At Mountain Rose Herbs, we have always prided ourselves on a business model that supports a healthy planet and healthy people. That means always adapting to changing certifications and standards that, thankfully, are becoming more supportive of our core values and environmental stewardship principles. While the concepts and strategies behind it are not new, one of the emerging farming methodologies is Regenerative Agriculture.

Before jumping into all the amazing qualities of American ginseng, I first wanted to share a bit about my personal journey with this plant. For a long time, I did not feel comfortable working with ginseng. A big part of my herbal practice is ensuring that I’m working with herbs in a way that honors the ecological and social impacts of my choices. As you may know, ginseng is on the United Plant Savers’ At-Risk List and is also in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species list, meaning it is at risk of becoming extinct if trade is not better controlled. Ginseng has been on these lists for many years and remains a plant that continues to be overharvested and poached to the point of ecological harm. Yet over the years, several passionate industry peers have stepped up to the challenge of making ginseng sustainable and accessible while not affecting the already threatened wild stands. 

The wild harvesting of botanicals is a practice as old as herbalism itself and many of the cornerstone products here at Mountain Rose Herbs are collected in this tradition. These important herbs may come from the temperate mixed forests of Eastern Europe, shrublands of Africa, or closer to home in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. 

Organics is not a new concept—it's how humanity sustained itself for millennia. There was a time when we didn't question whether our food was laced with chemicals or genetically altered, yet here we are, living in an era where "organic" has become a movement rather than the norm.

Vanilla is both unassuming, yet utterly magical. As a child, I remember believing that vanilla was a plain or even boring flavor. Now as an adult, I realize that nothing could be further from the truth. With its delicate and creamy flavor, vanilla is not only enchanting on its own, but it also has the power to draw out and enhance any other flavor that it is paired with. I find myself adding vanilla extract to matcha, hot cocoa, coffee, moon milk, oatmeal, chia pudding, and, of course, almost all my baking projects. With such a variety of uses, it is no wonder that I like to make sure that vanilla extract is well-stocked in my cupboard, which is why I have taken to crafting my own in larger batches. Vanilla extract is surprisingly easy to make at home—all you need is whole vanilla beans, alcohol, and a jar. It also makes an awesome DIY gift!

Mountain Rose Herbs is honored to work closely with small-scale producers around the world, either directly or through farming cooperatives. Many aspects of farming, wild harvesting, and processing are difficult and prone to outside pressures like natural disasters, market volatility, and climate change. These challenges are why we partner with Fair Trade Certified operations when possible.

At Mountain Rose Herbs, we feel it is our responsibility to ensure all the botanicals we offer support the entire supply chain. This includes the farmers, the harvesters, and those who call upon them in times of need. One of the strategies we employ to ensure a steady and sustainable supply of organic herbs and spices is contract purchasing. This means that we make projections of our community’s needs, sometimes before the seeds even go into the soil, so that farmers can better rely on the sale of their crops and we can ensure people will have access to what they need to support their health and wellness goals.

People often struggle to understand what “organic” means, and consumer research has revealed that many are not familiar with the regulatory and enforcement processes that uphold the organic seal. In response to this, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come up with four easy-to-understand pillars that make up the USDA organic label. Each pillar highlights a key component of the National Organic Program's (NOP) process for developing and enforcing organic regulations.

This August, I traveled to rural Minnesota to visit one of our domestic farm partners. Lucky for me, there was a break from the previous week's high humidity and peak mosquito activity, which made for a comfortable visit this time around. I met with Jason, a second-generation farmer and now manager of the organic farm. I began my visit at what they refer to as the “home farm” where I got to see Jason’s childhood home and the land he grew up on. They still grow some crops on four acres of this land, but the bulk of their growing now takes place in other nearby plots.

In a hyper-connected world full of consumption, how do we make the best choices when purchasing products? How do we determine the impact of our decisions based on our values? Now more than ever, we are faced with businesses greenwashing customers, and as a result, consumers have become detached from where things come from or how they have come to be. Terms like “natural” or “therapeutic” are used with reckless abandon and we are given minimal information to make the best choices for our bodies and our planet.

In 2001, we moved Mountain Rose Herbs from California to Oregon to be closer to our farm operations, wild harvesters, and processors. We are proud of the fact that we have nurtured relationships with our Pacific Northwest farm partners for 30-plus years. Today, we source about 75% of our American-grown organic herbs from Pacific Northwest farmers here in the bioregion we call home.