This looks like a fun Easter project to do with the kiddos - I love playing with natural dyes! 

Seed Bombs! Now HERE is "warfare" we can get behind. This is TOO COOL!!!  Beautify the landscape around you...

Saturday, our friend Carrie Kimrey fed us white chocolate black raspberry cheesecake, and mozzarella artichoke dip. Just because. Then after THAT, our friend Danielle brought us by beer and wine. Just because.

I heart my job. :)

Some herbs are SO hardy. I snapped this picture last Saturday, as the snow was receeding, beautiful green fresh thyme, lavender and sage appeared from underneath it, as if by magic! (Note the Doberman-paw - my velcro dog simply canNOT stay out of any picture, no matter how closeup!)

Violet would like to remind you all that it is SAMPLE SUNDAY tomorrow!
12-5 PM at Prairieland Herbs and Picket Fence Creamery

At Prairieland Herbs, Lynn Marie Parkey will be offering free mini-reiki treatments - they're WONDERFUL, you should come try one!


Melodie Proffitt, of Mind and Body Connection Massage Therapy will be offering a foot soak/reflexology combo treatment for only $20 (normally $45). These are a WONDERFUL way to get your body rejuvinated and ready for spring!

Blue Gate Farm will be here with FRESH ORGANIC Tapestry Salad Mix, spinach, eggs, and jams. Yes, you read that right - the first organic greens of the season! We are REALLY excited!!

And, our Body Scrubs are still on sale, and we still have some of our March Luxury Soaps - Relaxation!

Our fantastic neighbors at Picket Fence Creamery are offering:

Free local food samples: Girl Scout Thin Mint ice cream, Iowa wines, Neva's cheeseball, elk sticks, creamed honey, fresh almond and peanut butters, cheese curds, hulless popcorn, roasted and salted peas, buffalo summer sausage, and more!

Check out these great local foods: elk sticks, buffalo summer sausage, beef jerky, Neva's cheeseball, cheese curds, salsa and chips, popcorn, Iowa wines, smoked turkey, chèvre, and twenty flavours of ice cream!

Kids: You are welcome to see the bottle calves and pigs, and walk up to the barn to see our milk cows. Inside the store, get free pencils, fun sheets, and enjoy the food sampling!

* Other Special Offers: Fire up the grill! Any steak $8.99/lb
* All Iowa wines - 2 for $22!
* 90% lean ground beef, $2.99/lb. with 10 lb. purchase (Regular $3.99/lb.)
* Pella's VanderPloeg Bakery pie and quart ice cream -$10!

Printable map to the farms can be found here. See you Sunday!

I'm posting a link here to the wonderful DIY Mustard tutorial (per request), because it is so fabulous. :)

And, to delicious amazing homemade mayonnaise. Make this. It is SO good! I like to make it with chive -infused vinegar and 1/2 crushed garlic clove.

And, one of our fantastic customers emailed us with these wise words:

"You may want to let your readers know this tip from page 137 of the cookbook “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon:

 

With the mayonnaise recipe given, if you add 1 tablespoon of whey (easily on hand if you make homemade yogurt (as I do with Picket Fence milk-yum!)) when you add the lemon juice, “let the mayonnaise sit at room temperature, well covered, for seven (7) hours before refrigerating.  With whey added, mayonnaise will keep several months and will become firmer with time. Without whey, mayonnaise will keep for about two weeks.”  Also in this cookbook, she recommends that the whole egg and egg yolk be at room temperature."

Thanks for the tips, DeAnn! :) 

Love love love your Prairieland Herbs lip balm? This cute crafty tutorial shows how you can sew your own lip balm cozy. :)

Random acts of kindness and beauty! The world needs more of them.

Here is one fun way to make someone smile - card drops! Kind over Matter has these beautiful, free PDF files you can print on your home printer, cut out, and put in your purse or pocket.  Make a gardener's day but leaving these tucked quietly on a flower or plant.

Print a big stack of these inspirational quotes to leave ANYWHERE! In a magazine at a doctor's office, with your tip at a restaurant, in a note or letter, at a coffeeshop......

And I can't wait for dandelion season (yes, really), because - how cute are these?!?

Take a bit of time and browse the Kind over Matter site, there are many wonderful things to see and do!

Sharing a tip from customer Sandra J. today!

" I wanted to tell you a use I found for your hair conditioning oilhttp://prairielandherbs.com/hair.htm.  I found a new way to  use it.  I took the empty sage/cedar/sweetgrass blue spray bottle and rinsed it well.  I filled it with water almost to the top and then poured some of the hair oil in to float on the top.  I shake it really well and then spray it on my hair when
it gets very dry and static filled.  Then I just comb it.  I noticed it was nice to spray that way on my face as well.  I have very, very, dry fly away hair and dry skin, so it does a great job of moisturizing both.  I keep it on my desk at work and give myself a spray when I need it.  Keeps the static down.  I like this so much, that I am going to bring it with me when I travel back to the desert this June.  Hey, maybe you can market this
as a new product!  Call it "Dry Hair Spray."  Just a little oil floating on the top is all you need and it works great!"

Thanks for the tip, Sandra!  

This blog is about random things we love.

