make a life together.Andrea came forth, and Sonny gave her several dozen roses before dropping to one knee. He'd written what he wanted to say to her. I think the queen may have been in suspense, but how could any woman turn that down? Look at him! The ring was his grandmother's.And of course, she said yes. To my stunned surprise, I looked beside me to see my sister and daughter both in tears. I must be getting salty in my dodderage.

For the past 10+ years since we sold our shop at the faire, visits have been a quick walk around the grounds and out. It hasn't been fun for my sister and me. Today was different. There were some beautiful things to see, some old friends to visit - although it was crowded so there wasn't much time to visit. Below you'll see some of the things that caught my eye.
A Harvest Moon Table A Most Fine and Bountious Harvest Table
Our friend Fenris the potter is an artist in so many different mediums. These altars are his work and they are truly divine.
A corner, almost out of sight held this vision.
One of the celtic bands that took the stage today. These drummers were absolutely incredible and drove the crowd wild. The bag-piper held his own quite well too!
The kids - Rob, Sonny, and Molly. Now for some reason THIS picture might make me tear up. They are all grown now. Seeing them in our old stomping grounds, forging (heh heh - little pun, sorry) their own way is odd. They relate in completely different ways to the things that we used to tell them about. It's just ...odd.
The fountain in front of The Globe, dressed for Autumn.
Another, more primal, straw man.
Maryanne (normal) and the kids (who've been too long at the faire).
The grounds of the shire were decorated to welcome the harvest more beautifully than they ever even came close to during our days there. We were very saddened to see that the giant ginkgo tree at the top of the hill was gone. On days like this, we'd look up and see the brilliant blue autumn sky (forever named "Emil blue" for Don Juan's shirt our first year there, which matched the sky, and Don Juan was portrayed by a gorgeous young man named Emil). The clear, pure yellow of the ginkgo leaves would contrast so strikingly with the sky that it would take our breath away.
Still, it was just beautiful, clear, cool, and crisp as any Autumn day could be. Fare Thee Well...

Early Morning Aromas

2008-10-17T14:37:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke to an odd smell. At first it smelled like burning plastic so I hurriedly threw on my robe and went to check the stove and breaker panel. Sometimes Gab will get up at night and cook something and it was possible she left a burner on. And Zack will even forget he was getting ready to cook something and leave the stove on. No fire alarms were going off, but I couldn't sleep without making sure anyway. Went downstairs, nothing. Checked every outlet and every plugged in electronic device and nothing was hot. So I went back to bed for a few more hours until the alarm would go off and wake me at 5:30. As I got back under the covers, it occurred to me that I had eaten a pasta dish heavy with garlic right before going to bed, so maybe it was just me smelling like that...but I sure hoped not.

The alarm went off and the smell was still there and I still had not placed what it could be. Got dressed, started my coffee, and opened the door to tell the dogs hello - whoa! There was the source of the smell! Badger had gotten skunked and as the odor wafted up to my bedroom it smelled less and less like skunk and more and more like burnt rubber. I remembered now that I've smelled that before, haha.

Pictures Around the Garden

2008-09-02T18:43:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite time of year; things are growing and the eating is good. The work load has slowed down some and there is more rain so it is not so hard to keep things alive. It gave me enough time to work on building a raised bed I will use next summer for herbs. I went through the garden to take some pictures to share.

Comfrey that has already been cut back once for distilling.
Elderberries that are almost ready to harvest for syrup and for tincture.
Larkspur, most of which has gone to seed and safely saved for planting elsewhere next year.
Holy Basil which is growing quite slowly.
My new raised bed which is one out of three that will go in this same area. Next year it will be overflowing with herbs.
Cindy

Sagescript Institute, llc

A find on the trail...

2008-08-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

We were just walking up the hill and a beam of the setting sun seemed to draw my attention to something that I could hardly believe was some type of caterpillar. It was wound around a branch in a fir tree.

Here's a picture of our "find":

I took a shot of it next to a lighter to show the size.

We think this is the front/head end.

And this is the hind end.

So, my DH identified our bizarre visitor as an Imperial Moth.

From the Auburn University website (I deleted the pictures that were almost identical to the ones we took above - and we were right about which end was which!):

Imperial Moth
Eacles imperialis (Drury) (Saturniidae)

L.L. Hyche, Associate Professor
Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology
Auburn University
3/2000

The imperial moth is distributed throughout the eastern United States west to Texas and Kansas. The caterpillar feeds on foliage of a variety of broadleaf and coniferous trees. Some common hosts are oaks, sweetgum, sycamore, elm, hickories, walnut, maple, basswood, honeylocust, pines, red cedar, and bald cypress. In Alabama, the caterpillar is found on both pines and hardwoods.

Life Cycle, Description, and Habits

The insect spends the winter as a pupa in the soil; adults emerge in spring. The adult is a large moth with wingspread of 100-150 mm. It is sulfur yellow, marked in varying degrees with lilac to purplish-brown bands and spots. Females lay large yellow eggs or in small groups on either surface of host leaves.

The full-grown caterpillar is 75-100 mm long. It occurs in two color forms, green and brown. In the green form, the head is orange-yellow with vertical black or dark stripes on sides and front. The thoracic legs are yellow. The body is green and thinly clothed with long whitish hairs. The second and third thoracic segments each bear a pair of stubby, rough yellow horns, and rows of smaller yellow spines occur along the body to the rear. The last abdominal segment bears conspicuous yellow and black triangular plates. The spiracles along the sides are large, oval and pale yellow to cream in color. In the brown color form, the body, horns, and spines are tan to reddish brown. When fully grown, larvae leave foliage and pupate in the soil. Two broods may possibly occur each year in Alabama; however, the caterpillar is most commonly seen in August and September.

Occurrence, Damage, Importance

The imperial moth caterpillar is a solitary feeder. It may occur on any of the many host trees, and is usually encountered most commonly in late summer and fall. These large larvae individually can consume a lot of foliage, but are seldom present in sufficient numbers to cause serious damage. Large, colorful, and armed with horns and spines, the caterpillar may look fierce and dangerous; however, it is harmless and does not "sting" or stab man.

The Essential Herbal ~ Sept/Oct '08

2008-08-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

The next issue is in the mail, and it is such a great fall issue! We have articles on various herb crafts - from making tinctures to harvest soaps, several great recipes, gardening information, book reviews, and enough projects and ideas to make us almost look forward to the waning sun. Take a look at the table of contents below! TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crossword Puzzle - A little botanical nomenclature.

Field Notes from the Editor

Suburban Herbie, Obsessive Gardening - Geri Burgert

Dia de los Muertos - Betsy May

List Article - Winter Preparations

Simple Tincture Making at Home - Sarah Campbell

Down on the Farm, Seed Saving - Michele Brown and Pat Stewart

Book Review Unlikely Lavender Queen - Cindy Jones

Colours of Autumn, Mrs. S.J. Head

Book Review, The Priestess of the Forest - Sarah Campbell

SouthRidge Treasures, Horseradish - Mary Ellen Wilcox

Tealight Tutorial - Abbie Sewell

The Soap Pot, Harvest Soap - Alicia Grosso

Louisiana Lagniappe, Mushroom & Eggplant Pie - Sarah Liberta

Never Enough Thyme, Sunchokes - Susanna Reppert

Rebooting Your Brain - Susan Evans

Stuffed Shirts - Sue-Ryn Burns

The Twisted Sisters Tour~4 Days, 3 Cities! - Tina Sams

Naked Lammas Ladies in Bloom!

2008-08-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Scattered throughout my gardens are a gorgeous flower that my mother-in-law always called "Naked Ladies". They are a type of Nerine. The strap-like leaves come up in the spring, and die back completely by early summer. Then, at the first of August every year the flower stalks emerge from the ground like smooth green snakes, growing 6 inches a day, gradually opening to these beautiful lily-like pink flowers. Because they emerge at the first of August, I have taken to calling them "Naked Lammas Ladies". Green blessings, Sarah

Roses are Blooming

2008-06-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

I love the first summer at a new place; everything that blooms is a surprise. I have several rose bushes blooming right now but unfortunately do not know what they are. Some are slightly aromatic and some are beautiful pink and red hues. I love the large bushes on the property line (see picture) that I never water. I spent today cutting flowers and buds to dry for later unknown crafts. Because I want to have very aromatic roses for distilling I also bought several new ones this year. They include a Kasinlik, Golden Celebration and Mr. Lincoln. I am using my chicken manure to fertilize these so that next summer they will reward me with enough blossoms to distill.

