Honeyvine Homestead and Botanicals

01/03/2026

Poor guy. Sounds like he comes with a ton of support to help his new owner manage his behavioral issues. Let’s share and help Sammy find a home. 🏠 ♥️

Day 1 of posting Sammy every day until he finds a home 🧡

DETAILS -
3 years old
Pitbull/cattle dog mix
60 lbs
Neutered male
Microchipped
Vaccinated
House trained
Crate trained
Fee - WAIVED

Sammy was originally found as a stray and then was returned to our rescue last year. He is our longest term boarding dog and not one person has offered to foster or adopt him that was a good fit.

Sammy is best placed as the only pet with older kids. He is not the dog for elderly people either. Sammy is young, active and needs a firm pack leader. He loves his person and is a very sweet dog but struggles with impulse control when frustrated particularly on walks. He is 100% manageable and correctable with his training collar. Sammy has completed a boot camp through Tip Top K9 and comes with a free intro session, training collar and free group classes for life! This is a $2000 value!

Sammy desperately needs a foster home, or an adoptive home.

You can meet him any Sunday 12-4 or can apply at SPACAR.org/dogs to schedule a meet during the week.

You can email volunteer@spacar.org to spend time with Sammy and get to know him.

01/03/2026

01/03/2026

Who has started seeds like this?

Save space, potting mix, and time by starting seeds this way! This method is often called a "Snail Roll for seed starting“ and you'd understand why by reading in the first comment

01/02/2026

Do you winter sow? What’s your favorite thing to grow with this method? To this point we’ve only done natives but I may branch out and do some veggies this year.♥️

01/02/2026

One day later and we have fermentation! Love it when a plan comes together.

Wild sodas, soon on tap!

01/01/2026

This!

01/01/2026

Good morning and happy 2026! We got this. 😊

I want to recommend one of my favorite herbal tools to you. Maybe you have some extra $$ gifted to you over the holidays, or maybe you are turning over a new herbal leaf 🌿 in 2026 and want to gift yourself a great tool.

The Infuzium 420 is maybe the best investment I’ve made for medicine-making. Its original intent has to do with cannabis preparations, but it makes excellent herbal infused oils—the deepest, richest oils I have been able to accomplish. It also has a tincture setting (and others).

Instead of either waiting 4-6 weeks for a cold extraction, or having to watch the oil on a double boiler for several hours, I can set it and forget it.

My favorite setting for rich oils is 12 hours at 100°. Every minute or so the mixture is agitated. The heat and agitation together is thr magic sauce! My oils are typically so darkly colored they are opaque. They come out smelling beautifully of the herb. The left over marc (herb) is basically sludge.

When I bought my machine it was around $139, but now I see it is over $300 (and totally redesigned). I’m linking the Infuzium, but also a less expensive option that looks more similar to what I got originally. There are lots of options out there now; just be sure to read reviews. I originally bought the Infuzium because it had a more true and consistent temperature.

Do you have a favorite gadget in life that isn’t a have-to but sure is nice to have? Doesn’t have to be an herbal thing. I’d love to hear!

Infuzium: https://a.co/d/9kRcQkD

Less expensive option: https://a.co/d/1JNNtD1

STX Infuzium Herbal Botanical Extractor & Infuser - The Next Generation in Herbal Infusers From Almond Milk to tantalizing brownies, capturing the essence of your favorite herbs is a homemade reality with the STX Infuzium Herbal Extractor/Infuser. Eco-Friendly and Economically designed with an MC...

12/31/2025

Here are some affirmations, rather than resolutions for 2026. Maybe some of us need these more right now.

Credit to Keith Silva

12/31/2025

I feel very late to the game when it comes to making wild fermented sodas, but I finally started some today! You may have heard of a Ginger Bug, or “wild sodas.” It sounds intimidating but the process is super simple.

The basic process is to add fruits and/or herbs to water and some form of sweetener (honey, sugar, etc.) and wait for fermentation to begin naturally. Let it ferment for a few days before straining the herbs. Allow the strained liquid to continue fermenting a few more days (until it reaches the fuss level you prefer), then enjoy! If I would have started last week we would have a fun and unique drink for New Year’s Eve!

Can you see the mistake I made? Yup. Got ahead of myself. I should have started all of them in mason-type jars. It’s going to be lots of fun straining out all the pine needles from those swing top bottles!🥴

Oh well. This is how we learn. I’ll never make that mistake again. Maybe my motto for 2026 will be “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.” There’s almost always something positive one can find in every situation.

Here is a great explanation of how to make wild sodas, along with several recipes. https://www.milkandhoneyherbs.com/blog/2023/5/15/making-wild-herbal-sodas

Thanks to my friend Ashley Clouse at Restoration Farms for the inspiration♥️

Happy New Year to all!

12/30/2025

This is exactly what I do. In fact, I have six gallon bags of tomatoes defrosting in my sink right now. Sauce day tomorrow!

December isn’t harvest season. It’s holding season.

These tomatoes were cored and lightly slit, then frozen whole. No blanching. No peeling. Just enough prep to make the next step easier, then put away when summer was generous and time was not. Most food waste doesn’t come from lack of knowledge. It comes from lack of margin.

Freezing them like this buys time.

When they thaw, the skins slip right off and excess water separates on its own. What’s left is dense, tomato-forward flesh ready for sauce, soup, chili base, or later canning.

This works for paste tomatoes, slicers, and cherries. It also works for end-of-season tomatoes you grabbed cheap because you didn’t want to waste the opportunity. Flavor holds. Acidity doesn’t change. You’re not compromising quality. You’re choosing when the work happens.

They can stay frozen for months. Long enough to get through winter. Long enough to wait until there’s space on the stove and in your head.

Freezing isn’t the final step. It’s a pause button.

Sometimes the most practical preservation choice is the one that lets you come back to it when you actually have the capacity.

That’s not cutting corners.
That’s working with the season you’re in.

12/28/2025

Absolutely phenomenal article written by herbalist Steven Horne on the benefits of Berberine.

A yellow alkaloid found in traditional infection-fighting herbs, it can help with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, inflammation, heart health, cancer, weight loss, and more.