The holidays are the most giving and generous time of the year. They are also the most wasteful. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, Americans throw out about 25 million tons more trash than normal -- a 25 percent increase over the rest of the year. We can change that!

Autumn has returned to the Willamette Valley, and this is a great time of year to get organized and prepared before the cold winds of winter start blowing in. Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we have simplified the offerings of our container case sizes for all bottles, jars, tins, and spice containers.

We’ve got a lovely new addition to our line of certified organic, steam-distilled hydrosols that we’d like to share with you, our St. John’s Wort hydrosol.

This wonderful St. John’s Wort hydrosol is a subtle beauty to add to your collection. It has a dry herbaceous aroma with flat floral tones. Overall the scent is soft and will not overpower recipes when used as an ingredient.

Earlier this fall, we visited our farm that straddles both Oregon and Washington, interrupted by the blue Columbia River running down its middle. The farm's verdant green fields shone brightly against brown, parched hillsides that stretched as far as the eye could see. The irrigated fields provided relief to the eyes, a soft green that promised healthy harvests yet to come.

Help us climb the mountain and save the Elliott State Forest!

I grew up exploring the forest in my backyard, splashing in creeks, climbing trees, and playing imaginary games. Throughout my childhood, we took family hiking and camping trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Access to public lands allowed me and countless others to connect with nature. Those experiences shaped who I am.

Join us in the coming weeks as we explore herbal folklore, stories of the Silvani, with Guido Masé.

As we pass into the seasonal festivities and approach the winter solstice, we are reminded of ritual and tradition. The time honored tradition of storytelling gives gifts of insight, mystery, and allure from a world unknown to us. Since the art and craft of herbalism has strong roots as an oral tradition, we felt it appropriate to share some aural folk tales with you. In the coming weeks we'll release five short videos highlighting a few of Guido Masé’s cherished stories of the Silvani in this mini-series on Herbal Folklore. Guido Masé is a clinical herbalist, storyteller, and author of such books as DIY Bitters.

This is an important time of year for celebrations. Samhain is almost upon us, marking the halfway point between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Many are stocking up on organic sweets to pass out to the little ones. And here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we’ve been celebrating Fair Trade Month. This annual tradition focuses on raising awareness and building support for fair trade in the United States.

Chief Operations Officer, Jennifer, visits with a group of Fair for Life farmers on this intercropped forest farm with yearround harvestability in three stories of the forest canopy.

Increasing demand for spices acquired from tree barks, such as our beloved cassia (a.k.a. cinnamon) is putting many tree species in peril worldwide. At Mountain Rose Herbs, we are passionate about supporting sustainable harvesting that preserves the life and integrity of the tree, rather than killing it. Our Fair for Life Project farmers in India use methods that are unconventional, harvesting only small sections of the tree bark and then allowing the tree to heal completely before taking more.

We’ve got a fantastic addition to our collection of books that we’d like to share with you: the classic Making Plant Medicine.

Originally published over 15 years ago, Making Plant Medicine has become a preferred reference for learning to make herbal tinctures, teas, syrups, herbal oils, salves, and poultices.

A proud Fair for Life farmer shows off our certified organic nutmeg and mace fruits.

The smiles on the faces of the farmers as I handed them organic cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and clove saplings were ear-to-ear grins. Today, I had the pleasure of hand-delivering the saplings to one of the 60 farms we collaborate with as part of our innovative Fair for Life Project.

You may have heard about the resurgence in returning to diets higher in fat. Ever since learning about this trend, I’ve been experimenting with ways to add fat back into my diet. I especially enjoy the luxury that a boost of fatty goodness can bring to a cold morning.