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...

Red clover was one of the first herbs I ever blended with, long before herbalism became part of my everyday homemaking. It showed up in an early women’s tea I created, and later, when we moved to our farm, I began noticing it growing all over the property each spring. Once you recognize red clover, ...

By early February, spring simmer pots start to come out in our house.

Winter has usually overstayed its welcome by then. The house is beginning to feel stagnant, and everyone is experiencing some level of cabin fever. Here in rainy northwest Oregon, people often spend more time indoors than outdoor...

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...

If you’ve ever stood over a pot of soup and wondered why the recipe calls for one lonely leaf that you’ll fish out later, you’re in the right place. That simple dried bay leaf, the one that often gets overlooked, isn’t just filler in your spice cupboard. It’s part of a tradition that stretches back ...

Some herbs slip quietly into our lives, but marshmallow root arrives like a soft blanket—calming, comforting, and quietly powerful.

Marshmallow root came into my life when I was researching herbs that support the digestive system. Most herbs are drying or astringent, but marshmallow was different. ...

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...

Discover how to make an herbal hawthorn berry tea recipe, explore heart-supportive benefits, and craft a homemade tincture with this wintery, homegrown herbal guide rooted in slow living.

When winter comes, the leaves are gone and hawthorn looks bare except for its poky branches and those bright ...

On the farm, our go-to is usually a wild cherry bark syrup I keep on hand for the colder months. But let’s be honest—there are times when the kids are coughing, and I realize I haven’t brewed a fresh batch yet. That’s when I head to the kitchen and grab what’s already there: honey, garlic, onion, gi...

Elderberries grow all over where we are, at the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. My grandfather used to tell me that when they first moved here, they would go up and down the country roads collecting elderberries. 

I firmly believe that our Creator left us all sorts of useful plants that...

I don’t even want to think about flu season, but here we are in September, and if some sort of illness hasn’t hit everyone yet, it's a matter of when, not if. The most important thing to remember is that being ready for flu season is half of the battle. Making sure your immune system has everything ...