“Seeing that certain medicines are discovered,”

wrote Paracelsus, physician-alchemist of plants,

“which preserve the human body and its power to recover

from sundry ailments, and which perchance

This blog is part of a 6-part series on recipes featuring our new line of organic flavor extracts. Stay tuned for more flavor inspiration coming soon!

Maybe this is just me and my sweet tooth, but the candies I enjoyed as a child have stuck in my brain like hard candy sticks to molars. From distinctly wrapped strawberry bonbons, saltwater taffy from the Oregon coast, to orange-shaped chocolate spheres covered in gold foil, each sugary morsel shaped many of my earliest memories. In particular, the latter takes me back to (literal) sweet moments spent carefully breaking off each chocolate orange slice one by one, and letting the rich, citrusy flavors melt onto my tongue. With this mouthwatering memory in mind, I set out on a mission to recreate this nostalgic treat in my own kitchen.

When we think of bitters, most of us think of taking an extract before eating to get our digestive juices flowing and prepare our bodies to process a meal. While this is most certainly a core part of working with bitters, there is more that can be considered.

Lately, I’ve been really inspired by the trending “Pinterest perfect” aesthetic of dried orange slices used for home décor. It speaks to both my personal style and my low-waste way of living. Since I have been drying citrus slices for cocktails/mocktails, it was only a matter of time before I got crafty with them in other ways. With the holidays coming up, I began dreaming of a way to make some orange slice garland and sun catchers with an herbal twist.

This blog is part of a 6-part series on recipes featuring our new line of organic flavor extracts. Stay tuned for more flavor inspiration coming soon!

With each added layer of clothing marking the days leading up to winter, there is little my bundled-up self wants to do besides sip on a piping hot beverage. Once my taste buds tire from drinking gallons of spiced apple cider and homemade chai, I tend to gravitate towards the famed and festive beverage synonymous with the holiday season: the one and only, peppermint mocha.

Each year, I formulate a lip balm recipe to make as small gifts and stocking stuffers. From Cookies and Cream to Coffee Cardamom blends, each year features a new theme, and provides a fun challenge for me to outdo the previous year. This year, after much deliberation, I decided to theme it after one of my favorite sweet treats—macaroons!

This blog is part of a 6-part series on recipes featuring our new line of organic flavor extracts. Stay tuned for more flavor inspiration coming soon!

Long before I learned how to read, much of my time as a young girl was spent perched in a particularly sunny window, staring wide-eyed at vibrantly illustrated picture books. My fascination with eye-catching imagery quickly evolved from kids’ books to another type of illustrative literature that my mom kept an impressive collection of: cookbooks! Something about flipping through page after page of appealing images woven with thoughtfully crafted recipes has always filled my empty stomach with inspiration, and is what I credit to leading me to be the culinarian I am today.

In addition to ensuring customers receive fresh, vibrant, and potent botanicals, one of the core responsibilities of the Mountain Rose Herbs Quality Department is to make sure the company is operating in compliance with all current food safety practices. These rules are defined and enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are a critical component of our Food Safety Plan. These rules may sound like they only apply to large-scale manufacturers, but as a company that offers both food and dietary supplements, we are regulated under the very same rules.

This polished mocktail-worthy punch is a twist on the old-fashioned tangy switchel, but with classy balsamic vinegar, hawthorn berries, apples, and sweet and savory molasses layered in for a refreshing yet grounded, nutritive beverage. A switchel, also known as “Haymaker’s Punch” is a drink crafted with vinegar, ginger, and usually molasses and is used as a refreshing drink that also helps with electrolyte balance.

With winter just around the corner, I am eager to craft one of my favorite seasonal house staples—foaming hand soap! Crafting custom scented soaps to match the seasons is one of my most beloved pastimes, as it's an easy and fast way to bring seasonal cheer to my home.

This blog is part of a 6-part series on recipes featuring our new line of organic flavor extracts. Stay tuned for more flavor inspiration coming soon!

Although I’m a fan of Thanksgiving classics just as much as the next guy, I’ll admit that the same old main course and side dishes can begin to feel (and taste) a bit mundane over the years. For me, this is especially true when it comes to dessert. The usual suspects, pumpkin pie and pecan pie, have always seemed a bit plain, mushy, sickly sweet, or all of the above. Luckily, I was tasked with bringing dessert to Friendsgiving this year, so it was the perfect opportunity to knock their feathers off with a not-so-traditional dessert that is still right at home alongside a crowded table of familiar favorites.