Cindy Jones

Sagescript

House progress!

2008-06-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Whew! So far this summer has been really really busy for me. My full-time job has been exceptionally hectic, plus we've been trying to get our house built. I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly to my own blogs and this one. But I am so excited to finally see the walls of our house coming up! That's our daughter, Gabby in the kitchen window. The walls are 10' high on the ground floor. Since it's a small house, this will give it the feeling of being more spacious than it really is. Plus, it might help keep it cooler in the summer. Today they raised the interior walls and hoisted the trusses up for the loft bedroom floor. This weekend maybe we'll get the rest of the walls raised and next will come the roof. Gary and I have had a pretty good mind-picture of the house since the beginning, but the kids have had a harder time imagining what it will look like. Now that the walls are in place at least Gab is getting excited and more willing to help out. Garrison hasn't seen it yet, since he's on a summer trip to his grandparents house. But I'll be he'll be excited when he sees it, too. My oldest son, Zack, is on a road trip with his new trucking job, and I'm sure he'll be happy when he comes in, too.

Tina one, Weeds zero - for today.

2008-06-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

We've had a couple of beautiful days here. Mild temperatures, low humidity, and a nice breeze. These were about the first really perfect days we've had for a while, with cool and wet being the typical forecast in May. So, like any self respecting gardener, I set about reclaiming the gardens. They aren't all under control, but it is a darned sight better than it was. There really should be some "before" pictures, but honestly that would have been to embarrassing. To begin, let's start out with my $1 wheel barrow that I found at the barn sale down the road last week. Don't ask me why (or even how) I've been working on all the different areas here without one. It was ridiculous. So that would explain why I swerved into the farm lane and tossed this baby into the back of the car. It reminds me so much of my first car. Looks like crap, but does a fine job. The fact that it's already been WELL broken in means that I won't have to feel bad about scratching it with a shovel, or leaving it out overnight when it might get a little rust.
The row of Grosso lavender is getting ready to bloom. You can see here the thousands of spikes starting to form. It's time to stock up on some ribbons for wands, and this year we'll have plenty to sell in bunches at market. Maybe enough to distill, too. Just a few short days ago it was hard to tell where the field ended and the row of lavender began. Is it just me? Or do all gardeners suffer anxiety attacks when their gardens are looking invaded? Just looking at that crisp row makes me feel so much better! The Bergarten Sage in the foreground is just barely blooming this year, spending all of her energy on putting out those lush leaves. That's fine with me. The leaves are the part we use anyway.
At the far end of the lavender row we have a lush Lemon Thyme, some Mountain Mint, and Tarragon. They form the corner of the berry patch (protected by the lattice panels). Inside are lots of blueberry plants and some very healthy elderberry bushes. The blueberries aren't doing anything except growing yet. Same with the elderberries. I'm hoping that the warmer temps and the mulch will give them a little shove in the direction of blossoms. If not, there's always next year. However, 2 of the blueberries that I had considered nibbled to death by the rabbits or groundhogs have decided to start growing again. That was a pleasant surprise. Those varmints chewed them off right down to the ground. An elderberry facing another direction is already in bloom, but the leaves are yellow - possibly too close to a white pine? This is her third year. Last year there was just one umbel. The frothy elder "blow" is such a pretty thing. It's hard to decide whether to harvest the flowers or wait for the berries (and fight the birds for them). The birds are incredible this year too! Yesterday I saw an Oriole, brilliant orange swooping over the pines. The Gold Finches are everywhere, and a hummingbird sipped at the chive blossoms. Bluebirds? Yeah, we've got 'em.

In the middle of the yard is a little oasis of Chamomile. Just last week I picked off every single bloom for the still, and you can see that didn't give them a moment's pause. They just put out more flowers. They need another picking, but we're talking hours here. It is no small feat to pluck that many flowers. It is akin to picking the violets for syrup, except that the violets snap away from stem more quickly. Chamomile requires a small pinch to keep the stemmage to a minimum. It's such a cheerful little spot. I love to sit in the grass next to the patch, and watch the sun go down over the flowers while picking.
Out by the front door is the Valerian. It is in full bloom now, and the scent is amazing. Off to the left is an old-fashioned, late-blooming lilac bush. The day the lilacs stopped perfuming the entrance, the Valerian went into bloom, giving us a non-stop, breath-taking welcome to the outdoors every time we step outside.
Soon we'll be greeted with Bog Sage and Bergamot, but nothing will again come close to the fragrance outside the door for the rest of the year. It's hard to believe after seeing all the seed pods (and picking those that were reachable), but so far the Moonflower hasn't shown up.
Every year is a surprise. It never fails. Even if nothing new comes up, there are always plants that were forgotten somehow, and as they show up it's a little gift to brighten my day.
For instance, out in the front garden there is a Munstead Lavender that is starting to bloom. Next to it is a smaller version that came up on its own last year. It has a couple of little spikes this year. This is the first time I've ever had a lavender mom and baby. That was one of those great surprises!

The Great Horned Owl

2008-05-27T10:27:00.001-07:00

We have seen this great horned owl on our property several times. Owls hold a special place in many cultures so I find its visits interesting although it is scary to look into the eyes of a great raptor. In some cultures there are associated with energy, wisdom, and bravery, but also foretellers of bad fortune. I am hoping that on our farm it is a good sign and will bring good energy for all of our endeavors; herbal and other.

Cindy

Sagescript Institute

A Mother's Day Tussie Mussie

2008-05-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

A Mother's Day Tussie Mussie can show your Mom how you feel in the Victorian Language of Flowers. I Remember making one for my Mom several years ago. Although she is no longer alive I will walk my garden (and look in my dried collection) to see what plants I have to pay tribute to her on this Mothers Day.

Basil for the unconditional love she gave me and my siblings.
Rosemary for remembering her and the lessons she taught me.
Sage for her endless wisdom and to represent my grief.
Scented geranium for our happy times together.
Lavender for her devotion to her family.
Thyme for her strength and courage in raising 8 children.

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms.

Cindy Jones

Herbal Pest Control

2008-05-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I bought 2 Don Juan climbing roses. I had avoided roses for years due to their need for much more attention than I was willing to give them. A regimen of spraying, fertilizing, pruning etc. The Don Juan roses were not as finicky, so I tried them out. The first year wasn't so bad, producing big, dark red roses which I trained on a post fence. The next year, by the end of April, beginning of May, the plants started dropping their leaves, leaving only the branches, which still produced a fair amount of flowers but looked terrible. I vowed to do better the next year, and sprayed in early march, fertilized but soon forgot about my promise to the roses. Same thing happened so that fall I cut them to the ground, and continued to do so the next year, not allowing them to grow very high throughout the summer. This year, I wanted to be able to use the roses in my bath and body products, so I didn't want to spray them. I looked at them a couple of weeks ago, and they were already covered with aphids, so I started looking for a "green" way to control the aphids.

According to an article in this months Organic Gardening Magazine attracting Lacewings to your garden will provide pest patrol for aphids. Each lacewing devours hundreds of the little pests causing damage to your plants. How to get those aphids to your garden? Plant catnip in your beds around plants where aphids lurk. Studies have shown, that the chemical in catnip mimics a pheromone emitted from the male lacewing to attract female lacewings. Other studies have also show that carrot family herbs suck as angelica, dill, and cilantro also attract lacewings. So be sure and add these herbs to your garden this year.

