Using loose-leaf herbs is an economical way to make healthy herbal teas. You can often buy a few ounces of, say, chamomile for the same price as a box of chamomile tea sachets- and the same holds true with most herbs. Once you have collected a few different herbs, you can even experiment with blending…
Welcome to Modern Alchemy Mondays! We will be exploring herbs and herbal preparations in this mainstay weekly feature. Today, I’m going to walk you through one of my favorite summer projects: making a heavenly herbal glycerin (aka glycerite) from albizia flowers. Albizia, or mimosa, flowers are small tufts of pink adorning the Albizia julibrissin trees…
When is the best time to harvest yarrow? Like waiting on strawberries to be ripe, judging the best time to harvest yarrow means you’ll need to check your plants periodically and evaluate what stage they have reached. Here’s how to tell the best time to harvest yarrow based on your weather and the plants themselves.…
Summer is the perfect time to take the first steps for becoming your own herbalist. It’s the best season to dabble in the garden and long, sunny days mean that inspiration for connecting to the green world are all around us. Read on to discover some of my favorite suggestions for learning herbalism in summer. …
If you want to learn how to blend your own herbal teas, or are an herbal tea fanatic who is always on the lookout for wonderful new recipes to try, you need to take a peek at Healing Herbal Teas by Sarah Farr! A Handbook for Tea Lovers Healing Herbal Teas: Learn to Blend 101…
If you are interested in building out an herbal first aid kit, let me take a moment to warn you: it can easily become a bit of an obsession. There are many different styles and purposes of kits to explore. You may find that you become preoccupied with experimenting on new ideas, potential scenarios, and…
A few years ago I did a mini tour of my home apothecary, and it has been one of the most popular posts here at indieherbalist. It offered a glimpse into how I like to organize my tools and supplies- but it was a fairly short post. Many readers have contacted me with questions and…
Summer solstice is right around the corner, and if you are looking for the perfect refreshments to share with your friends, this bee balm, mint, and melon infused water won’t disappoint. It’s very simple to make, but is full of flavor (and flair) to take your summer revelry to the next level.
Does anyone else have gloriously disorganized bookshelves? I’m a stickler for keeping my herbal extracts and supplies organized, but my books. . . not so much. I have a quick eye to find whatever book I’m looking for, so trying to enforce order on the bookshelf chaos takes more time than it’s worth. (Don’t let…
Dried herbs are easier to obtain than fresh, but are you missing out by not having access to fresh herbs? Not at all! For several reasons, dried herbs are usually a better choice than fresh, especially when it comes to making extracts and infused oils. Here are three reasons to use dried herbs instead of…
