Bohème Botanika Herbals

10/27/2025

This was the only bouquet from the garden that I managed to pick this season, and it was for my dad. Jeffrey Jon Kennedy passed away on October 9th, the day before my birthday.

I was away from work, my life and markets for 2 months while I drove back and forth to MA in the days before his death, trying to see him as much as I could and to be of some support during a traumatic 6 week hospital stay and numerous serious complications. He eventually passed with his family by his side.

And I’m back here in Vermont trying to pick up the pieces. I wish I could just grieve, that I could just be a mourning daughter because that feels like a big enough job but my relationship with my dad was incredibly complicated. I was estranged from him and his fiancé off and on for most of my adult life. My father was an alcoholic who chose his vice over his children. He was missing from most of the important milestones in my life, didbt really know whst i did for work and had never even seen my home here in VT where we have lived for 7 years.

I don’t know if my father truly loved me. So the layers of trauma, hurt, anger and confusion makes the deep sadness that I feel over losing a man I didn’t really know that much more difficult.

Over the last 6 weeks we kept being given hope that he would pull through, that we might get a second chance at having a dad and he seemed to want that opportunity. For weeks I’ve mused on the idea of having a relationship with my father. And I really wanted that. I’ve always loved my dad but I wanted him to have the chance to know and love me.

It’s why I kept showing up. It’s why I chose to be a more involved caretaker for him in his last days than he ever was for me. It’s why I comforted him through the delirium of alcohol withdrawal, it’s why I asked to stay past visiting hours to read to him, it’s why I advocated and navigated through a horrifically unethical and broken medical system to get him the right help, it’s why I slept in his hospital room the night before he passed and why I held his hand and sang to him with my sister as he took his last breaths.

In the end we didn’t get a second chance. I didn’t get the closure I needed. I got a heap of medical trauma, nightmares, the guilt of feeling like I made poor decisions as a health care proxy, a mess of paperwork to sift through as I navigate being an “heir” though I never got to be a daughter and a lot more pain.

But I’m glad I showed up. I realized that the aching pain in my heart whenever I thought of my dad was always love that didn’t have anywhere to go. And these past months I got to pour into him all that love I’ve never been able to share. It was love that had hardened stubbornly into trauma in my heart and was buried deep in my belly and bones but as I spent time with him and witnessed his fear, shame, humanness and even moments of tenderness it softened and rose to the surface and bubbled out.

It was love that was rightfully his and I didn’t want to carry it around anymore wondering where to put it as he left this earth. So I gave it all to him. And I’d like to say that it was a selfless act of unconditional love. But there is a part of me that hopes that perhaps he will carry a bit of that love into the next life and find me and try being my father again. So until we get our second chance, RIP dad. 🩵

08/23/2025

Have you tried my Queen of the Meadow Blemish Wand yet? This blemish and spot treatment is both tenacious and calming for minimizing acne spots and blotchiness. Instead of harsh chemicals that strip your skins delicate microbiome, this remedy is infused with whole botanicals like Sweet Birch and Meadow Sweet that contain a natural form of salicylic acid to heal and protect complexion while still working wonders on stubborn spots. The metal roller ball is nice and cooling on inflamed skin too. It’s definitely one of my personal favorites remedies in the Bohéme apothecary. Find it at a local Vermont market or online www.bohemebotanika.com Or stay tuned to shop in in person soon at the store!

08/09/2025

Drinking Vinegars are back!

Summer flavors include:
Strawberry Rose
Blueberry Tulsi
Rhubarb Lemon Balm
NEW Cherry Hibiscus

Coming soon:
Seaberry Rosemary
Peach Thyme
Blackberry Sage
Raspberry Bee Balm

Made with local fruit, honey and herbs!

Pick some up and add a splash to seltzers or water and to your enhance your summer cocktails and mocktails!

Get them today and tomorrow

07/27/2025

Wandering through my wild garden in the height of summer with a glass of wine in hand is one of my most blissful pastimes.

It’s always when it gets to this unruly, untamable, dripping with weeds and petals and food and medicine and seed pods part that I feel the most satisfied.

The vines and brambles reach out and embrace me and tuck me into their cool shade. And when I’m knelt in here weeding (or dreaming or crying or praying) no one can see me from the house just steps away.

If I ever go missing, just know that I’ve been absorbed by a July garden.

07/24/2025

Which Shimmer Body Potion have you discovered? I feel like I’ve sold a bottle of this to everyone in Vermont this summer! So what’s your fave?!

This decadent body oil is infused with whole botanicals and is the perfect amount of healing, non greasy moisture for summertime skin. And a pinch of all natural mica mineral powder gives skin just a hint of subtle but sexy, sun kissed shimmer. ✨

Use it after beach, after bath or shower or as a massage oil or anytime you want a glow up!

