The Herbal Soap Co.

Instagram is funny...bur this post needs this music.

Mine..retrieved...ahhh.

Proof that we are coming back...we are strong...and nothing defines us better than resilience!

Yesterday's fun...a big batch of our Kicky Herbal Ketchup! Jersey tomatoes are the best!

Finally! My first foraging walk of the season. I had 3 things on my list. Found 2, plus a few bonuses!

African Violets are healthy?! Yes! They are purple in color which is a health benefit in itself. Gazing at the plant can help to stimulate adrenaline release and can increase the flow of oxygen to the brain which can help you to relax. The plants are small and easy to care for, although they do prefer indirect sunlight. They make us smile when they bloom.

Our pineapple sage is blooming! Such an odd time, but we'll take it! Salvia elegans is a perennial herb in the sage family that makes a useful tea ...helpful for anxiety, depression, nerve pain, sleep and digestion. The leaves and flowers are edible as well. Tasty in salads or cooking with a mild pineapple like flavor.
One of my favorites!

"But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness. The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head. The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on."
-Robert Finch

Mint is the common name for over a dozen plant species, including peppermint and spearmint, that belong to the genus Mentha.

Pictured here is our chocolate mint...a favorite in our garden for tea and to flavor cookies, cakes and more, which is why we use it to make an extract.

Some of the benefits of mint include:
It is rich in nutrients. ...May help to improve the symptoms of IBS ..Relieves indigestion ...May help to decrease breastfeeding pain. ...Great for cold symptoms.

Get your chocolate mint extract here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1551775043/organic-herbal-extracts-bitters

We gave over a large portion of the veggie garden to some nitrogen fixing herbs this summer, including Ragweed!

Ragweed is said to have many medicinal benefits; it can be used as an astringent, antiseptic, emetic, emollient, and a febrifuge (or fever reducer). Early Native American healers valued this plant for medicinal uses and took advantage of its topical and internal applications. Herbalists use ragweed to relieve nausea, menstrual discomfort, and fever. We're going to use this first harvest in allergy tea and a skin soothing soap!

Finally!!!

Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) late-blooming this year, because my landscaper kept cutting them down, but...they're here!

A nervine herb, great for pain and inducing relaxation and sleep. We got the tea! You need it!

Today we're having tea FROM the garden...IN the garden! Organic hibiscus, elderberries, currants, and raisins with fresh mint, steeped in a french press and poured over ice. Refreshing and healthy! Let us make a special tea for you with our homegrown herbs and fruits!

Back to coastal Central California for this lovely beauty, Harvest Brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans) found on a ranch in the midst of a million little peeper frogs!
This plant is definitely going in the book! The underground corms (tubers) are edible, and their flavor is similar to a boiled potato. This herb is sustainable, sweet tasting, beautiful, and popular with pollinators.
Indigenous tribes in the California coastal region consume Brodiaea as a nutritional food source.