It’s chai time, and I’m about to make some of my favorite tea.

Would you like some?

With half of my family from North India, I’m fairly accustomed to the ritual of drinking chai. Not the frothy, ultra-sweet, flavored-milk drink you get from national coffee chains. I mean real chai, made from raw ingredients, and crafted to suit the individual’s preference. And it never fails to surprise me how varied people’s tastes can be.

Growing up in the Midwest in the 1980s, my family was the rarity – eating organic salads made with real (not iceberg) lettuce every evening. My trendsetting mom’s insistence on organic leafy greens at the dinner table instilled in me a lifelong love of veggies.

Mountain Rose Herbs is excited to sponsor a variety of incredible events all across the country again this year. While we can't attend them all, we are honored to be involved in someway. From the Oregon Truffle Festival (yum!) in our hometown of Eugene, Oregon, to the New England Women's Herbal Conference, we’re proud to embrace herbalism, organic farming, sustainable forestry, and delicious eats! Hope to see you there.

In my household, with all of our food sensitivities, it can be hard to satisfy sweet tooth cravings. Vegan baked goods can often seem dry and bland, and my son has lamented a couple of times that all of the fun things have dairy. Tackling fun recipes within the framework of these limitations can seem overwhelming, especially for those of us who aren't professional vegan chefs! In the spirit of my own sweet tooth and with the hope to devise a truly yummy baked vegan treat, my partner and I experimented with this recipe using Mountain Rose Herbs ingredients until we found success.

A “Farm To Table” Tea Meeting

In November, we had the great honor of hosting a delegation of tea marketers and producers from Eugene’s Sister City of Kakegawa, Japan. The group carefully prepared and served Fukamushicha (deep steamed green tea) for members of the Mountain Rose Herbs team.

I love this season of celebration. This time of year I'm often dreaming of chocolate truffles, forests covered in snow, and catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Making special foods, festive treats, and gifts while singing along with my favorite songs brings a glow of happy cheer to my heart—but my favorite part of the holidays is seeing the joy and excitement in other people as they unwrap the gifts I have made for them! This year I decided to create a rich and moisturizing balm to soften the appearance of rough dry skin, using the scents of sacred resins and trees that are often associated with this time of year.

The Winter Solstice is just around the corner, and we are slowly adjusting to the mounting darkness. One of our favorite things to do this time of year is to pull up a comfy seat in front of the fire, brew a cup of our herbal tea, and curl up with a good book.

­

Alternative wellness philosophies often ask “what is the root cause?” By assessing the root cause, one can take proactive measures towards health and well-being. In the case of Oregon grape, the root of this plant has been used by traditional healers to stimulate the digestive tract. Oregon grape root is classified as an Alterative and a Bitter in the tradition of neo-eclectic herbalism popularized by Michael Moore, Howie Brounstein, and many others.

Fall is my favorite time of year. We find more time to spend with family and friends, indulge in lovingly-prepared meals that feature the abundance of the harvest, and light the first warm, cozy fires of the season. For me, the focus on the harvest extends beyond food and crops: we also gather community, stories of summer, projects, and hopes for the coming year.

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!