Choose from:

🌼Goldenrod Seabuckthorn
🌸Bee Balm Bulgarian Rose
🪻Mugwort Lavender

Find it online or in person this weekend this Saturday and this Sunday! 🌈

07/22/2025

Reason number 5,345 why I love Vermont. We spent a lovely Monday evening picking the juiciest sweetest blueberries
Every Monday during blueberry season this peaceful berry farm that’s tucked away past a covered bridge at the foothills of the mountain offers PYO berries and have a pop up cocktail truck and taco truck on site. We made a night out of it and sipped blueberry margaritas and ate tacos in the field and stocked up on plenty of plump berries for eating, freezing and for turning into my famous Blueberry Basil Drinking Vinegar which will be at farmers markets soon!

07/13/2025

We are ready for you Stowe! Come shop all the amazing vendors today from 10-2!

I’m filling in for another vendor today and my booth is looking especially rainbow hued with all the fresh herbal remedies I just batched up! 🌿🌈☀️

07/12/2025

Good morning I’ll be here until 1pm with topical remedies, bath and body care, hair care and lots more botanical goodness!

Some fresh restocks today include:

🌛Dream Balm
🌹Persian Rose Serum
🛁Peppermint Rose Tub Tea
🌾Queen of the Meadow Blemish Wands
😶‍🌫️Smoke or Sip Herb Blends
🌼Dandelion Boo-boo and Bum Balm
🪻Tulsi Glycerite

And I have a handful of herb drops (tincture simples) with me today too:

🌿Elderflower
🌿Red clover
🌿Turmeric (w/ black pepper)
🌿Peppermint
🌿Raspberry leaf
🌿Oregano
🌿Spruce tips
🌿Lavender
🌿Goldenrod
🌿Milky Oats
🌿Reishi Mushroom (double extract)

The online shop is stocked too and next batch of orders will be shipping early next week!

05/19/2025

I know I said I was leaving social media but apparently small businesses don't stand a chance if we don't have a presence here so I'm taking a break from the gardens and apothecary to share some important updates.

I have very little time this time of year to use flowery language to promote myself since I'm busy with actual flowers but I hope you will still continue to support me despite my bluntness and my long winded post to convey a lot of info in a short amount of time.

1. We completed work on our new apothecary here on our land that we have recently dubbed Briar Stone Farm! Even if I had the time for more words, they just could not express how magical and beautiful this new space is. There are still some finishing touches to be completed before I do a video tour and share more pics but I am busy in the new space making potions, drying botanicals in the new drying room and setting up an apothecary farm store that will be opening later this year! Stay tuned!

2. And of course there are the gardens! I completed the University of Vermont Master Gardener program this winter to give me more tools and experience with plants other than herbs so we have now added tons of fruit trees, berry bushes, asparagus, a strawberry patch and plenty of perennial flowers to alongside the herbal medicine gardens here at the farm.

3. We have also undertaken an extensive invasive plant management project and are experimenting with eliminating knotweed, honeysuckle, buckthorn and more using non toxic approaches and introducing native shrubs and trees back into the landscape to help to heal the land. It has kept us VERY busy to say the least!

4. I'm looking forward to another season of the Wild Folk Herbal Apprenticeship and excited to share the new apothecary space with students this year! There are 3 spots left and enrollment closes soon so apply now!

5. I also have lots of fun and informative herb and ritual classes posted on my events calendar this season so I hope to see you at the farm soon!

6. I am still offering wellness consultations and private plant walks too! My calendar for one on one work is filling quickly so reach out if you'd like to chat about your own personal health journey or learn more about the plants on your own land.

7. And last but not least, you can find me at 5 Vermont Farmers Markets this season with all of my remedies and botanical wares. And for those that aren't local, the online shop is fully restocked and ready to peruse and will be updated throughout the summer. Remember that I work seasonally and in small batches so don't wait to stock up as some items won't come back until next season (e.g. Sweet Fern Bug Mist).

You can find all of the details, dates and more plant magic on my website anytime and the best way to stay up to date on upcoming events and product drops is by adding your name to my email list since I'm very infrequently here on FB now!

I hope you are all well and have a wonderful spring and summer season!

Herbal apothecary and shop, ritual tools, botanical inspiration, herbalism classes and events.

01/31/2025

I’m leaving!

Hello everyone! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here.

I’ve decided I will not be using social media moving forward, for either personal reasons or for Bohéme Botanika. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) has changed deeply since I first began using it as a small business owner. I no longer find it to be a worthwhile use of my time and I am also appalled at many of the triggering ads and fake accounts with intentionally rage inducing content that flood my feed when I sign in now; purposely drowning out friends, family, students, customers, peers and the truth.

I no longer align with the ethics (or lack thereof) of this brand conglomerate and monopoly on how we “communicate”. It is no longer a place to connect organically with real humans. The important things I want to share with you get lost in a sea of chaos here and I simply do not want to throw my voice into that dismal fray any longer. And I fear that in this new world, the things I have to say about plant medicine, empowerment, sovereignty and our rights may not fall on the best ears anyway.

In addition, I sign in here for mere minutes and immediately sign off feeling overwhelmed, angry, unheard and frustrated. Yes, the world is all of those emotions right now but we have a right to choose WHEN we want to consume these things and HOW we want our information delivered. I am cultivating better “information” boundaries this year. As always, I want to create, sell and work with intention. I want to find my voice in this work again. I know that I still have more to say. And this is no longer a place that feels aligned with these intentions.

