Dirty Face Creek Farm and Muddy Miss Farms

I would like to introduce you to our good friends at Dirty Face and Muddy Miss Farms! Pete and Shanti are the co-owners of Muddy Miss Farm and and work with Dirty Face Creek Farm. It's a really fantastically beautiful farm run by 2 fantastically beautiful people. I spend most Monday out there helping out as a farm hand and wildcrafting herbs for our CSA. You can look forward to many Wild Rose Apothecary/ Muddy Miss Farms collaborations in the future. Soon we are working on hosting an herb walk out at the farm free and open to the public, more info TBA. 

Yesterday they had just let the goat kids out to pasture with the rest of the flock fr the first time. These guys names are Pilgrim and Bucket, and whoa they are the sweetest lil dudes! 

Take that, gnat swarm!

O Iowa how I love thee in springtime, let me count the ways-- until the bugs hatch. Mosquitos, meh; buffalo gnats, holy buggin' ouch! Yesterday I took matters into my own hands and formulated Sweet Relief Bug Repellant. Wild Rose now offers a safe/non-toxic and kid-friendly bug spray, to help shield you from the swarm. It feels nice on the skin, is non-greasy, and puts out a really nice aroma (quite unlike the ubiquitous, and in my opinion wretched, citronella candle). Added bonus, nearby cats will likely visit you. Ingredients I used were catnip, vanilla extract, coconut and apricot kernel oils, lemongrass and lemon eucalyptus essential oils, rosewater, and witch hazel. Two sizes, a 2-oz spray bottle for $7 and a 4-oz for $12. For best bug repelling action, re-apply the spray every 2 or 3 hours.

Wildcrafting Day

This afternoon Mandy,  her children and I set out to collect a few of our favorite herbs from the countryside of beautiful Hills, Iowa. It was a lovely day with a little adventure, complete with perfect weather. 

First off was a stop to pick Wild Prarie Roses. We wildcrafted the flowers, buds and whole plants for use in everything from sprays to tinctures to elixirs and syrups. Some say the Wild Rose is an invasive plant but I think it's courageous and full of perseverance.

Mandy spotted some Solomon's Seal but it's not quite the season for harvest yet.

 Later I went off to wildcraft on my own and collected Horse Tail for teas and tinctures.

While adventuring I saw snakes, birds, butterflies and this little guy:

Christy was kind enough to let me pick a bag full of Shiitake Mushrooms for culinary use in my kitchen. CSA members will also have the healing properties of Shiitake's to look forward to as we've got these guys in everything from oils to tinctures.

Last but not least I finished my adventure off by stripping open a Jewel Weed Plant with my fingers and spread it all over my arms in case I got into any Poison Ivy.  Jewel Weed often grows near that itchy, scratchy weed and is the perfect remedy if you break out with poison Ivy. It's simple to use with a consistency like Aloe Vera.

All and all it was a perfect late spring day and I can't wait to go out wildcrafting again. Of all the steps in making herbal medicine I'd have to say harvesting is my favorite. Though I love the magic in cooking and bottling, I feel at home out in the woods and alongside dirt roads, creeks and ditches looking and searching for that one perfect plant. They say the plants that you need present themselves to you and today they sure did!

CSA Members Box!

This is an example of what a monthly CSA (Community Supported Apothecary) share will look like: 4oz bottle of Happy Heart Elixir, 4oz bottle of Sun Burn Spray, 2oz bottle of Herbal Disinfectant tincture, large jar of Heal All Salve, medium jar of Skin Soothing Salve, and a small tin of Heal All Salve for your travel needs. In addition every month we'll be including special treats like our handmade incense in the bottom right corner and the glimpse of Maca Root Cookie Treats in the bottom left. Also every months share will have a tea blend, this months is Nettle, Mullein, Hyssop and Honeysuckle, MMM!

Once you become a CSA member we tailor your box to you and/or your families specific needs and health concerns.  

Salves are medicinal ointments used to heal the skin and areas underneath the skin. We have many types of salves for many types of issues. Everything from sore muscles, to sprains and inflammation, fungal issues, bruises, eczema, chapped skin, cysts, bursitis, scars, etc.

 The Heal All Salve is perfect for any closed scratches, blisters, bruises, sprains, strains, rashes, new tattoos, you got it on your skin and it's good for it! (Do not apply directly to open wounds, save that for the Heal All Tincture)

 Our Happy & Healthy Heart Elixir is a delicious nervine to calm your nerves after a long day. Or use it to calm an upset child, take it after an upsetting incident or a fight, after a stressfull or on an over worked day etc. It's used to help relieve your heart from all of the built up stress and grief we experience throughout our busy lives. Additionally it's good for your heart! But who says medicine can't be a treat? Try combing  2-3 tbs of Happy & Healthy Heart Elixir with 8oz of bubbly water. Or for an lovely adult beverage with friends add a shot of whiskey!

We will also be offering Individual Boxes for purchase. These specialty boxes cost $50 and consist of a full size kit. In addition we can cater these kits to your needs such as New Mama Box, First Aid Kit, Off to College Box, Kids Cold & Flu Box and Seasonal Boxes to equip you for the medicinal needs of an upcoming season. If you have any other occasions we can fulfill your requests!

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.