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Herbtastic, Hagerstown, MD (2026)

02/07/2026

The earth is still covered with snow but these Japanese Barberine berries are popping out like bright red beads.
I do not eat these berries since the taste of them is just very terrible but the root of this plant is amazing. If you dig it out or even take some branches closer to the root you could see bright yellow color. That is the part that is very beneficial. Make it into a tincture and keep it as natures antiseptic and antimicrobial remedy for cuts and scrapes. It is so useful tincture to keep into your home apothecary

02/03/2026

Another Winter Learn to Make Class for kids was today. They all made Elderberry syrup. And they all worked hard and of course their syrup was delicious.
I loved all the curious questions and stories.
It was fun and busy time.
Thank you parents for bringing them and doing all the work with your kids.

Our next class for kids is Winter Learn to Make Classes for kids - Melt and Pour soap. We have dtill couple of spots available if you are interested.

02/01/2026

If you know me you know I am a big fan of blue butterfly pea. It is a beaitiful bright flower that is not just a great natural dye but also full of antioxidants that are also great for skin health. Blue butterfly pea can improve collagen in skin and elasticity. It also has anti-inflammatory benefits for the skin.

I enjoy making it as moon milk.
This time my moon milk didn't turn out beautiful blue since I infused some spices, but you could have nice blue milk at the end.

How do I make it? Warm up 1 to 1.5 c milk and add blue butterfly pea powder about 1 tsp or if you have flowers then about 1 Tbsp (whole flowers need to be infused for about 15 minutes; if there is powder no need for infusion). Add about 1 Tbsp honey, pinch of nurmeg and about 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. You can frother this infused milk and pour into your cup. It is ready to drink.

Where to get blue butterfly pea? Well powder can be found on Amazon for sure but flowers you can grow from seeds. They need a lot of warmth but they will still grow very well when established. I get my seeds from Baker Creek Seeds. And I have had a great success (except when rabbits came and ate the plants).

I hope you will try this beautiful plant and will become the plant that you will love as much as I do.

01/30/2026

How about the herbs for a dry skin?

There are so many! But here I will give you some.

CALENDULA is my favorite. I infuse it in the oil and use it like that or make calendula infused oil into a salve. Those rich orange flowers are full of caretanoids and other beneficial properties. If you have been to my workshops you have seen that deep orange or yellow in my oils. That shows how rich is that oil with the great benefits of calendula. It is nourishing to skin and in the same time it has lymphatic properties. Those are moving the lymph that keeps the skin healthy. And calendula has also cell repairing properties that will help to grow healthy skin cells back where skin has been scratched or cracked.

CHICKWEED is another plant that is amazing for dry skin. I prefer it a little bit wilted infused in oil with hot method so the oil is not getting moldy. But chickweed is lymphatic herb with moistening effect. And it also reduces inflammation.

VIOLET LEAF is another lymphatic herb with moistening effect. Also that is so great to have infused in oil and made into salve or lotion.

LICORICE ROOT is very moisteing and known as emolient. It can be added to a lotion or salve.

MARSHMALLOW ROOT is so moist. I love to use it after I have made my cold marshmallow infusions for homemade marshmallows. When I strain the root that gooy mess is so pleasant and moistening for skin. I love to put it on my dry skin patches and keep for a while to get moisture in the skin.

Another moisturizing product from nature is HONEY. I use honey as a mask or facial cleaner. It is full of beneficial properties and well known for keeping moisture in the skin.

Have you tried any of these plants for your dry skin? What is your favorite for your skin?

01/26/2026

How many of you are sore after the shoveling? While my family men took care of our car and sidewalk at our home, today we were out and all did some other shoveling. I enjoy it. I love some movement in sunny winter days. But I also know that after shoveling for about 3 hours my shoulders will be sore tomorrow.
What is my favorite solution (plant) for it? (You know I have a plant for everything 😃)
GINGER!
Ginger is warming and relaxing. And I always have it at home. The best is to use the fresh plant but powdered will work fine too.
Grate the ginger and warm it up. I just pour little hot water over it in the bowl. Scoop the grated ginger and put it on the cloth. I used washcloth. Wrap it and put on your shoulders to warm the place. I held it in the place while rested but you can even put a warm bottle.
Now, if you have a powder then add some warm water and make a paste. And use it in the same way as a fresh ginger.