Karen

http://www.gardenchick.com/

www.Gardenchick.com/garden-blog

Anticipation

2008-04-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

The smells of spring....freshly mown grass, and newly turned earth. Every year, I can't wait to get started on new gardens. Ideas that have been turning over in my head, pages torn out of magazines, and baby plants just itching to get out of their pots, are all waiting until this weekend to get the new gardening season started. When we were small and put more food on our plates than we could ever eat, my mother would say our"eyes were bigger than our stomach". Well, this is usually what happens to me and my garden plans. But this year, I know my limits. I will need to start a new herb garden, but since I am not much of a cook, I am planting herbs that I can use to make teas, or my bath products. Lavender, lemon balm, calendula, comfrey, catnip, spearmint, peppermint, roses, and a few other herbs will go into the garden. Vegetables will only be enough we can eat, or give away. No zuchinni this year. I never got around to making that zuchinni bread and could not give it away. The green onions have already been planted, and are about ready to eat. The potatoes are poking their green leaves up, and will make great small red potatoes. Tomato plants will be planted, and I can already tastes those great fried green tomatoes. We are trying cantalopes this year, so I need to research the best way to grow those. I actually took the advice of some of those HGTV garden shows, and have planned out my gardens on paper. Hope everyone is anticipating a great gardening year, and looking forward to a great harvest.
Karen
www.GardenChick.com

First Walk in the Woods - April '08

2008-04-14T17:53:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to visit the woods for over a week now, but things kept getting in the way. Getting the May/June issue of The Essential Herbal mailed out was one of them, amidst an avalanche of others. Over the weekend when we were traveling to and fro, I noticed that marsh marigolds and something that *might* have been dutchman's breeches were catching my glance while we whipped along on the back roads.
So this morning after doing a few necessary things, I donned my hoodie and sneakers and grabbed the camera, past the pond with the mallards and frogs jumping at my approach, and headed into the woods.
It was WONDERFUL!!!
The area was rich with natives when my sister and her husband bought it, and since that time we've been adding a little here and there. In the spring, I feel like a mother checking on her sleeping babes. Sometimes I'll gently pull back some leaf cover to take a peek at what's going on underneath. This year that wasn't necessary, as things are getting into full gear without my nudgings (as they always would - I'm just to anxious to wait sometimes).
I was a little surprised to see the hepatica blooming all along the hillside across the stream. It took me about 30 seconds to get my feet wet and get the first splashes of mud up the back of my jeans. After all the rain we've had, another surprise was finding the stream shallow, but much wider. Last year I waited about a week too long and missed all but a few blossoms. The foliage is stunning too, but the flowers! Sigh....
Everywhere the jewelweed was starting to push up the first sets of leaves. It is easy to spot once you know it. The leaves are almost a blue-ish green, with a pale cast. In another couple of weeks there will be plenty for fresh soapmaking, but fortunately we stored plenty in the freezer so we'd have a good supply cured for the spring shows and wholesale orders.
The Mayapples are just starting to come up. The way they erupt from the ground is almost prehistoric to me. Little knobs pop up, and then get taller, finally opening up like an umbrella. If you look closely at the picture, you can see several stages of unfurling going on.
Next up was one of the trillium patches. Every year I try to add another plant or two in a different spot. This year I'd like to put them across the creek, where they would probably naturalize better. That bank hosts the most diverse plant life, so it probably would be a better (if more difficult to reach) home. These are my pet project. The clumps keep growing and it just fills my heart with joy to see them.
It would seem likely that sweet violets would be growing like crazy down there, but such is not the case. Only on the path where we walk do they grow. Not in large clumps, either... but single little plants glistening among the leaves from last fall. This year I did notice one area with a good colony. It just happens to be in the one area where we don't stick around long. There is a tree that has fallen against another, leaning precariously above the pathway for several years now. Right beneath that fall zone is a healthy group of violets, more than I've ever seen before. Made me smile to think that they are teasing me there.

The spotted, smooth foliage of the trout lily, or dog-toothed violet is everywhere, carpeting the entire woodland. Only 2 were blooming this morning. Each year the first to bloom are at the base of a particular tree, nestled in amongst the roots of the tree. I always know that if they are blooming, that will be the place to find them. Sure enough, there they were, blooming several days ahead of the rest. In another week, the forest will be alive with these glorious beauties.
Wonder of wonder, the dutchman's breeches came back again. It took me a while to find them, as a tree had fallen down the bank and obscured them from my view. But all of the clumps we put in two years ago have come back. Only one of them was blooming, and I am hoping that we were early. We're thinking of squeezing in a trip to Shenk's Ferry Wildflower Preserve later this week. They should be rampant there! Another week would probably be better, and we'd see more if we waited.

We put in two different varieties of wild ginger. The first is shiny, glossy, beautiful leathery leaves. This patch is several feet in diameter, and while the deer seem to enjoy munching on it, the plant doesn't appear to be any worse the wear. There were a few blooms under the leaves, but they are small and point towards the earth, making them difficult to see, much less photograph with a Kodak Easyshare.
The second variety has a little bit of fuzz to the leaf, and the tips of the leaves are more pointed. The stems are completely covered with this fuzz, and that will last all year long. This plant has the more classically shaped wild ginger blossoms. Although this one hasn't opened up completely, they are cup-shaped with pointed ends jutting out in four different directions. The color is scrumptious and unique. I adore them, and last year attempted to preserve one in resin. Not a great result, but I'm not giving up just yet.

Finally it was time to go back up towards the house. I had to pass Maryanne's (and stop in to finish wrapping an order of soap for delivery today...). Along the way, her driveway was ablaze with daffodils and tulips. I layed down on the warm macadam and looked closely at the different forms.

Spring is the best. It makes winter worthwhile. It reminds us of everything good in the world and fills us with hope and renewal.
The first 10 or 15 walks in the woods each year are my favorite things to do all year. No matter how many times I see these things, each year it is like seeing old friends for the first time in a very long time. I have missed them tremendously!

Spring Snows

2008-04-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Spring snows around here are nice because they provide lots of needed moisture for the plants. In fact, spring snows bring most of our moisture for the year. Here are pictures of my chives at 4:00 pm on Wednesday and at 9:00 am on Thursday. We were supposed to get a foot of snow but it ended up only being a dusting. Hopefully we will get more this spring since it will determine how much water we can use during the summer.

Cindy

Thankful for herbs

2008-04-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Trying to smile through the struggle It helps:)

Hello bloggin sisters!
I have been ill for about 3 weeks now pregressively getting worse last week. Fearing a recurrance of cervical cancer I felt like I was tucked away in a corner shriveling away in soul and body.
I am on a cervical cancer program because I do not have insurance, and I checked out well by the gynecologist oncologist. But after this check up the symptoms got really bad.
I felt like a failure as an herb teacher as well as herb walking woman.
I realized that my poor posture in front of the computer for 10+ hours a day was not a healthy thing for me in winter...that was one thing that stood out to me as I began to be introspective on my life.
I also looked outside, I have a bounty of plants. Some of the TEH group and Tina have helped me identify. But so many more are popping up and these old herbals at our rather aged library are not much help.
But the chickweed is alive and well. Already I have gathered her for oil and have that macerating. Nettles-yay now resides on my land. Cleavers too.
I rescued a bloodwort from a local park adn brought her to my land.
The Elder is leafing. The dead nettle and henbit and wild onions we are using in soup as well as dock and dandelion.
The johnny jump ups are popping up here and there.
But my saving grace yesterday was the violet leaf. Never before did I feed so much goodness enter my body then went I went to nibble on her yesterday.

Seeing all these lovely plants, and considering my symptoms, I have been nibbling on chickweed, plantain, and johnny jump up flowers. Also digging some dandelion root although they are so small.

And best of all, the plants are healing me.

Fearing the worst, I began this nibbling hoping that any inflammation would subside.
My abdomen was swollen, I had pain, I could hardly move, and my muscles seemed to continually spasm. My lower back hurt, my middle back hurt. Pelvic pressure was strong. But these little plants are getting me through. I am not in the strong pain, my muscles are getting less spasmodic. the marshmallow root tea I have been drinking has been soothing,and if there was a cyst causing this, maybe the chickweed dissolved that. I dont know.
What I can say is that I AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE and to have a place to even type this out...giving praises to the little plants.

My mom was dx with lung cancer and it looks like she is on her way out. She and I were never close, but she is my mom and I have been trying to help her long distance as she works through this dx. She has been a heavy smoker all her life, been on oxygen and she really feels this is it, however she wont go back to the oncologist to find out what her true state is. So it is a time of my life that I have never experienced prior and regardless of her being a crappy mom to me, it is sad losing your parent. I forgive her completely. I just want her to find out what is going on so she can have the best care possible as she exits planet earth.

