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.

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.

My mountains are on fire. I watch the hungry flames lick at my familiar skyline. Fire trucks zip up and down our canyon road as helicopters wheel overhead. I smell smoke, and know what comes next: weeks of gray skies raining ash, then months to years of barren blackened slopes and tree stumps where yesterday I petted my favorite sages and lingered under expansive old oaks.

Something that I have loved since childhood is “potion” making—mysterious liquids and substances being mixed together to create something new holds a very particular appeal to me. Of course, as a kid it was both the allure of creating something magical and the allure of creating messes that endured the activity. As an adult the draw has become a bit more practical and ever so slightly neater, however the joy of crafting botanically inspired concoctions has remained. So, when I stumbled across the Queen of Hungary Water recipe, I was immediately enchanted. This recipe is rooted in tradition and folklore and spoke to both to the adult crafter in me and my whimsical inner child who is still searching for that magic.

In the picturesque mountains of Skagit Valley, Washington, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Field Day of the Pacific Northwest Organic Center (formally Cascadian Farm) organized by the Rodale Institute. This event brought together a community of researchers, farmers, students, and educators—all united by a shared passion for organic agriculture. The Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit researching and sharing regenerative organic farming practices that restore soil health, fight climate change, and fix the food system.

Skincare is all about balance. This is the basis of each natural skin care class that I teach. We should never be in battle with our skin, but rather, aim to help it maintain the balance it seeks. The cosmetics industry tells us the opposite. It tells us to use this cream for "anti-aging" or that treatment to "fight acne". They also push us into using harsh, drying soaps for our skin, especially oily skin. But did you know that oily skin is most commonly the skin’s natural defense to being too dry skin? In other words, the cleansers used to get rid of oil are actually perpetuating the problem.  
 

Seaweeds are one of the best foods to keep stocked in your pantry. Not only are they incredibly shelf-stable, but they add complex flavors to many kinds of meals, including soups, savory breakfasts, and stir-fries. Their nutrient density, however, is really where they shine. Seaweed is packed with necessary vitamins and minerals. In fact, they contain almost all of the essential amino acids, minerals, and trace elements the human body needs.

When it comes to lip balm, I’m a girl who likes to have options. Different aromas and hydration levels enhance my self-care in different ways. When I am going camping or will be spending a lot of time in the sun, I reach for a summer lip gloss recipe that gives me light coverage, but won’t melt in the sun. When I’m still feeling the summer vibes but want some more hydration than the gloss can offer, I craft ones that are more hydrating and that have longer staying power.

Ask anyone who knows me, and they will confirm my long-standing reputation for being experimental in the kitchen. Since I was old enough to hold a spatula and use my mom’s stand mixer, there aren’t many recipes I haven’t tried from the stacks of cookbooks scattered throughout my childhood home. One of the earliest culinary experiments I can recall was attempting to make gnocchi from scratch, and let's just say, the result was not the most palatable or even edible. The idea struck my developing brain when I forgot about a boiling pot of pasta on the stove, leaving me with mushy, unappetizing noodles. Scratching my head as I tried to think of an innovative way to salvage my overcooked pasta, I remembered a new food I had recently discovered on a grocery store trip with my family: gnocchi. At the time, my assumption of gnocchi was that they were oddly shaped pasta balls, so I decided to blend up the mushy pasta and shape the mixture into gnocchi balls. Fool-proof and ingenious, right? Wrong. My “gnocchi” turned out to be anything but gnocchi, and I nearly broke our cheap blender in the process. Unsurprisingly, my family and I wound up digging through the depths of our freezer for dinner that night.

When I’m about to embark on a summer adventure, I always do the final check before walking out the door—keys, wallet, water, and lip balm. Being ill-equipped with any of these staples puts a real damper on my ability to take impromptu diversions on the roads less traveled.