Ruby’s House

01/23/2026

Come say hello this Sunday - I'll be at the Alix Community Center for the Health and Wellness Fair. 🌿 I'll even be doing a mini session at 230pm 😄💚
Alix and Area Community Resource Centre

01/23/2026

❄️WINTER HERBAL WORKSHOP❄️

If I was to put together a local workshop/presentation, would you be interested 👇

Specifically surrounding winter immunity supports, where we talk about things like elderberry syrup, fire cider and other great herbals like mullein, reishi, rosehips and pine etc.

And definitely get to take some goodies home!

AND/OR

What else would you like to see this year?! I'm open to suggestions. 😄

(please comment your responses below, since polls aren't a feature on pages anymore 😅)

01/22/2026

The cat knows 👀😄

Catnip contains an terpenoid called nepetalactone, which for cats, mimics feline pheromones. Thus their sudden playfulness 😅. For humans, it has the opposite effect, helping promote stress relief and strengthen the immune system.

Have you ever used catnip?

01/21/2026

🌿Learning Opportunity🌿
Want to check out some herbal courses? Maybe take one of the full diploma programs? I HIGHLY recommend Wild Rose College - and it's their winter sale!
I'm considering (as always 😅) the Master Herbalist as my next step.

What interests you?

Our Winter Sale is officially here! ✨

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝘁𝗵, 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟰𝘁𝗵, 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝟮𝟱% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲!

In addition to our extensive back catalogue of resources, this sale also covers our two brand new, advanced courses: The Neuro Files 1: A Spectrum of Diversity, and The Neuro Files 2: Neurodegenerative Disorders and Clinical Perspectives.

We’re so excited to help share even more herbal knowledge with our community, and we hope you’ll jump on this sale while there’s time! For info on our courses and programs, head to the Wild Rose College site. 🩷

🌸 www.wildrosecollege.com

01/20/2026

It really does work though. 😄

01/19/2026

🌲Let's make some conifer pop! 🍾

👉What you need:
🌲Spruce or Pine needles -
I used blue spruce (Picea pungens)-short, sharp square needles, 2-2.5" blond cones with ripped edges on the scales.
And White pine (Pinus strobus) - 5 long soft needles per bunch.

**PLEASE be extra sure of your ID because some pine are toxic. AVOID Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) ​Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
​Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) and Yew species

🌲Raw honey
🌲Swing top bottle or sealable jar
🌲Filtered water

👉How I did it:
🌲Ethically gather some pine and/or spruce needles. This means literally a handful from a side branch. You don't need much, 1 cup max will do. Don't be greedy! 😉 I clipped small spruce branchlets from the side of a larger branch.
🌲Don't wash them! All the natural yeast is helpful and we want it for this project!
🌲Add about 2tbsp of honey to your jar or bottle.
🌲Clip the needles in half or break them up a bit. This helps get all be good stuff out.
🌲Jam them into your bottle! Don't be shy.
🌲Top up with water leaving about 1" of head space. Close the lid and shake shake shake!
🌲Set the bottle in a nice sunny windowsill for 5 days. Check on it, give it a shake and see the bubbles going on - it means it's working! Don't open it. 😉
🌲Day 5, pop the lid, it should be nice and fizzy now. Strain out the needles. I recommend using cheese cloth.
🌲Pour into a glass, add ice, lemon & lime to enhance the citrus-y goodness of the needles.

Enjoy!

Pine needles are known to be crazy high in vitamin C (even more than an orange!) It's a great winter forage and a fun experience to try some naturally made pop right at home.

Let me know if you'd try it!

**This information is for educational purposes only. Always be sure of your plant ID and use ethical foraging practices.



https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTtLMK6Euhy/?igsh=d2M1Z2czdDBpdW92

01/14/2026

How does an herbalist brighten their own day in the middle of January?

Buying flowers and beeswax, of course. 😅

Thank you for the gorgeous beeswax, Greidanus Honey Bee Farm here in Stettler. 🥰 I love working with this stuff. (You should also try their honey! 🐝)

01/12/2026

A simple way to enjoy herbs in the winter, small batch blends of tea coming together.

The best part is, I get to drink some afterward. 🥰

Positivi-Tea:

🌹 Rose
🌱 Spearmint
🌺 Hibiscus
🍋 Lemon Balm

This blend provides a wonderful combination of antioxidant rich herbs known for soothing, relaxing and supporting. It tastes like stress relief. 😅 Gentle sent of rose and hibiscus with a nice soft citrus - mint flavour.

It's definitely my go-to combination when I have visitors because it just tastes too good not to share!

01/09/2026

I'm sure I've shared it a few times now - but I just LOVE reishi. Such a wonderful gift and it's very easy to use. I typically make decoctions in combination with chaga, cinnamon and ginger (excellent in this cold AB weather). I'd love to try my hand at a tincture.

Of all the medicinal mushrooms out there, perhaps none are as famous as reishi. 🌿

Otherwise known as Ganoderma lucidum, the reishi mushroom has been used for at least 2,400 years in China and Japan. In ancient China, herbalists called the reishi mushroom ‘灵芝’ or Lingzhi, which means ‘herb of spiritual potency’. It was thought to help lighten the body, lengthen life, and deliver so many other benefits that it could perhaps make you immortal.

While this mushroom isn’t really the key to eternal life, it has some incredible benefits that humans have relied on for millennia.

Depending on which part of the mushroom is used (e.g. the mycelium or fruiting body), reishi has been used to treat allergies, liver issues, certain cancers, anxiety, insomnia, and hypertension. Reishi also helps to prime and activate the immune system, warding off repeat acute infections and reducing the severity of chronic infections.

If you’re interested in trying reishi as a supplemental part of your wellness regimen, you have a few options. Reishi can be taken as a decoction, tincture, powder or concentrated extract.

The reishi mushroom remains one of our most invaluable herbal allies. If you’re feeling drawn to learn more about the amazing magic of plants and fungi, Wild Rose College is the perfect place to start. Learn more about reishi and other herbs through our plant monograph in the herbal village (link below)! 🌸

🌸 www.wildrosecollege.com

01/08/2026

Feedback request...

I'm going to keep making these gems for myself anyways, so I thought maybe I should keep them for you too!

What do you think?
Should I change something up?
What kinds of things would you like to see this year? Let me know below! 👇

(Also yes, I have not given up on the "Cooling Mist" project yet 😅 Hoping to get that sorted for spring!)

01/07/2026

I am a sucker for homemade anything - it tastes better, it's fresher AND you can customize!

Over Christmas, I was added hibiscus to the cranberries.

Yup. Hibiscus.

It gave things a nice, citrus undertone, and honestly, I think it made me love cranberries even more! I can't remember the last time I had them from a can. 👀

They are a lovely pair!

Have you tried using hibiscus, beyond tea, in your culinary creations? (Plus it looks mighty nice next to the rosemary on the spice shelf)

01/06/2026

Mark your calendar - January 25th is my first official outting of 2026 with the Alix and Area Community Resource Centre for the Health & Wellness Fair 🌿💚