Bless you all in your spring joy-I miss ya'll

Fairy Home Companion

2008-04-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

"Fairy Home Companion" is another one of the books we've compiled here at The Essential Herbal. Inside this luscious little book, are all kinds of recipes, crafting instructions, gardening ideas, and original works of fairy fiction for anyone who adores the wee fae folke. This litte gem of a book will give you plenty of ideas to ponder. You'll know which flowers to plant, how to keep the fairies safe once they've gotten cozy in your garden, and what they'd like to eat. Step into the garden with us and believe!

Below, I'm posting the recipes that were submitted by my sweet friend Sarah Liberta for the book.

FAVORITE FAIRY FOODS
by Sarah Liberta
http://www.herbsbysarah.com/

FRESH FLOWERS TORTE
My friend Artie Lyons calls this her twenty-minute cake. She says, “With supplies on hand, if a friend calls to say she’s coming over, I can have a cake ready by the time she arrives.” We love it with a colorful assortment of fresh flowers strewn over the lush white cream frosting, but when flowers are scarce, the petals of a single rose or a calendula will do just fine.

1 frozen pound cake (16 oz.), defrosted
1 pint whipping cream
1/3 C sugar
2 T raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves
1 T framboise or strawberry liqueur
1 C mixed fresh edible flowers, washed and dried on paper towels

Put whipping cream, mixing bowl and beaters into freezer to chill a few minutes. Slice the cake horizontally into three equal layers and place bottom layer on serving platter. Put preserves in a small dish and heat in microwave for 30 seconds or until melted; stir in liqueur. Whip cream with sugar until firm. Brush 1/2 of fruit mixture over cut side of cake; top with about 3/4 cup of whipped cream; spread evenly. Top with middle layer; repeat with fruit and cream. Put top layer in place and cover entire cake with remaining cream, using spatula to make swirls. Scatter flowers and petals over top and sides and around the base of cake. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for a few hours.

Variation: For a different look and flavor, add 1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa to cream and sugar before whipping. Fold into whipped cream one 6-ounce package of butter toffee bits, less 2/3 cup of toffee. Use apricot jam and apricot brandy instead of raspberry or strawberry. When cake is covered with cocoa cream, sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Decorate with golden-colored flowers and petals: calendula, sunflowers, lemon gem marigolds, Mexican mint marigold (Spanish tarragon).

Variation 2: After filling and stacking the layers, cut the pound cake down the middle lengthwise and then cut each half into 3 or 4 equal pieces, forming 6 or 8 mini-cakes. Cover each with cream and decorate with flowers. Or use your favorite pound cake recipe, bake in 8 mini-loaf pans (2” x 4”) and finish as above. Each mini-cake serves 2 tiny fairies.

CANDIED OR CRYSTALLIZED FLOWERS
Flowers that have a mild or slightly sweet flavor -- such as violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, pinks, and roses -- are especially lovely when prepared this way. With a supply of these on hand, you can turn the simplest packaged pudding into an elegant surprise.

1 C edible flowers, washed and dried on paper towels
powdered egg white or meringue powder, mixed with water to equal 1 egg white
1 C superfine sugar (or process regular sugar in the blender for a few seconds)

1 small artist’s paintbrush (unused)
sterilized tweezers or forceps
waxed paper

Line a tray or sheet pan with waxed paper, sprinkle with sugar (to keep flowers from sticking). Holding a single flower by the stem with tweezers or forceps, paint its entire surface with the egg mixture. Any area unpainted will turn brown. Sprinkle with sugar to coat thoroughly on both sides. Place on waxed paper to dry. Repeat until all flowers are coated with sugar. Allow to dry till crisp, which may take from several hours to several days, depending on size of flowers. Small flat flowers will dry rather quickly, while whole roses or other large flowers may take a few days to dry thoroughly. Store in an airtight container. Use to decorate cakes, petit fours, candies (truffles, fudge squares), puddings and other desserts.

ROMANCE OF THE ROSE

1/2 C red rose petals
1 T lemon juice
1/2 C cranberry juice
2 C vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Whirl rose petals in a blender for a few seconds with lemon and cranberry juices. Add ice cream and pulse a few times. Serve in stemmed glasses with fresh or candied rose petals for garnish.

LAVENDER DREAM:

Substitute 1/4 cup fresh open lavender blossoms (or 1 T dried buds) for the rose petals and grape juice for cranberry. Proceed as above, garnishing with lavender blossoms, violets or Johnny-jump-ups.

Sense of Wonder Camp

2008-04-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

"If I had influence over the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life." Rachel Carson

If you are anywhere near Lancaster, PA and have a daughter aged 8-15, I highly recommend that you consider this week long Eco-Feminist day camp as a gift to her.

My daughter started the year she was old enough. We taught a session at the camp when she was about 5 or 6 and she couldn't wait to be old enough, pleading with me every summer until she finally met the requirement. Now she assists the staff. She just couldn't bring herself to walk away from it when she reached 16.

Why? The above quote is part of the stated philosophy of the founding members (Full Circle Susquehanna, Inc.) and it goes on to say, "These words of Rachel Carson express the philosophy that guides our camp. We want girls to know the beauty and mystery of nature and to see and learn about female role models who hold a deep regard for the Earth and the amazing life on Her."

The things the girls see, hear, and do at this camp are extraordinary. Women who work to change the world in powerful ways come to talk to them. They've met women in politics, women who fly (and soar), women who travel to other countries to make a difference, and women who use their skills and talents to support themselves and contribute to others.

On the surface, it is a week of being outside, guided by the incredible knowledge and attitude of naturalist Lisa Sanchez. Interwoven with that experience is a rich and diverse tapestry of learning new skills and ideas. Over the years, Molly (my daughter) has learned basketry with natural materials, gourd crafting, drumming, Tai Chi, Mask Making, and how to work and play in a group - and many other things. Native plants, animals and insects are studied as well as stream life and habitats, while always the interconnection of all things is noted and discussed.

This year the camp will run from June 16th through the 20th. The theme is Sustainability. If you are interested in more information, email fullcirclesusq@aol.com, or call 717-872-6334.

What I Learned Today

2008-03-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today I spent all day in the drizzly cool mist mending and building fences. I have barbed wire, and I have t-posts, but I don't have one of those come-a-long things to get it nice and tight. From past experience, I know that slack barbed wire fencing is a real hazard to livestock because they think they can easily get through the strands and end up getting hurt AND loose. Our place is chock full of old loose barbed wire fences and I've only just begun to start the tremendous job of getting them right, or getting them in at all in some places. Well, when I was a child I remember seeing fences with sticks wound into them to make them tight, so that's what I've done. What I learned today is that you can't use just any old branch to do this. Certain trees make good sticks and certain ones don't. The good ones are cedar and hickory, and maybe oak and some others. The bad one I learned about today was buckeye. It was handy and I thought I'd try it, but it was a waste of time. It takes a lot of torque to twist a stick in a barbed-wire fence, and the buckeye just bent and broke. Fresh off the tree, a hickory or cedar stick will not break.So that's my survival tip of the day: if you don't have a gadget to make a tight fence, use a hickory stick about the thickness of an inch, and wind up the slack with that.

Basil Benefits

2008-03-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Basil has been one of my favorite herbs for some time now. Recently, while researching basil (Ocimum) for a magazine article I compiled the following interesting facts about this aromatic herb.

1. Basil has been found to attenuate the stress response to excess noise in rats. This ability to help the body respond to stress is probably due to the wide variety of antioxidants found in basil which inclde flavonoids, phenols and carotenoids.

2. Human hair as well as sheep hair (wool) can fertilize basil increasing its growth. Next time you get a hair cut, work a little of the hair into your soil. Hair is a protein and so it is high in nitrogen. I’m wondering if my horse’s hair will also be beneficial.

3. Basil protects against harmful effects of ionizing radiation. This may provide protection to healthy, non-cancerous cells during radiation treatment for cancer or protect your skin from the sun.

4. Basil can help normalize blood glucose levels and thus prevent insulin resistance for borderline diabetics. Eat basil with high protein mozzarella cheese and whole grain bread and that’s even better for diabetics.

