This blog is part of a 6-part series on recipes featuring our recently new line of organic flavor extracts. Stay tuned for more flavor inspiration coming soon!

Beloved and recognized throughout the world, vanilla bean needs no formal introduction. With a unique ability to enhance rather than overshadow pretty much anything it's paired with, it’s no wonder vanilla has been crowned with such a reputation in the flavoring hall of fame. With that being said, even the most famous flavors are subject to their fair share of controversy.

Once darkness falls and vampires begin emerging from their satin-lined coffins and werewolves serenade with their haunting howls, many of us are gearing up for our own traditions to celebrate this season of spooky. For me, the month of October tends to unleash a beast with a taste for leaving the real horror to the mess of my craft cabinet and kitchen countertops. After wrapping up the finishing touches on my annually elaborate DIY costume, it was time to dust off the trusty cauldron to craft for my ghoulish guests to sip on during our Halloween festivities. Since no spirits should be contained to cheaply-made plastic goblets filled with sickly sweet, boozy syrup, I concocted a bewitching mocktail recipe that will trick and treat anyone who dares take a sip into having a spooktacular evening—alcohol-free!  

As a former football mom, doula, and military wife, I've had my fair share of experiences with the importance of staying hydrated. Whether on the field or in the delivery room, I've witnessed firsthand how dehydration can lead to serious situations. We've all had those days of overdoing the 'fun in the sun', or even just forgetting to drink during a hectic day. It's a mistake anyone can make. Understanding vital hydration helps you enjoy your adventures safely and healthily!

Nestled in the lush and green Willamette Valley of Oregon, a generational farm is hard at work growing, harvesting, and processing pumpkins and pumpkin seeds.  The farm has been growing seed pumpkins for decades, but after learning about the health benefits of pumpkin seed oil, they recently decided to expand their offerings to include pumpkin oil. Not only did this diversify their offerings, but it also helped to improve their waste stream.

You may have heard the recent buzz about North America’s only native caffeinated plant, yaupon. Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is making a resurgence, and it took concerns of tariffs and increased tea and coffee prices to bring this domestic caffeinated plant into the mainstream eye. However, Mountain Rose Herbs’ interest in this plant preceded the tariff-driven trend, and we are delighted to share more information about the relationship we've developed with this plant over the past 7 years. 

Natural Energy and Adaptogenic Herbs

Are you feeling drained, unable to sleep well, or struggling to maintain consistent energy throughout the day? Modern life often pushes our adrenal glands—the small but mighty glands responsible for our stress response—into overdrive. This leads to fatigue, stress, and a cascade of health challenges. Fortunately, there’s a natural way to support and restore balance: adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogens are nature’s solution to helping the body adapt to stress, regulate energy levels, and support better sleep. In this blog, we’ll dive into what adaptogens are, how they work, and the steps you can take to maintain natural energy and adrenal health.

This nourishing facial serum is a very special one in my recipe book. Made with four of my favorite skin care oils, this blend is deeply hydrating and yields a lovely bronzing hue that can be tailored to many skin tones. The star of this recipe is sea buckthorn oil, which in my opinion, is an underutilized oil that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. While most skin care oils are pressed from the seeds of a given plant, sea buckthorn oil is pressed from the seeds and berries which yields a vibrant golden hue and contains abundant antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Sea buckthorn oil also contains linoleic acid which has been shown to support the skin’s lipid barrier,  helping to reduce overall moisture loss. For all of these reasons, it remains high on my list of favorite skin care ingredients.

The ambition of the budding herbalist’s apothecary can quickly overwhelm the kitchen cabinets. It’s easy to make herbal remedies, the harder part is using them up before next year’s harvest. I have an easy solution for culling old (and new) remedies from your apothecary to make space for fresh extracts: DIY body care products!

The Waning Moon is a time for decluttering and making space for the potential that the New Moon will soon bring. Tidying up, going through paperwork, and clearing out our inboxes—these are all gentle activities that I have found incredibly helpful to move (or remove) the sometimes unseen burden of accumulated to-dos. 

I was first introduced to self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) while walking through a field many years ago. Once I got a good look at her, she stopped me in my tracks, and I spent a lot of time sitting on the ground admiring her magnificent flowers. I was inspired to get to know my new (then) friend, Prunella, on a deeper level, so I went home and hit the books. It's been a part of my herbalism practice ever since.

In the summer of 2025, Mountain Rose Herbs had the honor of sponsoring and participating in a training seminar hosted by Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) at the beautiful Oshala Farm in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. It was a small, focused gathering of wild harvesters who came together to learn, connect, and share their commitment to ethical wildcrafting. This seminar was part of ASD’s Wild Stewards Program, a vital initiative that supports wild harvesters in Central Appalachia and beyond by improving livelihoods through sustainable practices, fair pricing, and access to new markets. We’ve long admired their dedication to stewarding both people and plants, and we were thrilled to help bring their expertise to the Pacific Northwest.