The Rooted Wagon Family Apothecary

Found this old botany book when I was around 9 or 10 years old, and somehow I still have it all these years later.

I was always the kid messing with plants, putting stuff in my mouth I probably shouldn’t have, coming home with sap all over my hands, getting yelled at for it, and I even got grounded from going outside more than once.

And now here I am all these years later with an entire apothecary full of herbs and my own herbal shop.

Looking back, I guess the signs were there the whole time.

How did it start for you? What were you obsessed with as a kid that somehow followed you into adulthood?

Hey y’all, I finally added Triphala powder to the shop too.

Same traditional blend of Amla, Haritaki, and Bibhitaki, just in powder form instead of capsules.

https://therootedwagon.etsy.com

The Rooted Wagon turns 1 on October 6!!!

I honestly can’t believe it has already been a whole year. What started small has grown into local sales, repeat customers, shelves full of herbs, tinctures, teas, and a whole working apothecary that gets used every single day.
To celebrate, the shop will be 30% off starting October 1st.

Thank you to everyone who has ordered, bought from me locally, shared my posts, left reviews, or just followed along while I built this little business into what it is now.

This photo is a little glimpse of the working apothecary behind The Rooted Wagon. It isn’t staged and perfect because I’m actually in here making things, restocking, bottling, blending, drying herbs, and working on orders.

One whole year of The Rooted Wagon. I’m excited to see where year two takes it.

Yall, I went ahead and dug up my ginger today. I know I could have left it growing longer, but I have several other plants that need to come inside for cold weather and I just don’t have the room to keep everything going indoors right now.

I’m still pretty happy with what I got out of it.
The funny part is the turmeric. I planted turmeric back at the beginning of April and honestly thought it never made it. I was digging the ginger up and there it was. I was like, well s**t, there you are.

So I replanted the turmeric and brought it inside so it can keep growing.

We are actively looking for a farm and I really don’t plan on living here next growing season. That’s also why I haven’t even put up the greenhouse I already own. I don’t want to set everything up here just to turn around and move it.

A huge reason we want more land is so I actually have room to grow the food, herbs, fruit and everything else I keep trying to grow now. Hopefully next year I’m doing all of this with a whole lot more room.

This year has mostly been me figuring out what I can grow, what does well for me, and what I want to do on a much bigger scale once we have the land for it.

Y’all, this is what I made this morning — Juniper Hearth Simmer Pots.

I wanted something that smelled like the woods, but still warm and cozy, so I used juniper, apple, lemon, rosemary, lemon balm, cinnamon and clove.

It came out fresh, woodsy, a little spicy, and not too sweet. Each bag makes about 3 simmer pots.

https://therootedwagon.etsy.com

UPDATE: Steady Through the Storm Tea — the first small batch is officially SOLD OUT! I’ll be making another small batch soon. Thank you to everyone who purchased and helped spread the word.

Been busy making new things for The Rooted Wagon today.

Steady Through the Storm Herbal Tea is finally up. Made with organic brahmi, lemon balm, rosemary, chamomile, ginger and peppermint.

I also added my Pocket Ancestor Protection Jars. These have my Black Ritual Salt, thyme, cinnamon, clove and a shark tooth. I purposely leave them unsealed because you're supposed to add your ancestor's name or a little piece of something connected to them, then seal it yourself. That part isn't mine to do. It's yours.

Both are officially in the shop.

https://therootedwagon.etsy.com

Woke up feeling like crap this morning, so I made myself some ginger milk tea the way I learned to make it while working in Indian restaurants.

Fresh ginger, whole cloves and tea go into the pot with just a little water, then I add mostly milk and let everything warm together.
I'm using raw goat milk because that's what I drink, but you can use whatever kind of milk you like. This is one of my go-to drinks anytime I don't feel good.

Once mine cools down enough to drink, I'll add honey.

Simple, warm, spicy and exactly what I wanted this morning.

Sometimes your apothecary is already sitting in your kitchen.

The Rooted Wagon

I made these little Pocket Ancestor Memory Jars for remembering and staying connected to the ones who came before us.

Each one is filled with periwinkle, rosemary, rose, lavender and frankincense resin, all chosen with remembrance and ancestral connection in mind.

I leave them unsealed so you can add your ancestor’s name, a tiny piece of a picture, hair, or something personal from your family, then seal it yourself and make it yours.

Keep it on your altar, carry it with you, or take it when visiting family land or cemeteries.
A whole lot of meaning in one tiny little jar.

https://therootedwagon.etsy.com

Six months ago, I planted ginger just to see what would happen. Tonight curiosity got me, so I harvested one to see what was growing underneath.

Look at her!

Fresh homegrown ginger, and the shoot still has roots, so it's going right back into the dirt to keep growing.

I love being able to grow, harvest, and learn from the same plants I work with in my apothecary.

— The Rooted Wagon

The watermelon seedlings keep coming up, and the ginger is finally waking up.

Every morning I go out to check on them, and every morning there seems to be something new. Today I counted 14 watermelon seedlings and several new ginger shoots.

It's a small thing, but watching life push up through the soil never gets old.