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Food preservation has been around for thousands of years. From drying acorns for extended storage to turning grapes into wine, the act of preservation has allowed people around the globe to enjoy various foods and botanicals well past their harvest season. As a chef and homesteader, I often find myself having way more fresh ingredients than I can use before they turn. This is where food preservation comes into play! I do my best to appropriately utilize as much as I can so that my family may enjoy the spring, summer, and autumn harvest well into the cold winters of Maine. Extra cabbage gets salt and turns to sauerkraut, excess peaches get pureed and dehydrated into fruit leather, and the list goes on. Over the years, I have become particularly fond of vinegar and its acidic properties to capture the essence, flavor, and minerals naturally found in fruits and herbs. 

Over the last decade, my kitchen has hosted a wide variety of cultures and home fermentation projects. Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, milk-and-water kefir, and fermented garlic paste have all lived (and thrived!) atop my counters. However, only one culture has found a permanent residence: kombucha. If you aren’t familiar with kombucha, it is a fermented tea beverage that has exploded in popularity over the last few years. Kombucha can now be easily found at nearly every co-op or grocery store, but if you drink as much as I do, store-bought bottles can get pricey fast. Fortunately, it’s easy, inexpensive, and fun to make at home! Plus, you can flavor your kombucha and adjust its acidity or sourness to your liking.  

Each October, I get to set up the Mountain Rose Herbs booth at the wonderful Mount Pisgah Arboretum Mushroom Festival here in Eugene, Oregon. I absolutely love this event! It typically brings out 3,000 mycophiles eager to learn about wild mushrooms and peruse the many species on display. Aiming to be festive with fungus, I’ll usually brew up a large batch of reishi chai. Chai is one of my all-time favorite teas, and adding reishi mushroom slices (Ganoderma lucidum) gives it the added perk of supporting immune health*.

In days long ago, herbal potions were full of mystery and intrigue! In medieval France, many abbeys had their own unique recipes for distilled tonics. These blends were formulated with various herbs and spices and were a closely guarded secret within the abbey.

Our stunning, organic organic turmeric chai tea is a customer favorite in our line of organic chai blends. Handcrafted by our tea experts, this chai brings the flavor with its wonderfully warming synergy of aromatic roots and spices.

It is believed that the honor of "oldest alcoholic beverage on the planet" goes to mead. Evidence of this enchanting gold elixir has been found in Chinese pottery vessels dating back to 7000 BCE. While the discovery of mead was almost certainly a happy accident, over the ages this “nectar of the gods” has found a home in many tales, myths, legends, customs, ceremonies, and traditional remedies. Today, mead is enjoyed around the world in a variety of styles and strengths, from session meads to full-strength sack meads. 

When it comes to surviving Oregon’s notoriously dark and damp winters, mornings definitely find me protectively clinging to a steaming mug of full-bodied, locally-roasted coffee. But when warm weather rolls around, my solar-powered self craves something cooler (and less high-octane) to provide a light boost to my day. I’ve found a number of traditional and herbal iced tea recipes that often fit the bill, but when I really want to treat myself, I take the time to whip up a special treat: a chilled organic matcha tea latte.

When summer serves up blue skies with long hot days, I crave lemonade. And not the kind that comes from a powdered mix packed with preservatives, colorants, and artificial sweeteners, but real, fresh-squeezed lemonade. The perfect balance of bright acidity, light tartness, and a hint of sweetness that I long for simply can’t be accomplished any other way. Plus, making freshly-squeezed lemonade only takes a few minutes, and it’s easy peasy lemon squeezy.