How to Make a Blueberry Lavender Shrub + Mocktail Recipe

If you love including apple cider vinegar in your food and beverages, there are a few fun herbal preparations that you can accessibly make at home. Vinegars are a great way to work with herbs and can be very customizable depending on your own palate and what’s in season. One of my favorite methods of working with herbal vinegars is by making herbal shrubs.

Read More

Guide to Types of Cosmetic Clay & Their Uses

When mineral-rich rocks, natural weathering, and the span of a few hundred years become intertwined, the Earth provides a fine-grained material known as natural clay. For millennia, cosmetic clays have been utilized throughout nearly all ancient and traditional beauty regimens for their beneficial properties and applications for many skin types. The earliest use of cosmetic clay, or “medicinal earth”, dates back to the Stone Age by the oldest known early humans, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis. Experts theorize the concept of using clay was sparked as our ancient ancestors witnessed animals instinctively bathing in mineral-rich mud. These early humans are believed to have mirrored the behavior with a natural clay earth pigment known as ochre to aid in wound healing and soothing irritations. Cosmetic clays have since evolved alongside humans and are a prevalent resource in traditional healing methods throughout Ayurveda, ancient Egyptians, and Indigenous American populations.

Read More
Posted by Hailey

Saving Seeds From the Herb Garden

Tending an herb garden offers the herbalist a wealth of benefits. It offers a diverse selection of plants to work with and offers peace of mind of knowing our herbs are grown locally and with our love and attention. It also gives us the opportunity to explore and discover the life cycles of the plants in our care, which not only can deepen our relationship with our herbal allies, but also offers the opportunity to harvest and save their seeds.

Read More

Benefits & History of Castor Oil + Salve Recipe

You may be familiar with castor oil for its long-standing reputation within the beauty industry as the secret weapon for maintaining luscious hair and providing deep moisture and protection for the skin. However, you likely aren’t as familiar with this precious oil’s fascinating history and countless additional applications. Along with being an effective humectant for scalp and hair, castor oil has been utilized throughout history in everything from cosmetics to leather tanning. Interestingly enough, castor oil has in recent years even been considered as a desirable substitute for petroleum resources used in the fuel production industry!

Read More
Posted by Hailey

Expanding Community Connections with the Tilth Alliance

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Tilth Alliance community garden and classroom in Seattle. This visit was more than just a work trip — it was a chance to deepen our roots in Washington, expand our reach, and build lasting connections with a community that shares our passion for sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Read More
Posted by Ashley

Bronzing Facial Serum with Sea Buckthorn Oil

This nourishing facial serum is a very special one in my recipe book. Made with four of my favorite skin care oils, this blend is deeply hydrating and yields a lovely bronzing hue that can be tailored to many skin tones. The star of this recipe is sea buckthorn oil, which in my opinion, is an underutilized oil that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. While most skin care oils are pressed from the seeds of a given plant, sea buckthorn oil is pressed from the seeds and berries which yields a vibrant golden hue and contains abundant antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Sea buckthorn oil also contains linoleic acid which has been shown to support the skin’s lipid barrier,  helping to reduce overall moisture loss. For all of these reasons, it remains high on my list of favorite skin care ingredients.

Read More
Posted by Jessicka

Tea Blending & Ceremony

Sometimes I formulate my morning tea blend the night before, placing my tea-set on my desk so I’m ready to sip and write first thing. Other days, I blend in the predawn darkness as water boils, fingers caressing rough pu’erh 普爾, soft chrysanthemum, fragrant tulsi

Read More

Strengthening Our Web of Wellness at Northwest Herbal Fair

 

Every year, Mountain Rose Herbs sponsors dozens of herbal and community events that help to educate and empower the herbal community. As the Sustainability Specialist for Mountain Rose Herbs, it was a true honor to participate in the 15th Northwest Herbal Fair, held in the lush, vibrant surroundings of Quilcene, Washington. This event, the largest gathering of the herbal community in the Pacific Northwest, was a beautiful convergence of indigenous wisdom, plant medicine, and the connections that bind us to each other and to the natural world.