5. The shelf life of high protein food such as tofu can be extended with basil. This study was done in India where refrigeration is not as common in rural areas.

6. Basil contains antioxidants that can protect against damage to DNA resulting in mutations. It also protects against oxidative stress from a variety of sources. This important benefit protects us from free radicals that arise from environmental sources as well as within our own body. In this way it acts as an ‘adaptogenic’ herb.

7. Basil can help the skin in wound healing and may prevent formation of scars. Go ahead, rub it on!

8. Basil is anti-inflammatory agent and can decrease heat and swelling of an injured area making it a potential treatment for arthritis.

9. Basil has potential applications to lower blood pressure.

10. Basil is both antibacterial and anti-parasitic having action against Staph aureus and Giardia. It may also be active against mosquitoes. 11. Basil can inhibit growth of breast cancer cells in the lab and thus may provide anticancer activity in the diet.

This summer I hope to have enough basil to distill, to enjoy plenty of pesto and to eat with mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes.

Cindy Jones
http://sagescript.blogspot.com; http://www.sagescript.com

Turn off the Lights tomorrow night!

2008-03-28T06:02:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, March 29th at 8pm local time, millions of people will "turn off the lights" for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

This is a global event, location doesn't matter! Just DO IT!

Get involved and make a difference! It's easy, and you can make it fun!

To show your support sign up at:
http://www.earthhour.org

Dandelion ~ Spring Tonic

2008-03-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

This time of year, there is much talk of spring tonics. Their purpose is to cleanse the body from the sludge of the heavy winter diet of meat, root vegetables, and very little fruit or greens. These days, with food shipped hundreds (or thousands!) of miles, many people's diets don't change that much seasonally, but still we behave differently based on the weather and season.
Winter holidays stuffed us with sweets. Very little sunlight, or desire to walk around outside, and even the viruses and bugs of the winter season have left us lethargic and sluggish.
Around here, the old-timers have always eaten their spring tonics as vegetables. That is not to say that tonics weren't prepared... it's just that whipping them into scrumptious dishes makes the medicine go down in a most delightful way.
When we put together "Wild Foods for Every Table" a couple of years ago (available here), the recipes for dandelion were the most prevalent of all the wild edible herb dishes submitted. After chickweed, they are one of the first to come up in the spring, so it would make sense that people long ago, hungry for some fresh greens, found many ways to prepare them and serve them to their families.
All parts of the dandelion are nutritious, helping to increase bile secretion and flush the liver, kidneys, and urinary tract. Dandelion is full of vitamins and minerals, helping to reduce water retention and swelling without depleting potassium. It can also help brighten and refresh the skin by getting those toxins moving through and out of the body.
So don't turn up your nose at the fabulously valuable dandelion! If it is growing nearby, give it a try. Snip the young leaves and add them to your salads, egg dishes, casseroles and pasta dishes. Pull the roots and roast them for a delicious beverage. As always, the price is right!

St. Patrick's Mint Syrup

2008-03-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a few inches of snow on St. Patrick’s Day today. It should be just what those dormant plants need to get started though. We’ve just desodded a small area for our vegetable garden so as soon as this snow melts I will be planting my peas and lettuce. A few weeks ago I bought a small mint plant from my local nursery so that I could have something green in the house. Now it’s grown to a usable size. Last night we made a mint syrup by first mixing a simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water) and put about a tablespoon of fresh chopped mint leaves into the syrup after it boiled; leaving them there while it cooled. This made a very nice syrup to use in a drink. We mixed about one part syrup with 3 parts soda water and lots of ice. Its also good with a squirt of lemon juice. This is our St. Patricks Day drink this year; well at least for the morning because I am sure we will have some Irish whiskey come evening!

In honor of St. Patrick’s day here is one of my favorite blessings:

Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
Old Irish Prayer

May Saints. Brighid, Brendan and Patrick guide you on your way.

Cindy Jones, Sagescript Institute

http://sagescript.blogspot.com

Making a Vessel

2008-03-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Six days ago, someone posted my vessels page on Stumbleupon.com. I've been surprised by the staggering number of visits that have resulted. Inspired, this morning, I sat down and made some new vessels which I will post later on my own blog and webpage, but I was reminded of this "tutorial" that I blogged some time ago to explain the process and thought I'd share it here:

I am often asked if I "blow" glass. What I do is properly called "lampworking" and I don't actually blow the air into my hollow beads and vessels. I have always intended to make a page on my website to show how the vessels are made because the questions are asked so frequently.

Some time ago, I got someone to take a series of pictures over my shoulder as I made a vessel. This is a brief tutorial on how the basic vessel is made.

I make my vessels on the end of a "mandrel". The mandrel is a stainless steel rod. It is coated with a ceramic substance called bead release. This keeps the glass from sticking to the mandrel and when the bead is finished, the bead release dissolves in water and the bead "slips" off the mandrel.

First, a footprint is laid down on the mandrel for two discs. It looks as though there are two beads being made on the mandrel at the same time.

These discs will be the top and bottom of the vessel.

The disc at the end will be the bottom and extra glass is added to seal the hole

The discs are built up by adding glass until they are large enough to meet over the mandrel.

Sometimes, I gently coax them together with a tweezers or a "marver" which is a graphite paddle mounted on a wooden handle. The heat of the glass doesn't melt the graphite and it can be used to manipulate the glass as you will see later.

When the discs have been coaxed together, one more wrap of glass right around the middle makes sure the seal is complete.

Now there is air trapped inside the bubble of glass and I begin to heat the glass until the glass is molten and the air, now heated, expands. You can see it happening in the picture to the right.

This is a magical thing to me. When I first started making beads, my instructor told me I'd have to make at least 40 beads before I'd finally get a decent hollow. She was right!

So often, the seal isn't complete somewhere - either on the "belly" of the bead or something has happened to the bead release so that it isn't complete there. If the seal isn't complete, the bead will deflate into a sad glob of glass... sometimes with a big bubble somewhere, but not where it was intended.

When it works, which is most of the time now (!), I always get a big kick out of it.

Now, the finishing begins. Glass is often added to the bottom of the vessel to give it weight there so it will hang gracefully or just because it makes the design work.

The vessel is "marvered" to shape it and make the glass move together properly. Often, various types of decoration are added with tiny glass rods called stringer or by dipping the vessel in frit which is crushed glass, sometimes a reactive combination of deep colors.

I'm not showing it here, but the neck is added - like adding another bead right at the end and it is built up and shaped however I envision it.

Finally a handle or handles are added.

And voila! The finished vessel, with a cork and hung on a chain, ready to grace your neck and hold your favorite perfume, essential oil or other tiny treasure.

If you visit my vessels page, you can see the latest creations I have available.

Spring Comes to the Hill

2008-03-09T06:55:00.001-07:00

I don't care what the calendar says, and the thermometer is a liar too. It's spring, darn it.Last night we started Daylight Savings Time, and according to my internal light requirements, that means that spring is here!
Yesterday was typical early spring in my part of the world. It followed several days of rain and cool temperatures. The soil is saturated, and there is mud everywhere. That's been going on for a while, actually, and hindered our progress during the move a couple of weeks ago.
The day started out misty and overcast, but by afternoon it was a gorgeous and balmy forty-something degrees. As it got to be later in the afternoon, the wind started kicking up, and I watched out the office window as the hill was enshrouded in rushing, wispy clouds. So I went out onto the back deck to put the wicker furniture in some defensive arrangement. Standing on the deck is my favorite place to watch a storm roll in. This one was fronted by magnificent swirls of pink, yellow, and pale green heavy clouds. They were followed by an enormous black cloud with an edge as sharp as a knife. This was no ordinary storm.

