Wild Rose

 The Wild Roses are in bloom. I snapped this picture on my way to work this morning. My first sighting was after spending the afternoon with Christy and Mandy making herbal concoctions for the CSA. I was lucky to spot a large briar of roses in the ditch and Mandy and I quickly agreed to return the following week for some wildcrafting.

 

The namesake plant of our apothecary means a lot to me as I've been an admirer of it since my childhood. I was always so proud growing up in Iowa, the lucky state to adopt it as it's state flower back in 1897 and though we have many species that grow native here in Iowa, it's the Wild Prairie Rose that is my favorite. It's special to me for many reasons and has come to represent my home during my 10 years of travel, wanderlust, vagabonding and the ever impending homesickness. When I moved back to Iowa 2 years ago I looked forward to getting to know my old friend once again.

It's as magical a plant as they come with healing properties that span the flower, rose hip (the fruit) and the foliage.  The petals are high in polyphenols, B vitamins and bioflavanoids. The rose hips are famous for their Vitamin C content but they also contain vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, K and E, Niacin, Bioflavanoids, polyphenols and heart healthy pectin. The tale of rose hips spans many cultures and sailors were said to have drank rose hip tea to ward off scurvy during long trips at sea. Rose is also an astringent, anti-inflamatory, anti-bacterial, a pain killer and fantastic for sunburned skin, eczema, dermititis, hives, poison ivy, irritated eyes and bug bites.

We here at Wild Rose Apothecary hope you are as excited as we are for all the marvelous concoctions we will be preparing for you all this summer with the aid of such a giving plant.

kiva, rose. "the allies: Rose." herbmentor.com. N.p., 10 may 2010. Web. 31 May 2013.

Herbal CSA starts in July

We're excited to announce our 2013 Herbal CSA! 

Herbs are an important component of healthy living, and you deserve access to them!  For us “CSA” means Community Supported Apothecary, which we envision as a project to help people reclaim practical knowledge of herbs while also establishing local repositories for herbs and herbal preparations.  Our CSA members receive a monthly share of excellent botanicals, information about them, and advice on using them.  We cultivate many of the herbs we use and practice ethical wildcrafting.  Sourcing plants from local farms and home gardens means that the herbs are potent, fresh, and of course free of chemicals.  

In our CSA, you can expect a box full of herbal preparations that are ready to use in your own home and apothecary.  These products are all made in small batches from homegrown, wildcrafted, and occasionally purchased herbs.  We publish information about our botanicals on our blog, wildroseapothecary.blogspot.com. 

This year, we will have CSA boxes available monthly from July through December.  Members have the option of buying a full 6-month share for $240, or purchasing boxes monthly for $50 each. Boxes can be picked up on the first Wednesday of each month, as long as arrangements have been made in advance (i.e., signing up). 

A typical box will include several of the following (according to availability): 

a tasty, honey sweetened elixir or cordial

a tincture in alcohol, glycerin, or vinegar 

a salve made with infused oils and beeswax  

a decadent cream, lotion bar, or spray for the body

a bath sachet or bath salt blend

a blend of dried herbs for tea 

kombucha (upon request) 

yummy snacks & other crafty bonuses (incense, hand dyed wool, etc.)

Full Share~ $240 for 6 months ($120 deposit due in July, and the balance due by October)

Monthly Share~ $50 for 1 month (depending on availability)

To sign up, please write to

wildroseapothecary@gmail.com

Making Violet Honey

Picking violets is one of my most favorite springtime activities.  There's something so joyful about sitting down in the yard with a basket and my kids and picking and picking those little flowers.  

Making violet honey is quite simple! First, recruit some children to go out and pick violets with you. Stuff them into a jar, and cover slowly with honey. You may need to add more honey and stir a little to get all of the flowers covered. 

Enjoy as a treat whenever you like!  Violet honey is especially soothing to throats sore from over use, and is high in vitamin C.