Read More
Posted by Ashley

Blackberry Lavender Mocktail

 

Blackberry season is upon us once again here in the Pacific Northwest, which is a season I have impatiently waited for every year since I was a young girl. Some of my fondest summertime memories as a child were spent under the scorching sun while cautiously reaching my tiny hands into overgrown thorny bushes to reach the ripest and juiciest berries that my limited reach could grasp. Although my childhood berry-picking excursions typically ended with purple-stained clothes, deep red drips down my hands and arms from smushed berries, and a sunburn, the feeling of walking home with buckets upon buckets of fresh blackberries always made each trip well worth the discomforts.

Read More
Posted by Hailey

Strawberry Elderflower Shrub Recipe

Recently as I was scanning the grab n’ go refrigerated beverage aisle at my local supermarket, I was astounded to see how many new companies are providing bubbly concoctions with traditional tangy apple cider vinegar. Not only does the apple cider vinegar offer a refreshing flavor, but it can also support a healthy digestive system. Quality organic, raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar contains healthy bacteria and enzymes that support the gut microbiome and make for an exceptional menstruum to infuse herbs into.

Read More

Shampoo Powder Recipe with Shikakai




One of the many perks of working at Mountain Rose Herbs is that I am always being introduced to new ingredients. As a person who loves making sustainable and cost-effective DIY recipes, I was intrigued when I began learning about organic soap pod powder. At first glance, I thought this was a powdered form of deseeded soap nuts, from which I make my semi-famous liquid laundry soap. But upon a closer look, I realized it was an entirely different plant!

Read More
Posted by Jessicka

WELCOME

We offer one of the most thorough selections of certified organic herbs, spices, and botanical products and are commited to responsible sourcing.

How to Make a Blueberry Lavender Shrub + Mocktail Recipe

Learn how to make an herbal sipping vinegar and mocktail with tasty herbs and fruit!
WRITTEN BY Alex Queathem Payne- Guest Author

September 13, 2024

Guide to Types of Cosmetic Clay & Their Uses

Explore the benefits and differences of 5 common cosmetic clays and learn how to use them in recipes.
WRITTEN BY Hailey

September 11, 2024

Saving Seeds From the Herb Garden

The art of growing plants and saving seeds can deeply enhance our relationship with our plant allies. Learn the importance of saving seeds and find some of the easiest ones to get started with.
WRITTEN BY Bevin Cohen - Guest Writer

September 9, 2024

Benefits & History of Castor Oil + Salve Recipe

Elevate your skin and hair care routines with castor oil! Learn about the history of this special oil and try your hand at making a castor oil salve recipe.
WRITTEN BY Hailey

September 6, 2024

Expanding Community Connections with the Tilth Alliance

Find out how we are deepening our roots, expanding our reach in Washington, and building lasting connections with community partners who share our passion for sustainability and regenerative organic agriculture.
WRITTEN BY Ashley

September 4, 2024

Bronzing Facial Serum with Sea Buckthorn Oil

"Glow up" with this DIY bronzing facial oil. You can tailor the tone to balance your skin or use it as an evening hydration treatment.
WRITTEN BY Jessicka

September 1, 2024

Tea Blending & Ceremony

Explore the art of tea blending and ceremony. Our dear friend Jiling Lin shares some of her favorite ways to mindfully blend and brew tea using traditional ingredients and vessels.
WRITTEN BY Jiling Lin- Guest Writer

August 29, 2024

Strengthening Our Web of Wellness at Northwest Herbal Fair

Find out how the largest herbal gathering in the PNW weaves together indigenous wisdom, plant medicine, and community connection to strengthen our web of wellness!
WRITTEN BY Ashley

August 28, 2024

Blackberry Lavender Mocktail

Discover blackberry lavender bliss with this five-ingredient mocktail. Not only does it taste like summertime in a glass, but it also offers gut-nurturing probiotics.
WRITTEN BY Hailey

August 25, 2024

Strawberry Elderflower Shrub Recipe

This herb-infused sipping vinegar is an enjoyable way to add more wellness support to your diet. Explore fun flavor combinations and learn the core concepts of this preparation so you can create your own blends.
WRITTEN BY Alex Queathem Payne- Guest Author

August 15, 2024

Shampoo Powder Recipe with Shikakai

Learn how to make a shampoo powder recipe for a sustainable, inexpensive alternative to liquid shampoos.
WRITTEN BY Jessicka

August 14, 2024