Looking down into the field, I saw my sister and her husband inspecting some plantings. From my vantage point, I could also see where the heavy clouds were putting down rain - and it was going to hit soon. Yelling for them to get inside, my voice was lost to the wind. So instead of saving them, I got to watch them get caught in the downpour and scamper (a word that has new meaning after the age of 50 when running in heavy mud) down the steep bank to the locked back door, and then run further to find an open door. Ah... the joys of a great view!
About that time, the furniture on the deck started flying around and landed in a tangled heap against the far railing. One chair broke loose and took the stairs. I'd prefer not to tell you what happened to my garbage. We'll just say this... it was heavy and it landed in mud. Oh, and I might as well add that I've noticed that my daughter has a well developed knack for being away from home at times like that. Lucky thing there's lots of soap around here.
We got well over an inch of rain in the next hour. Some areas got up to 2". The winds howled and the house groaned. I fell asleep to knocking, banging, clanking and gusts. This morning is bright and sunny. Eventually I'll turn on the news to see where there are trees and power lines down. Last night's news told of trees on houses, trucks being pushed around and power outages. I'll wander out and see if we lost any shingles or siding.But no matter what else happens, spring is here.
It has to be. I turned my clock ahead, so that means it's spring.

The Promise of Spring

2008-03-05T16:46:00.000-08:00

It isn't much, but at this time of the year, it doesn't take much! It's been raining and ugly. This has been a somewhat mild winter for us. No snow, but cold, raw, rain and ice...
Today, the sun finally came out and I happened to look down as I walked out the door of the shop. There were these lovely daffodil leaves coming out of the ground. Bulbs are the promise of spring.

I had some errands to do around the area and noticed the lawns and fields just starting to "green up". I love all the seasons, but spring has to be the best.

Land Locked!

2008-03-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

The usual way out is impassable (see above) and the back way out is too high, too (see below). A general rule of thumb is if the water is over the center of the tire, it's too dangerous to cross. The back way is about up to the top of the wheels and would come in under the door. I've lost a dog to the bridge when the water was high on the front way out a couple years ago. She managed to swim out, but she was a large dog and was swept off the edge like a little piece of flotsam. Sure convinced me to never try crossing that bridge with the water high! Water has a tricky way of looking shallow or easy to cross when it is high like this. Since we moved here the locals have always called to warn us not to attempt to cross when they see the water looking like this, or they will let us know that it's okay to cross if they know it's moving slow or not too deep. I sure appreciate them sharing their knowlege like this!

Permaculture & Earth Activist Training in May

2008-03-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Wow! I got this notice from Starhawk last night & thought I'd spread the word. If you've ever considered taking Permaculture Training, this course looks fabulous. Look at the amazing line-up of teachers!

Earth Activist Training

Radical Sustainability and Regenerative Activism

So much more than a permaculture design certification course, Earth Activist Training (EAT) weaves the principles of permaculture, earth-based spirituality, and regenerative activism into a captivating curriculum that blends classroom lecture and experiential exercises with practical, hands-on learning opportunities.

May 3-17, 2008

a SOCIAL PERMACULTURE Intensive

Instructors: Starhawk, Margo Adair, Bill Aal, and Charles Williams
Manzanita Village, Warner Springs, Southern California, USA

In this course with a special focus on social permaculture, participants will learn ways to collaborate and build just and enduring alliances across social divides, as well as skills to build personal, interpersonal and community resilience to sustain themselves through hard times.This two-week residential intensive is a permaculture design certificate course.Curriculum includes: Water harvesting, graywater, bioremediation, natural building, cob, plant guilds, alternative energy, sustainable forestry, plant propagation, soil fertility, compost and mulch, consensus, facilitation, alliance building, alternative economics, direct action, strategy, issues of power, privilege and creative collaboration, Applied Meditation combining work with intention, intuition and mindfulness, energy shifting and ritual creation.

Sliding scale pricing:
$1700, if you have abundance in the form of money
$1500, if you are working and solvent
$1200, if you are scraping by
* work trade and scholarships available—

please visit our web site for additional courses, updates and to register www.EarthActivistTraining.org 800.381.7940 (USA)
Hear the teleseminar with Starhawk and Bill Aal at: http://www.InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=1863759

A little iced rosemary, anyone?

2008-03-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a mixed bag of weather. This time of year in south central PA is .... interesting, to say the least.

Up until this most recent round of frigid weather, we'd been enjoying some fairly temperate stuff. But then they dove into winter again.

Shortly after this picture was taken, we had a few days of thaw. Naturally, they coincided with the move here, with trucks all over the yard, sliding in the mud. The last couple of small loads had to be hand-carried like a bucket brigade.

Although it can be dangerous when things are coated with ice, it is one of the most beautiful displays that nature puts on. Here on the hill, all of the trees were covered, glittering in the sunlight. Nearby willows bent to the weight, and their long boughs shimmered brightly.

This little rosemary was so perfectly encased. It has made it through the winter so far (usually a 50/50 proposition in this zone), and the ice kept it from getting colder. It might just last through the final bit of winter.

Today I'll probably roast some chicken. I'll go snip a few sprigs of rosemary to lay beneath the chicken in the pan. It imparts such a delicious flavor to the meal, and it is so easy!

While I'm out there (slipping and sliding in the mud), maybe I'll see some chickweed too.

Thank goodness March has finally arrived. This has been a milder winter for us, but I'm ready for some steamed and buttered nettle leaves. I can't wait for the lambs quarters to grace the table. And most of all, I look forward to just being able to walk outside and feel the sun on my arms, get some seeds and plants in the ground, and get some growing going on!

Betty Pillsbury of Green Spiral Herbs and Six Words

2008-02-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

I was watching the morning news (getting the weather forecast of a foot of snow and freezing rain mixed in) and saw a segment on "six words". There is a book out that asked people to write their memoirs in just six words. Fascinating! http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ Here is the link.

I thought it would be difficult, but once you start thinking about it, ideas pour out. The web site has some great six worders.

Here are some that I wrote:

Manure heaped. Blooming like roses now.

Magic dreams. Creative soul. Happy woman.

Gathering interesting tidbits. Amusement value high.

Daughter, sister, wife, mother. Big shoulders.

Magic in my fingertips. Stitch. Grow.

What are your six words????

Chick Day

2008-02-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

The ground is frozen and we had a terrible wind storm last night but it must be almost spring because yesterday was 'chick day' at the feed store. The new day old baby chicks arrived and we were greeted by a constant chirp when we entered the store. We actually decided on three; one Rhode Island Red which is my son's favorite breed, one Wyandote, and one bantam silky for me. Now since one of the silkies had somewhat deformed legs they threw it in as an extra, so we have a 'special needs' chick now. I've always wanted a silky, their feathers are different and lack the hard rib going down the center and so they are more fluffy and hairy like. Bantams refer to miniature chickens which also have very small eggs. They will stay in the house for some time to keep warm and my husband and son have promised to take care of them since I really don't need any more work to do. We will see about that. In the meantime we really need to work on expanding the chicken run to allow for more. I'll be writing more about my animals on my blog for the next few weeks and posting pictures.

Cindy http://sagescript.blogspot.com

Is it Spring time yet?

2008-02-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of last year's garden. This year's garden will be much bigger and hopefully much better, since I have added compost and organic fertilizers to the area. The soil looks good here, but there is very little organic matter. But at least there aren't many rocks either, which is saying a lot for my area. My biggest resource is rocks.

I'm ready for spring! It is time for the cold to move on out and let some better gardening weather move in. But I couldn't wait any longer and last weekend I planted some beet seeds, and of course after this week's rain and freezing temps, I'll likely have to plant them all again. But it felt good in the meantime to be doing something in the garden besides wishing.

Roxann, NW AR

Visit me at my blog: Ozark Musings

The Story of Stuff

2008-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

The theme of my personal blog today is The Story of Stuff.
There is a link on there that takes you to a wonderful presentation I plan to show my kids.:) So I thought I'd share that here too.
And once again this is very much why we do what we do in our herbal lives. And I see I still have alot of work to do in our home.

Story of Stuff at Herbwyfe

Introducing Sarah

2008-02-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

I'm Sarah Campbell, owner of Herbs from the Labyrinth in Lancaster PA. I grow lots of herbs in a labyrinth garden (of course!) and make a wide range of herbal products, ranging from infused oils, salves and creams to teas and tinctures. I really love making herbal cordials & will probably post cordial recipes here occassionally.

