Since prehistoric times, humanity has sought out scented botanicals to create perfumes for anointing the body and burning as incense. From ancient Egyptians using enfleurage of fragrant flowers to create unguents that would melt in the heat and sweeten body odor, to modern perfume houses and the dizzying array of creations they offer, scented preparations are an essential part of the human experience.

Ever since I laid eyes on the beautiful pink peppercorns we offer here at Mountain Rose Herbs, I knew they would make a perfect garnish for a sweet/savory treat like chocolate bark. Our pink peppercorns have a bright, sweet, and very peppery flavor—the perfect match for one of our gourmet salts. Little did I know that we also had the ingredients to make the homemade white chocolate to go with it! So this winter season, I revisited my my memories of this childhood treat and embarked on a journey to find a few preservative-free herbal variations to share with my friends and family.

I love the scents of the holiday season. Nothing compares to the fresh, crisp scent of peppermint, or the warm, inviting, and spicy scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves—nothing, that is, except the sweet scent of oranges mingling with spices and chocolate. That distinctive fragrance always evokes childhood memories of my mom and me handcrafting those lovely orange pomander ornaments, made by sticking cloves directly into an unpeeled orange in creative designs. It’s a beloved holiday tradition that I have carried over to my own family!

Mountain Rose Herbs farm liaisons travel into Canada's north woods to visit the harvest sites of our certified organic, wildharvested chaga mushrooms.

The late January landscape of northeastern Canada is stunning, but brutal. This snow-covered expanse presents an imposing front that challenges all who would enter its wild recesses, but our local harvesters know this ground and hike on, undeterred. We follow behind, spurred onward by the promise of encountering an elusive and treasured resident of this hibernating land: Inonotus obliquus, the chaga mushroom.

Lip balm is about as much of a staple in my life as water. While some might say that I’m addicted to it, I like to think I’m a connoisseur. Whatever you want to call my love for happy, hydrated lips, I simply cannot go without my beloved stick of soft, smooth goodness. And with a habit like mine, it’s far more cost effective and fun to make my own lip balm than to stock up at the store. Tinkering with different recipes is one of my favorite pastimes; after all, a person can never have too many flavors of lip lusciousness!

Midwinter holidays are my favorite time of the year. I adore having a reason to craft gifts for my loved ones, and I find it so much more satisfying to dance and sing around my kitchen like a happy elf while I concoct individualized creations for everyone on my list, than to fight through traffic and crowds to purchase mass-produced goods.

Many aromatherapists and natural wellness folks are familiar with a certain notorious essential oil blend of ne're-do-wells past, a mysterious potion based on a recipe that originated in the 15th century. According to legend, the concoction was created by a group of four thieves and grave robbers to protect themselves from contracting the plague while robbing the bodies of the ill and deceased. When apprehended, the thieves admitted to using the formula and disclosed the recipe in order to receive a less severe punishment for their crimes.

The holidays are here, and that includes the beloved National Cookie Day (December 4th, for future reference)! Enjoy these sweet treats in celebration of this special day!

If you’ve ever dried herbs in your home, or arranged aromatic resins in an incense dish, or placed a jar of lavender stems on a shelf, you know that herbs and spices—as well as adding compelling flavors to food and providing healthful benefits to our bodies—bring a natural beauty and delicious fragrance to our homes. And when you put those natural ingredients into the hands of a master crafter, you can end up with unique herbal decorations that are simple to do even for those of us who aren’t so “crafty.”

Thanks to pop culture references from blockbusters like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, mead is experiencing a renaissance. For years, this delicious golden nectar has been saddled with a reputation of being overly sweet, or only to be enjoyed while at a medieval festival or dinner. But no longer! Mead has retaken a seat at the craft beverage table with many metheglins (spiced meads) and fruited meads leading the way. I’ve enjoyed meads with traditional culinary herbs including saffron, cacao nibs, vanilla, ginger, chilies, and cinnamon, as well as more traditional brewing herbs such as mugwort, yarrow, juniper berries, and hops.