As a newly engaged person, I am starting to look at things a bit differently. For instance, creating recipes is a major part of my life, and I find myself experiencing that process through a slightly different lens. Now as well as recipes that I craft for my own use, I am starting to consider party favors and elements to include in my wedding. I've been thinking that a variety of homemade perfumes made with organic ingredients would be a fun zero-waste party favor and they are incredibly easy to scale up and to make in bulk. So, I went to the drawing board with some themes and ideas.

I know that washing your face with oil may sound a little odd at first, but trust me—this ancient secret is a great way to cleanse and nourish your skin! The reason oil cleansing works is basic chemistry: like-dissolves-like. Using nourishing organic oils to clean your face helps break up the grime that gets caught in your skin’s natural sebum while not harming the microbiome of the skin. Ready to get started? Let’s go!

When my husband and I got married, we wanted to offer a full mocktail bar for our wedding guests. I love using oxymels for mocktails: the traditional syrup made from an acid and a sweetener (usually vinegar and honey) lends a complex flavor that up-levels any drink. They are also a yummy way to serve herbs to friends and family.

It’s almost elderflower season! When I excitedly announced this among friends recently, they all gave me a grin-and-eye-roll combination that, if I’m being honest, I receive on a regular basis from this bunch. It’s all done in good fun—it’s no secret that I choose to live my life much slower than the modern-world pace, as closely aligned with the turning of the seasons as possible. My favorite people may tease me about my Luddite ways and seasonal delight over things like elderflowers, but they aren’t fooling anybody. They’re always the first ones to belly up for our refreshing cordials and festive cocktails and, because I let most of my homegrown elderflowers turn into berries, they are also the ones who slyly check in throughout the year to see if I’ve got any cordial made with the dried elderflowers that sustain us when the fresh flowers are long gone. Here’s to elderflower cordial and sharing with friends!

Research compiled by Oregon State University has shown that roughly half of the adult population in the United States doesn’t get enough of the vitamins and minerals that leafy greens supply: 52% don’t get the recommended intake of magnesium, 44% don’t get enough calcium, and 43% don’t get enough vitamin C. Although many of us know that we need two to three cups of leafy greens a day to supply our exquisitely complex bodies with the vitamins and minerals needed to carry out cellular processes and repairs, many of us have trouble eating adequate amounts of those greens.

There are a lot of reasons to love summer, but a big one here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon is the wealth of fresh garden and farm produce. We’re heading into salad season, always a good opportunity to explore new flavors and ways to enjoy the freshest greens, ripest tomatoes, crispest cucumbers, sweetest corn, and more. We’ve got four standout salad dressing recipes from around the world for you to enjoy this season, along with ideas about how to best use them: horiatiki from Greece, wafu from Japan, esquites from Mexico, and tahini-lemon from the Middle East. Enjoy!

A friend called the other day and before I had a chance to finish with “Hello” she asked, “What was that vinegar drink you made last summer? The zingy one with basil and berries?” It was a shrub: a “zingy” drinking vinegar infused with fruit. Apparently, my friend had a craving because berry season is upon us. It was a good reminder—this is a perfect time to start infusing vinegars with herbs and fruit for both refreshing summer drinks and herbal formulations for later in the year. I love the allure of a jar full of drinking vinegar and the potential it represents for delicious, healthful sipping. Infuse berries and we’re also well on our way to a perfect shrub cocktail/mocktail season.

I love to live fully within the seasons. I take in all the nuances of the seasonal elements, ebbing and flowing with the twists and turns of the weather and the expansion and contraction of daylight. This mindfulness practice allows me to connect with the “now” and fully appreciate all that the Earth shares with us through her wondrous cycles. 

Foggy brain and fuzzy focus affect many of us from time to time and during certain phases of our lives. While many herbs do indeed have a long history of use and modern research to support mental clarity, first it’s important to take a deep look at what’s going on in your life that’s draining your brain power to truly enhance your mental prowess and vitality.

All too often it’s easy to use the same spices over and over again. If they work, then why not? I sprinkle Italian seasoning on just about everything. Turmeric powder and smoked salt are two other popular staples in my houshold. But this season I was determined to bring some new flavors into my kitchen. I’m thrilled to say that these blends did just the trick!

If drinking warm milk before bed sounds like the kind of advice you might hear from your grandma—well, it turns out grandma knows best again! Drinking heated creamy beverages before bed has been practiced for centuries and has helped people all over the world drift off into a restful sleep. It is also commonly recommended by Ayurvedic practitioners to calm fiery doshas and to help balance the body before bed. Nowadays, these magical cups of comfort are often referred to as moon milks and incorporate herbs and spices to help assist the body in relaxation.