Brewers Herbs

Beer is an ancient drink (and food) that I happen to be quite fond of. I especially like beer with lots of floral hops. Hops were not always used in beer though, and may not have been used until the 9th century. Before that, a mixture of herbs referred to as gruit was...

Herbal DeStress

Stress can save your life! Stress gives you more energy, increases your heart rate, and increases blood flow to the muscles. It can get you out of an emergency situation as fast as possible – such as out of the path of an oncoming car. However, low levels of...

Lemon Balm: Do you Know this Herb?

I love herbs that grow prolifically and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of those. Its in the mint family which explains why it grows so well. Here are some of the other properties I like about lemon balm:1. Melissa is a great herb to decrease stress and...

Aromatic Toners

We are busy here getting some special products ready for the Holiday gift giving season. During the summer we distilled some wonderful herbs making aromatic waters. These distillates or hydrosols as they are sometimes called are great skin care products. They are rich...

Whats in the Still?

I haven’t distilled as much as I’ve wanted to this summer. My newly planted herbs just haven’t grown big enough to have the amounts needed for distilling. This is disappointing because I have bought a new still. I have been able to combine some of my...