My daughter, Kara, and I have a business we call Radiance, in downtown Lancaster. We have a large classroom for yoga, bellydance, tai chi, journaling and drumming classes. We always have an art exhibit in that room too. We have a retail shop, where in addition to my herbal products, you will find many fair trade items from around the world, and some handmade things from local artisans. Kara is a massage therapist, so we have 2 massage rooms. We also house the Molly Keen Memorial Library, a free lending library of eco-feminist books.

I know it doesn't seem like it's possible that I'd have any, but that photo is of me knitting in my spare time.

Honey Thyme Mustard Recipe

2008-02-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have finally succumbed and posted a recipe for a mustard on my blog page,
GreenSpiralHerbs.blogspot.com It's a good recipe, but not the one I am most famous for - which will be in the cookbook I might ever put together! You can find a few more recipes and herb talk and crazy quilt pictures on my blog as well.

1/4 c. dry yellow mustard
2 Tbsp mustard seeds
1/3 c. white wine
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. white wine vinegar (or thyme vinegar you made yourself)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 c. cold water
2 tsp dried thyme

Put dry mustard, seeds and wine in blender and blend until well combined. Let stand for several hours so flavor develops. Then, add honey, vinegar and salt. Blend. In a small saucepan, whisk cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the cold water to make a paste. Stir in remaining water and whisk well. Add mustard mixture from blender. Cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme. Makes about 2 cups.

Greetings from Georgia

2008-02-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

Is it spring yet? Living in the south doesn't mean warm. Today, a blustery wind kept the temperature around 27, and turned my thoughts to the garden. I know, I know, all you people in the frozen north and midwest are thinking you would LOVE to see 27 degrees, but for this southern girl, it is COLD! My love of gardening began when I was a little girl (although I didn't realize it until the Mother Earth News era of the 70's rekindled it). I remember my grandmother pitching coffee grounds, eggs shells, and old tea bags out the back door into a flower bed beside the house. I don't think she called this composting, but anything she attempted to grow flourished. A few years ago, an Herb Conference was held in town, and my interest in herbs was sparked. A number of the people on the merry blogsters group were involved, and have continued to be included in my circle of friends. As a result, I started my online business Gardenchick a few years ago, and have expanded this to include my brick and mortar business The Jasmine Moon, which I started in May of last year with my daughter in law Ashley. My blog www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog is a mixture of garden tips, recipes, the joys and trials of running a business, with a little life stories thrown in. I occasionally write for the Essential Herbal Magazine, and give talks on various garden themes for local garden clubs.

Thanks Tina, for the opportunity to belong to the Merry Blogsters.

Karen

Howdy from Arkansas!

2008-02-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

I tried to make this post yesterday, but our server here at work wasn't letting it go through. So, I'll try again...

Our farm lies in the heart of the Boston Mountain range of the Ozarks in Northwest Arkansas. We're way off the beaten path, so it presents a strategic problem when I'm trying to organize my business as many folks are not going to want to drive their vehicles six miles down a gravel county road. However, it also presents a unique environment, because it is not in a developed area, for those who desire to experience the healing plants growing in a natural and wild ecosystem. My business focus is beginning to cater more to those who want to spend entire days immersed in nature, organic gardening, and learning to identify, harvest, and utilize medicinal plants. Most will be found growing wild and we will discuss the ethical issues of responsible harvest, but some will be cultivated as part of my organic CSA garden. Another niche I would like to develop caters to those who make flower essences and plant spirit medicines. We have an excellent location for someone who wants to spend quiet meditation time with special plants, such as ginseng, goldenseal, bloodroot, black cohosh, wild ginger, and many other healing plants that grow in the Ozarks.

It is great to be part of this blogging community and I hope to become more refined in vision and goals for my business, since writing about it forces me to re-examine exactly what it is that stirs my soul in what I do. Each time I struggle for a business description, I understand more clearly my role as a facilitator between plants and people.

Blessings,

Roxann, Kingston, AR

Hello from Sagescript Farms

2008-02-13T08:15:00.001-08:00

Science is my passion. Since childhood I have thrived learning about the natural world around me. This passion inspired me to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and continue laboratory research in cancer cell growth. Through that experience I learned several things that guide my current work; disease is easier to prevent than to treat, medical research allows little time for raising a family, the science of herbalism and how phytochemicals interact with human physiology in incredibly interesting, and I am more comfortable in a lab that includes a garden and a workshop.

My herbal business requires attributes that I cultivated in scientific research; creativity, intuition, logic, and scrutiny, and allows me to develop new skills. In my natural health business I make and sell skin care and health care products, educate on issues of health and grow herbs. Another important part of my business is testing products for safety through microbiology assays on emulsions and other skin care products. You can learn about my products and services at http://www.sagescript.com/. I also do medical writing and teach anatomy & physiology and other science classes at local colleges.

After recently realizing my dream to move to a small acreage property I look forward to new adventures in sustainable herb farming with plans of having lavender as my main crop. Teaching gardens and a classroom are included in my farm plans which I will be writing about on my blog.
Cindy Jones of Colorado
http://www.sagescript.com/
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/

Greetings and Blessings

2008-02-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

I am Kristena Roder. I run an online shoppe called Dreamseeds that is spread out in different places
Etsy Shoppe

The Little Shoppe

Dreamseeds at HC

Dreamseeds is my soap business that helps keep me home to raise my children. I am so blessed(although poor...lol)

I am 41 and the mother of 7 children, 4 were born at home. I also have 2 stepkids and 2 grandaughters. I am a cervical cancer survivor to which treatment put me into menopause. That has been a trip to say the least, but I must say that although it is a hormonocoaster, it calls a woman to a different place. And it is a good place.
So, this has caused me to be so much more aware of my community and working as an herbwife/herbwyfe(i like "y"'s)
The weekend of February 9, 2008 I was awarded a full scholarship to
Birth Arts International
So the journey continues to unfold before me. I feel a calling to at least try to create positive change for the world. This scholarship took me by surprise, but it would be foolish to not accept the offer for furthering my education.

I live in NW Arkansas about an hour and half north of Roxanne actually. I live in a town called Bella Vista which is the Ozark hills near the Missouri border. This is the home of Walmart, or pretty close. Bentonville is our neighbor so most folks that live here are either retired or Walmart employed.

My husband and I went furiously in search of land all summer last year only receive a non approval from the bank...this is when things in real estate began getting bad and our income to debt ration did not qualify us.
So we said heck with it. We have been here 5 years remodeling the house. Now its time to do work outside. We are trying to create an herb center here which basically means we are making beds to grow herbs, and planting endangered herbs too. And also leave room for classes/consults etc.... so Dreamseeds Herb Center is what we call it to incorporate everything we hope to do on our tiny lot in the hills.

I am teaching Intro Herbalism classes and working on a podcast show as well.
I feel pretty stretched and just about the time I think I cannot endure anymore, I take on another task. So I think I fit in here very well...lol

Blessings~
Kristena
Dreamseeds Family Site
My Blog

Lime Shortbread cookies

2008-02-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

Last week, a "patrol" of us - Sarah, Kara, Maryanne, Roe, and I - went to visit the Int'l Gift Show in NYC. It was great fun, and we saw lots of wonderful new products and got some great ideas. We even ordered some things for our various businesses (which would be the point...).

In one section, they were selling an array of gourmet foods. Aisles and aisles of booths, with samples set forth to tempt us into purchasing. Since we don't do anything with gourmet foods, we breezed through pretty quickly. A couple of the trays did catch our eyes though, and one in particular - Key Lime Shortbread cookies - was worth a nibble to me. They were delicious!

When I got home, I decided to try them for myself. Using google, I found this recipe. There are many choices for recipes, but this one seems to be the one they are all based upon.

It isn't exactly the same as what I tried in the city. Those were small nuggets, tossed in confectioner's sugar. These are small disks, glazed with a zippy blast of lime. Still wonderful, though.

I changed the recipe slightly. Instead of key limes, I used regular limes. I also added about 3 drops of lime essential oil to the batter, after reading a review elsewhere that said the lime flavor wasn't very strong.

For the glaze, I doubled the amount of lime juice.

They are darling little cookies that pack a lot of flavor. I sent a batch off in the mail to my embattled tax guy in the frozen north, and saved a couple dozen for the hungry horde here at the house.