I am also deeply uncomfortable with how our information is being stored and used by Meta. It feels unethical at best and dangerous at worst.

As a small business owner I’ve relied on social media over the years to get the word out about the work that I do and the offerings I have available and though I’ve wanted to sign off here for awhile now, I’ve been hesitant about what that will mean for Bohéme Botanika. How will I stay connected? How will I grow? But this little herbalism practice has survived worse and I feel confident that I can continue to thrive and grow by marketing elsewhere in a way that feels more aligned, true and empowering. I hope that those that want to or need to find me will be able to. And I feel deep in my bones that we will be asked to make many more uncomfortable choices about where we stand over the next years so this one feels minor in comparison.

I will not be fully deleting this account at this time since there is so much information that I need to archive and save. And Instagram will take a bit longer to fully un entangle myself from but I will no longer be signing in, posting, commenting or communicating here and will eventually delete accounts. For the time being this post will remain pinned so that you all can find me if you choose to follow me elsewhere. If you’d still like to comment or like to boost this last post that will inevitably be buried and hidden from my followers you are welcome to.

The best way to stay in touch is to add your name to my email list. Head to my website and a pop up box will allow you to add your email (or you can scroll to the bottom of any page to enter it). I send minimal emails regarding upcoming classes or markets and new products and offerings but I hope to be able to share more recipes and inspiration there by way of more regular seasonal newsletters too.

You can look forward to more meaningful work from Bohéme Botanika in the very near future (Love Day offerings, a Deep Winter shop restock, Wheel of the Year Workshops and my brand new apothecary and farm boutique is nearly complete)-just not here!

I hope you are all safe and well despite the truly concerning events taking place in our world. I hope you are not resigning yourself to fear and hopelessness. I hope that ways we can collectively or individually be of service and ideas for the resistance will begin to appear like Dandelion shoots through the cracks in the pavement. I trust that they will.

Until then, I’m going to continue taking care of my family and my clients with the plants that have always been there for us. I will continue to “chop wood, carry water and stay in prayer”. And I’m doubling down on my herbal studies and self care. We need to be well informed, strong, well rested and clear headed for the next leg of the journey.

This action feels like a very small but liberating and empowering step towards reclaiming some sovereignty over my inner peace and I wish you all that peace as well.

I hope to stay connected with you all in a more genuine way!

Www.bohemebotanika.com

12/26/2024

Winter Wisdom:

Part of my wintertime self care routine is body oiling. My skin care regimen changes in the winter since my skin is much dryer from the wood stove constantly burning and the cold air. I take more herbal baths and use more oils. I switch my usual lightweight skin cream to a richer oil for complexion (my Persian Rose Serum) and I practice daily head to toe body oiling after my bath or shower.

Research has shown that body oiling can help detox skin, improve circulation, ease pain, relax the nervous system and moisturize skin. Body oiling can include elements of gentle self massage, lymphatic draining massage or abhyanga (Ayurvedic warm oil massage) to bring the most healing and therapeutic benefit to the body.

When choosing a body or massage oil look for one with non toxic ingredients and an organic, high quality carrier oil as the base infused with botanicals and herbs for their varying benefits: Lavender for calming and soothing inflamed skin, Ginger for improving circulation, St. John’s Wort to ease topical pain. And make sure any fragrance is pure essential oil and not synthetic fragrance oil.

Try my Petal Potion Body Oil for a lightly floral scent and a soothing, calming effect for skin or my Shimmer Serums for a touch of sparkle this winter: choose from Goldenrod and Sea Buckthorn, Bee Balm and Bulgarian Rose or Mugwort and Lavender (pictured here).
Www.bohemebotanika.com

12/22/2024

Happy Solstice! We celebrated with friends eating good food and gingerbread and sharing our new year wishes around a fire and burning the Yule log.

My business year is winding to a close and all orders have been fulfilled and markets finished. While the online apothecary will remain open for product purchases, orders will not commence shipping until January 7th. There are still digital gift cards to send, Herbal Compendiums to download and class tickets to purchase for your loved ones that make great last minute gift options!

I usually slow down both physically and figuratively from now until Imbolc (February 1st) so you won’t see me as much here (though I will still pop on from time to time) and any correspondence will be slower to reach me.

I am still booking new year Wellness Consultations and enrolling for both the Kitchen Witch class (last chance to sign up January 2nd!) and the 2025 Wild Folk Apprenticeship!

https://www.bohemebotanika.com/events/ygpn741aa7g9p1u0a7bvnz34tmyiju-7352k-dcl57-zc7xj-f7llt-wmngg-3ay85-faxbe-kx5zk

Thank you all for a busy and festive holiday season and the continued love and support!

I thought I’d sign off for now with another Winter Wisdom tip:

Turn off overhead lights and limit screen time. This is a year round tip and I’ve never been a fan of harsh lighting but in winter it can be especially helpful to allow your body to adjust to less light. When the sun sets, turn on some warm accent lights around the house or better yet, firelight or candlelight. This means getting your more light dependent household and work projects out of the way during daylight hours so you can focus on cozy lower light activities like dining, reading or playing games. To take advantage of the shorter days, rise with the sun if it feels right!