Something that I have loved since childhood is “potion” making—mysterious liquids and substances being mixed together to create something new holds a very particular appeal to me. Of course, as a kid it was both the allure of creating something magical and the allure of creating messes that endured the activity. As an adult the draw has become a bit more practical and ever so slightly neater, however the joy of crafting botanically inspired concoctions has remained. So, when I stumbled across the Queen of Hungary Water recipe, I was immediately enchanted. This recipe is rooted in tradition and folklore and spoke to both to the adult crafter in me and my whimsical inner child who is still searching for that magic.

Herb enthusiasts and plant lovers know that referring to certain plants as “weeds” often feels like an arbitrary degradation of an important and valuable botanical. After all, who gets to decide what is a weed and what isn’t? And why must they be so maligned? Because they are resilient? Bountiful? Uncontrollable? (If so, I would say that we could all stand to take some inspiration from them at times). Our deep misunderstanding of weeds is especially unfortunate because many of them offer us an array of nutritional and medicinal benefits that are, quite literally, rife for the picking. No plant illustrates this dynamic better than the dandelion.

When I first started getting tattooed, one of my main concerns was how to best care for a new piece. Since a fresh tattoo leaves the skin vulnerable and irritated, it is important to make sure that it receives lots of TLC! First and foremost, I learned you must keep your new tattoo clean. Secondly, ensuring your skin remains moisturized can help keep the skin soft and malleable as it repairs. For topical care, I knew I wanted something that was all-natural and that offered a soothing element to help contend with those scabby, itchy moments that arise after getting a tattoo. To this end, I decided that a balm was the way to go and have not looked back. There are numerous products on the market to help with tattoo aftercare that have been greatly helpful to me. However, with a tattoo appointment fast approaching and being the DIY fan that I am, I decided to take a crack at crafting my own tattoo balm!

I don’t think I can emphasize enough how hard it is for me to get out of bed in the mornings—like it is actually a serious problem at times. Part of my brain knows that I am making my morning routine a bit more and more frantic with each horizontal moment that ticks by, but it is so hard to care. What could the outside world possibly offer me that is better than the total warmth and comfort of my snuggly nest? Especially when there is a good book at hand and the world’s laziest dog snoring away next to me. Because of my proclivity for lengthy wakeups, I learned a long time ago that “I’ll just do it in the morning” is one of the rudest things I can do to my future self, so I have gotten into the habit of doing my morning meal prep the night before. Chia seed pudding is the definitive MVP for this practice. It is super quick to make and one of the few foods that is better after sitting overnight in the fridge. For this particular recipe variation, I wanted to try including herbs that pack a little extra oomph to help me show up for the day (however reluctantly) bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Spring has come on fully here in the Willamette Valley! Flowers are opening, leaves are unfurling, local wildlife is abuzz with activity, and I for one am looking forward to longer and sunnier days. Warm nights will bring ample stargazing opportunities throughout the summer, and the impending solar eclipse on April 8^th will mean that many of us will be extra-aware of the closest and most important star of all, our beloved sun. With that in mind, I looked at the season ahead and felt inspired to revisit this stargazing tea blend. 

If there are three things that I love, they are sweets, botanicals, and Star Trek. Did I ever think I would be party to a recipe that would marry those things together? Not really, and to be fair, the Star Trek involvement in this recipe is pretty nonexistent. (However, if any Next Generation fans are reading this, I think you will appreciate the reference.) In all seriousness, we already know that sweets and botanicals go hand in hand, and we are always trying to find creative ways to combine the two. We recently stumbled upon this classic Mountain Rose Herbs caramel sauce recipe and could not resist bringing it back. Earl Grey fans to the front of the class, please! This recipe is for you.

I will admit that I was a latecomer to the pumpkin pie spice trend. I still have not had a pumpkin spice latte, for instance. I have been starting to come around though. My turning point came after I tried one of our very own blog recipes, pumpkin pie spice roasted mixed nuts. Ever since that day, I have felt the undeniable pull towards this seasonal favorite. As the days grow shorter and cooler, the warming spices seem to offer the perfect comfort and sense of wellbeing. Naturally, I wanted to celebrate the arrival of pumpkin spice season this year with a recipe variation!

As a child, I remember delighting in the hot days of August. My brother and I could spend an entire day in the yard leaping through the sprinkler, having rowdy water fights, and just causing general (damp) mayhem. However, the real highlight of any summer day was the moment that the sing-song tones of the ice cream truck floated to us. In my memory, the ice cream truck has an almost mythical quality to it. It would appear with a burst of song at the perfect moment, with an endless bounty of colorful, frozen treats. I recently learned that national creamsicle day is August 14 and I was immediately flooded with countless (sticky) memories from my youth. Pairing my new awareness of the upcoming occasion with the fact that our fearless leader, Shawn Donnille, is an avid Creamsicle® fan, I decided to try my hand at an herbal adaptation of this beloved summer treat that would win over even the most diehard admirers.

You already know that Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of organic herbs, essential oils, teas, and exceptional botanical offerings. And you've probably read that we are serious about putting people, plants, and planet before profit with everything we do: from supporting sustainable agriculture to encouraging employee volunteerism. What you may not have known is that in 2018 these values led us to become an Oregon Benefit Company.

In modern Western culture, people often disregard dreams as mere fluff that our brains discard as we slumber. But throughout history and cultures, humans have valued dreaming in different ways. Dreams are seen as a door or bridge to the spirit world or the subconscious. They are often full of symbology from our lives, become outlets for our deepest concerns and fears, or offer us tools for self-reflection and a map to our current state of mind and heart. Although we can dream at any stage of sleep, our most vivid dreams occur during our REM (rapid eye movement) sleep cycle, so depending on how well we sleep, we may spend more than two hours each night in some form of dream state. Sleep researchers tell us that deep non-REM sleep rests our bodies and refills our tanks to start another day and REM sleep is crucial for dreaming, memory consolidation, emotional processing, and healthy brain development.

I love a good cup of tea and I love that there is literally a tea for any circumstance I may find myself in. Thus, my tea collection is just as varied as the many different experiences that I go through each day. When I first began drinking tea, I knew it mainly as something to ease my cold symptoms. I remember standing in the tea aisle in the grocery store, all stuffed up, staring blearily (and somewhat blankly) at the various tea boxes. Since then, I have learned a lot about the wonderful world of tea. I have tried them all— bright and fruity, deep and sultry, and nutritive and soothing, each offering something uniquely wonderful. My biggest tea lesson to date came when I tried loose leaf tea for the first time. There was no comparison in flavor. After that, it was not long before the boxed teas disappeared from my shelves at home and were replaced by meticulously hand-labeled jars filled with all my favorite teas.