One more tip - ever since I first used parchment for baking cookies, I wouldn't go without again. These cookies in particular need parchment. They are so light that you don't want to risk breaking them with a spatula, and with the parchment they slide right off.

I'm thinking that they would be great with just a couple of teaspoons of minced, fresh spearmint mixed into the batter. Maybe we'll try that in the summer.

Green Spiral Herbs in the Blog!

2008-02-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm Betty Pillsbury of Green Spiral Herbs. I grow 300 varieties of herbs in my teaching gardens in upstate New York. The gardens have been certified a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary. I also make and sell value-added herbal products such as Healing Comfort Salve, Wrist Rub, Right On The Kisser Lip Balm and lots more. I teach extensively about herbs and have an Herbal Study Program. Please visit www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com to find out more. Additionally, I am an award-winning textile artist and teach and lecture about crazy quilting and hand embellishment. That part of my life can be explored at www.BettyPillsbury.com

Hello from Dixie

2008-02-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hello from Possum Creek Herb Farm. Winter has given way to spring...for just one day. Sunny skies and warm temps are drawing me outside to meander and take in the fresh air. I know it is only a tease and that we will have several more weeks of winter. Here at the farm it is always spring in the greenhouses. Now in our tenth year of business, we gird up our loins for another bustling wholesale season. With five greenhouses between biz partner Pat and myself we are confident that we will meet all orders that are coming in.

We really didn't start out this way. The "plan" was to grow a few herbs, sell them at the farm on Sundays and maybe do a show or two. Well, that was many, many moons and several thousand plants ago. Now the farm is more wholesale than retail business. We retail our plants at the local farmers market and online. Wholesale is a national operation with several new accounts this year. The farm continues to stay closed to the public as there is not a clean hand to run a cash register or answer a phone.

In our free time we write for The Essential Herbal, our website, Possum Creek Herb Farm, and our blog. We also work in our own gardens and on occasion, nap under the shade tree. See you around in cyberland.

Michele
Possum Creek Herb Farm

Waving Hello from Long Island

2008-02-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

I’m Geri from New York Attitude. It’s an honor to be hanging out with such skilled artisans of scent, texture, and taste, as well as students and teachers of herbal medicine.

Although I’ve been passionate about trying to capture the universe in various media since I was a girl, it seems that I’ve awakened to actually living in only the past few years. Something happened—a personal renaissance of sorts—that now leaves me breathlessly exploring a dizzying variety of creative avenues, all as quickly as possible.

One of my earliest loves was fragrance. Perhaps you, too, had that moment as a child when you discovered that soap didn’t have to be white, wrapped in commercial paper, and always the same scent. The first time I opened a box of rose-fragranced guest soaps, I swore I’d never go back to the supermarket stuff. And of course, I needed to sample all the types there were … and then learn how to make them. Finally, my family informed me we were not going to be able to finish all the bars I produced, not even in a lifetime per family member, and would I please stop producing it. So I did the only sane thing—I decided to sell it! I make only what I would want to use, with the highest-quality ingredients I can find. Recently I’ve been leaning toward creating mostly essential oil soaps, but I still love blended fragrance oils and will never leave them. You can see a variety of what I’ve got at my new shop.

There’s a new obsession in my life: fibers! Last summer, I learned to spin on a wheel and began to buy lots of pretty handpainted fibers. Of course, I needed to sample all the types there were … and then learn how to make them. Yup, I’m drowning in fiber! So my little shop now offers handpainted rovings and batts for the spinning wheel enthusiast.

Best of all, I get to write for Tina at The Essential Herbal Magazine … and she doesn’t even charge me for it! It’s fun being the Suburban Herbie, commenting on herbal life in the burbs. So far, nobody has complained about my ramblings, which leads me to think I’ll be able to get away with a couple more in the upcoming issues.

Geri
http://www.newyorkattitude.etsy.com/
http://whimsylane.blogspot.com/

Hi There!

2008-02-12T09:10:00.001-08:00

Hi there! I'm Tina's sister and former partner in our retail shop, The Herb Basket. Our shop was sold in 2000, but we still work closely together in our separate businesses.

Tina, of course, publishes The Essential Herbal magazine and I enjoy putting it all together every other month as her "Layout Director".

My business is called Lancaster County Soapworks, Etc. We've been making and selling soap since the early 90's when we were the herb ladies at a Renaissance Faire. Tina and I have been making soap together for so long that our soapmaking sessions resemble something of a ballet with each of us knowing exactly what the other will be doing and swooping here or there to take care of the next step! Although we experiement from time to time, because we sell wholesale/in large quantities, soap is something of a production item.

To satisfy my creative side, I started making jewelry a few years ago and eventually learned the art of lampworking which is making glass beads by melting glass rods at a propane/oxygen torch. My lampworking/jewelry website is Torchsong Studio and I also have a blog where I show beads and finished jewelry that may or may not make it to the website.

Finally - Tina and I combined many of the items we sell on our separate websites in one place, The Sibling Group, so that we could offer a number of items that would help to meet a $40 minimum order for free shipping!

Now that the intro is out of the way, I can think about writing about all the fun, interesting and wacky stuff we do here that is sometimes connected with business!

Maryanne

The Blogsters Collective !

2008-02-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Another of Tina Sams', owner of The Essential Herbal Magazine, brain storm!

From the Blogsters list, we have all gathered here to share our thoughts, hopes, dreams, and things we create and do in our business.

So, welcome to all who visit, we hope that you enjoy our group.

SunRose Aromatics is my creation, which is celebrating 9 yrs in business. Essential oils are my passion, importing these precious materials from around the globe.

Essential Oil blends, Massage * After Bath & Body Oils, whipped Shea Butter cremes, Handmade aromatic Soaps, Incense, AromaJewelry, Diffusers and much more.

Above is our new 'Ageless Elixir Facial Formula' which is wonderful for all skin types, especially, in this frigid cold weather.

Rosanne

http://www.sunrosearomatics.com/

http://www.sunrosearomatics.blogspot.com/

Who are we?

2008-02-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

There is a small group of us who have banded together to learn the ropes of blogging. Some of us play with herbs all day, either growing them, blending them, or creating things with them. Some of us dabble with oils. We soap, we dye fiber, and we run our own businesses.
We are all friends from various parts of the country and thought it would be fun to share a blog. This should be FUN!!!

The Merry Blogsters

Herbal Blog Party!

Spring has Arrived in the Ozarks

Earth Hour

Snowing hard now

Kitchen Cosmetics Blog Party

Happy Father's Day ~

Roses are Blooming

It's almost February - where has the long dark winter gone?

Operation World Smudge

Creative Work Spaces

It's all a blur....

Fall fun

Tea Swap

Do You Recycle?

Pictures from the fair - Sonny and Andrea are engaged!

Early Morning Aromas

Pictures Around the Garden

A find on the trail...

Imperial MothEacles imperialis (Drury) (Saturniidae)

Life Cycle, Description, and Habits

Occurrence, Damage, Importance

The Essential Herbal ~ Sept/Oct '08

Naked Lammas Ladies in Bloom!

Roses are Blooming

House progress!

Tina one, Weeds zero - for today.

The Great Horned Owl

A Mother's Day Tussie Mussie

Herbal Pest Control

Anticipation

First Walk in the Woods - April '08

Spring Snows

Thankful for herbs

Fairy Home Companion

Sense of Wonder Camp

What I Learned Today

Basil Benefits

Turn off the Lights tomorrow night!

Dandelion ~ Spring Tonic

St. Patrick's Mint Syrup

Making a Vessel

Spring Comes to the Hill

The Promise of Spring

Land Locked!

Permaculture & Earth Activist Training in May

A little iced rosemary, anyone?

Betty Pillsbury of Green Spiral Herbs and Six Words

Chick Day

Is it Spring time yet?

The Story of Stuff

Introducing Sarah

Honey Thyme Mustard Recipe

Greetings from Georgia

Howdy from Arkansas!

Hello from Sagescript Farms

Greetings and Blessings

Lime Shortbread cookies

Green Spiral Herbs in the Blog!

Hello from Dixie

Waving Hello from Long Island

Hi There!

The Blogsters Collective !

Who are we?

Imperial Moth
Eacles imperialis (Drury) (Saturniidae)