Violet leaf is one of those plants that’s easy to overlook because it grows so commonly and without much attention. While the flowers tend to draw the eye, it’s the leaves that have traditionally been used for external herbal preparations meant to calm and support the skin. In the rhythm of a slow-l...

I don’t usually think about decorating for Easter until Holy Saturday. The weeks leading up to Easter are kept fairly simple in our home, and we try to let that quietness remain until the day actually arrives.

When Easter does come, we celebrate it slowly. Rather than marking it for a single day, w...

Down on our farm, spring gatherings tend to revolve around the table more than the calendar. Easter, Mother’s Day, and early garden days all seem to call for food that feels a little more complete without becoming complicated. I usually find myself in the kitchen with a mixing bowl and some fresh he...

I still remember spotting wintergreen for the first time—not in the forest like you might expect, but tucked neatly into a local landscaping display in town. It was one of those crisp winter days, and the little shrub with its glossy leaves and bright red berries just popped against the dry browns o...

When it’s cold outside and you’re craving something hearty but also wholesome, this herbal beef stew hits the spot. Whether you're short on time or planning ahead, it delivers rich, slow-simmered flavor with the power of herbs—no bland, boring stew here.

When I make stew, the first things I reach f...

Every year, I barter a gift basket for our Christmas tree. It’s one of my very favorite traditions — not just because of the tree, but because I get to gather goodies, thrift for a creative container, and doll it up to look festive. Some baskets I make are for individuals — a teacher, a friend, or e...

There’s something about a plate of buttery shortbread and a hot cup of tea that feels like slowing down at the farmhouse table. Around the holidays, it becomes even more special. I started experimenting with tea in shortbread a over a decade ago, and now these cookies have become a tradition for o...

There’s something special about preparing for Christmas in a way that’s both simple and steeped in tradition. Advent has always been my favorite time of year — a time to prepare our hearts and homes for the coming of the Savior. And when Christmas finally arrives, there’s nothing that warms my heart...

Around the farm, hot cocoa is more than just a sweet treat—it's a warm hug in a mug. It starts our slow winter mornings, warms us after feeding the animals, and makes the perfect evening treat around the fire. But if you were raised on those little packets of powdered mix and chalky marshmallows, yo...

There’s something wonderful about walking into a home that smells like Christmas.

The first time I ever made a simmer pot was when I was a young mom, just learning how to cook from scratch. A pot of orange peels and cinnamon sticks gently simmering on the stove became part of that journey—a humble ...

When my dear friend Michele over at Chocolate Box Cottage gifted me Sweet Remedies: Healing Herbal Honeys by Dawn Combs, I wasn’t expecting it to change how I saw honey. Around here, honey is as common as a jar of jam on the counter, but until then, I’d mostly used it to sweeten tea or drizzle over ...

The first time I made my own lip balm, I felt like I’d uncovered one of homemaking’s best-kept secrets: it’s easy, it’s fun, and it actually works.

Lip balm was one of my very first herbal DIY projects—partly because I was already using so much of it! Once I learned what was actually in those littl...