I fell in love with Pfeffernusse cookies at my first real job at a German Deli in Atlanta while in my freshman year of high school. We sold them only during the holiday season, but I would crave them year-round. I loved the warmth from the spices and the firm, chewy texture. I tried a few recipes that I found over the years and was never quite satisfied with the outcome, so I made some adjustments and tweaks in my little kitchen “workshop” and finally came up with a recipe that has all the right notes. I was also happy to find out that by adding a little extra ginger and chilling overnight, this dough is perfect for creating cut-out gingerbread cookies to decorate! 

I recently attended the New England Women’s Herbal Conference and was struck by the sense of welcome and togetherness that was present throughout the entire event. There was much focus on inclusion and creating space for one another, and I felt compelled to share that spirit beyond the bounds of the conference. I was inspired to help bring more awareness to the strength of the herbal community and how people can be more involved in putting it to good use. Herbalists come in all genders, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, education levels, and from all geographic locations and backgrounds, and we all have something to share with each other.

The holidays are almost upon us, so we’ve curated some of our favorite culinary and natural body care recipes to inspire your homemade gift giving this year. From homemade decor, to natural body care formulas, to kitchen staples, most of these DIY projects can be done in a day, and none takes more than a week. Even if you’ve put off your holiday crafting a little longer than you intended, there’s still time to whip up some botanical bounty to surprise and delight everyone on your list!

Ever since I joined the Mountain Rose Herbs team, I’ve been dabbling in making my own body care products (and loving it!). DIY goodies are easier to make than you might think, and they’re completely customizable to your unique needs and aroma preferences. With the abundance of beautiful and healthful botanicals available in my workplace, it didn’t take long for little jars of homemade body butter to start appearing on my desk, office shelves, and nearby countertops. I find body butter to be a wonderful everyday moisturizer for my (often dry) Mediterranean skin.

Verdant fields of our certified organic passionflower flourish on our Italian farm partner's land. Gianfranco's family has passed down its agricultural wisdom through the generations while inspiring other farmers to embrace organic growing practices.

Gianfranco's kind eyes gaze lovingly at the single passionflower blossom he clutches in his hands. He buries his nose deep in its vibrant purple petals and inhales. “I could have made more money growing other crops,” Gianfranco says through a translator, “But I have a big love—I am in love—with passionflower.”

When the evenings grow chilly and all your friends seem to have the sniffles, a warming mustard bath is just the herbal experience you need! It might seem strange to replace bubble bath mix with mustard seed powder, but mustard bath salts have been used since ancient times to stimulate skin circulation and rejuvenate tired muscles. I also find them very relaxing and helpful during those “under-the-weather” days. With a wonderful, invigorating aroma, this recipe includes many time-tested bathing favorites, like Epsom salt, sea salt, baking soda, and essential oils.

Keeping your hands and cuticles well hydrated is the key to keeping them looking great! If your cuticles are not well moisturized, they're more prone to splitting or breaking, leaving your finger beds vulnerable to infection and injury. Maintaining well hydrated cuticles is what keeps them strong and manageable. 

Not many businesses today have been around for 30 years, but after more than three decades, Mountain Rose Herbs is still going strong. The secret to our success is simple: we’re always working to improve ourselves, fine-tuning our quality control processes, sustainability efforts, and customer service while also giving back to our community. In recent years, we realized we had outgrown the capacity of our regional organic herb mill, resulting in bottlenecks that interfered with our ability to achieve our goals. So we decided to build a mill of our own!

Food preservation has been around for thousands of years. From drying acorns for extended storage to turning grapes into wine, the act of preservation has allowed people around the globe to enjoy various foods and botanicals well past their harvest season. As a chef and homesteader, I often find myself having way more fresh ingredients than I can use before they turn. This is where food preservation comes into play! I do my best to appropriately utilize as much as I can so that my family may enjoy the spring, summer, and autumn harvest well into the cold winters of Maine. Extra cabbage gets salt and turns to sauerkraut, excess peaches get pureed and dehydrated into fruit leather, and the list goes on. Over the years, I have become particularly fond of vinegar and its acidic properties to capture the essence, flavor, and minerals naturally found in fruits and herbs. 

If you are looking for a way to color your hair with absolutely no synthetic chemicals while simultaneously nourishing it, then organic henna hair color is for you! No other hair color on the market naturally adds radiant color, seals in oil, and protects your hair's cuticle—all while providing long-lasting shine.

No matter how busy life gets, it's essential to make time for self care, and supporting our nervous systems is particularly important. Herbal nervines and adaptogens can be invaluable allies for coping with the normal day-to-day aggravations of life: work pressures, family responsibilities, financial worries, seasonal mood slumps, over-reliance on caffeine, and so on. Whether your nervous tension results in intermittent minor aches, occasional melancholy, or the odd sleepless night, herbs that can help us find relaxation and calm to enjoy normal and healthful cycles of activity and rest.