I hope this helps. Just remember ginger is very warming. Be careful and watch how your skin reacts to it. Or if you are already very warm it could make your body more warm so I would avoid it at that case.

01/25/2026

How are you doing on this cold snowy day?
We got outside to have some movement there. My boys shoveled and my daughter and I went for a small walk in snow. I know I know...I am from north so yes I need to be outside in a snowy day. It is so refreshing though.

And as devoted gardener I had to get those seeds finally ordered. Perfect day for that job, right? It is always nice to dream about the spring in the days like these.

How did you spend this day?

01/24/2026

My dear followers I have to postpone Herbal Tea for Winter Wellness workshop to February 21st.
Do not forget to sign up for that wonderful learning time together.

Thank you for understanding.

01/24/2026

This dry weather has been so rough on the skin. I do not know how about you but my skin is so dry that dry flakes are coming off. I even cannot imagine what it is like to those who have eczema or psorisis.

Definetly some good body butter or salve can come to the rescue.
The best of course are animal fats for the body butter. They will be the best moisturizers. Those are tallow, lard, and lanolin. Castor oil, not the animal fat, will be the best though. It is the richest and stands out the most. While I have never made a salve or body butter with only castor oil it is really good to add to some oil based products.
But there is another problem, not everyone likes animal fat smell. If you are not fan of that then reach for shea butter that is another very moisturizing product. I always add some olive oil or avocado oil to shea. It is butter so it needs some softer oil. Avocado and olive oil are medium moisturizers.
Another product to add is honey. It also have great moisturizing properties. My favorite is dandelion, lavender, and honey salve. It smells like milk and honey. When I get out of the shower I rub it on my skin while skin is still moist. It makes honey less sticky. And then beeswax. Beswax will seal the moisture in the skin. You do not need a lot of it just enough to add some texture.
While this is all you need, of course herbs or essential oils are great additions.
Next time I will let you know about my favorite herbs and why I like them but meanwhile let us know what is your favorite for your skin.

01/22/2026

Do you know there are several ways to make s tea?
And all if them have different purpose. To get the benefits from the tea you have to make it in the right way or it will not have what you need.
Is it long or short infusion?
Is it cold or hot infusion?
Should I make a decoction?
What is actually a decoction?

We will learn all these ways in our Herbal Tea for Winter Wellness.

I will take you through the process of different tea making and explain why and what herbs should be used for each of the process. We will talk about the teas that are perfect for winter wellness and why. What teas are the the best for different fevers, what are good immunity boosting teas, which ones are great for recovery, different coughs, dry and inflammed throat. And how to make them so you have all the benefits.

Be ready to taste different teas, ask many questions and enjoy the time together.
Do not forget to sign up.

01/20/2026

Yesterday we started our Winter Learn To Make classes for kids.
First class was about marshmallow making.
I love those little kid curious questions and excitement when they got to eat marshmallows dipped in chocolate.

They did their work great and left bellies full of marshmallows (plus some to take home).

Check our other Winter learn to make classes for kids under events.

01/17/2026

It's time to reach for some garlic. I know it may not be everyones favorite but it is very strong antimicrobial and ativiral.

How to use it? Add it to meals but even better ferment it into honey or pickle it.

And did you know that those garlic peels you can blend with salt to make garlic salt.

01/14/2026

Thank you for joining us yesterday for Marshmallow class.
It got a little bit busy but I enjoyed seeing all those smiles again in this new year.

Do not forget to check the upcoming workshops. We have Winter Make it classes for kids and Herbal Tea for Winter Wellness coming next. I hope to see you there.

Herbtastic

02/07/2026

02/03/2026

02/01/2026

01/30/2026

01/26/2026

01/25/2026

01/24/2026

01/24/2026

01/22/2026

01/20/2026

01/17/2026

01/14/2026

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