Gardening

Almonte Farmer’s Market and New Arnica Planting

May 16, 2018 in Gardening / Healing Herbs / Markets by Kelli

I am very happy to be a part of this season’s Almonte Farmer’s Market! I will be there every other Saturday with a few extra Saturdays fitted in when needed. Please note that you can pick up any online orders placed on the website at the market on any and every week.

I make my products to relieve pain, discomfort, and stress. My primary goal is to spread happiness, peace, and joy, and support the health of people and the environment. Before the product comes the plants; it is the healing botanicals that are the key ingredients of all my preparations. So, first I have to grow, grow, grow! As always, this is what keeps us busy during the Spring. Along with many other projects, this is one I started back in February indoors.

I have doubled the arnica patch with plants grown from my own seeds in order to meet the demand for my Arnica Oil.

Arnica Montana grown from my own seed.

Please learn more about our arnica plants and preparations here.

Seeding Calendula with the kids!

April 27, 2018 in Biodiversity / Gardening / Healing Herbs by Kelli

Seeding calendula with the kids and so much more, while four kinds of Woodpeckers, Ducks, Grouse, Peepers, Turtles and more are suddenly swarming around us. Makes my heart soar!

Calendula

Spring Ice Storm with the New Moon in Aries in April 2018

April 16, 2018 in Biodiversity / Food / Gardening / Healing Herbs / Wild Harvest by Kelli

I follow a lot of different growers, herbalists and nature websites and it has been hard to see all these baskets of lovely wild greens being harvested and eaten and even flowers blooming while this is my yard – ice so thick on the bird feeder it is weighting it, activating the squirrel proof mechanism that keeps it closed. I keep chipping away at it and am putting extra out on the table.
Everyone is desperate.

The spark of spring only exists in the wood stove just now but the one in my heart is smoldering as I stand in amazement at the variety of life and am beyond thankful that I don’t have to live outside all the time. Thankful for my family, my warm bed and for my many aromatherapy blends and salves which carry me through while I wait for better weather.

Ice covering everything

Various Finches

Red Wing Blackbirds

Even the fox is hungry enough to come closer before the storm

finches

Arnica, crowded and ready to be outside.

All babies potted up now and much happier but leaves little room for anything else until Spring comes around.

I was looking forward to this sorrel I found last week but……..

And definitely some of the Nettles coming up all around

Marshmallow, Calendula, & Tea Tree Salve

October 12, 2017 in Gardening / Healing Herbs / Natural Skin Care / Products by Kelli

This salve is inspired by this post on marshmallow by Rosalee de la Foret.
I love marshmallow; it’s a moon herb, and helpful in so many ways. It makes the absolute best lip salves too, that will be coming up soon! It has been so wonderful to learn the different ways to utilize the healing potentials of the plants and to learn this method of infusing the properties of marshmallow into oil.

I have 3 first season Althaea officinalis plants and one is very crowded so I decided to use it. First I dug up the root, then scrubbed it clean, and shredded it. Then patience and attention, just what I need.

grated and chopped into the oil over a double burner, on low for 2 hours.

first year marshmallow root

Cooling

cleaning it up to be chopped and grated, then partially dried before infusing it into oil.

After the first hour of simmering I added 1/3 ratio of warm infused plantain and self heal into safflower oil and jojoba. At the end, I always blend my essential oils into a small amount of jojoba oil before I mix them in to the final batch. Then I test the ratios and consistency and pour into prepared jars.