You know how, when you go to a store you've never been, or you're in a library and you don't know what to read, and so you ask the shopkeeper or librarian - "what do YOU like?". The theory being that someone that is around the goods all day, every day, knows the cream of the crop? Well, I believe that theory is sound and rely on it alot, when I'm in places where I'm feeling curious, yet overhwelmed. (Most recently, in fantastic asian food stores!)

So this post is about a few random things we love, vaugely herb-related.

BOOKS! There are a million bajillion herb books on the market. Narrowing it down to just one is literally impossible.  If I could only have ONE book about essential oils, this would be it: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, by Julia Lawless. I have an older copy.  There are plenty of other good ones. This would just be my first pick, if allowed only one. 

 

If allowed ONLY one general book about herbs, I'd have to go with Under The Sun, a fantastic collection of articles written by passionate herbalists. It's a wonderful overview of the many aspects of herbs - dyeing, crafting, potpourri, perfumery, soapmaking, gardening, harvesting, eating, drinking, medicinal...yep. great book :)

We buy nearly all our herbs from one source: Ameriherb. For bulk herbs, price and quality, they simply cannot be beat! Their website stinks, admittedly!  But, I do appreciate a business that puts their energy into good products, and these folks do.  No flashy websites or color catalogs, just bare-bones newsprint and plain catalog. We shopped around alot in the early days, purchasing from all the big-name supppliers from across the nation, and then happily chose the one in our own backyard (they are about 30 miles away, I can go pick up stuff if needed).

 

If you're delving into the world of herb tea drinking and blending your own herbs, you're dealing with loose tea, which is a bit more hassle than just throwing a teabag into a hot cup of water. I personally think a french press is the ONLY way to deal with loose tea. I have never found a tea strainer or tea ball that really was worth fussing with. And let's face it. If it's a big hassle, we're probably not going to do it. So, invest in a french press. They're not expensive, and you won't be sorry. :)

So, what are your "desert island" herb tools, suppliers, books or gadgets? Inquiring minds want to know!

FINALLY!!! Spring 2010 classes are on line!!

Learn to make this gorgeous beaded ring with local artist Sandra Thompson!


Or, how about a gorgeous gemstone pendant? Tracy Barton-Rouse of Compassionate Creations is teaching about the properties of the stones, and how to make beautiful gemstone pendants like this one.

You more of a foody type? Learn how to make homemade, yummy, ooey-gooey delicious mozzarella cheese, with the fantastic Miss Effie! (We will make and eat 100% homemade pizza at the end of class, and you'll take home a half pound of your own homemade mozzarella!)

Or, learn to make soap with KARLA! Make and take home your own TWO POUND BATCH of custom-scented soap!

Or, learn about Enchanted Gardens with Donna, or  Energy First Aid, or Heart Wisdom, with Mary Lea Holcomb! So many fantastic options. Visit our classes and events page to sign up now!

March Luxury Soap is here! We have 40 bars of amazing "Relaxation" Soap, a very zen, spa scent. It's a combo of tangerine, lavender and petitgrain essential oils...utterly fantastic. 

Our good friend Danielle snapped these pics on her drive out to PLH the other day. We have snow. We have lots and lots and lots of snow! John is going to get some pictures of the big snowdrifts around the farm to. Those are coming soon!

 

These olive oil cakes with lemon and thyme look DELICIOUS, don't you think?  I love the Pioneer Woman food blog. 

Also, I NEED to make this, so I can whip up amazing Thai-style stirfries at the drop of a hat. Mmmmm.

And last but not least, this afternoon I plan to make fresh pasta. Lots of fresh pasta. I'm thinking: black pepper pasta, pesto cannelloni with my own frozen pesto sauce and home-canned tomato sauce, and butternut and sage ravioli (sage from my garden and butternut from our local CSA).

Homemade pasta isn't hard to make - even ravioli. I was really surprised to find that out! Homemade ravioli tastes amazing and freezes beautifully. I like to make lots, and have loads of fresh pasta on hand in the freezer.

So I guess these cold, sunny winter days inspire me to cook. What are you guys cooking up, in this cold and dreary winter?

This post has nothing to do with herbs. I'll just make that clear from the beginning.

This post is about knitting, and charity knitting in particular. My mom gave me a huge bag of leftover yarn scraps. I had been making tons of fun and crazy sideways scarves using scraps, and that's certainly fun. But...these scraps inspired me to google "charity knitting", and I found this project: Knit a Square.

Here's the basic idea: Use your scraps, and knit or crochet simple 8 inch squares. Send your squares in, and volunteers will sew them together to make colorful, warm blankets to be given to the many, MANY needy AIDS orphans in Africa.

You can knit or crochet your squares, they have GREAT instructions for both. You can use absolutely any kind of yarn you have on hand. Don't know how to knit or crochet? This is the perfect way to learn! They have clear instructions on their site, including free how to knit e-classes!  I love that these are small, mindless projects. They're easy to carry around - I always have knitting on hand, you never know when you'll be stuck waiting somewhere. I also knit while listening to music, books on tape, or watching TV.

Donna and I are going to be working on some squares for this project. If you're local, and want to knit some up, feel free to give them to us when you're done and we will gladly pay the postage and ship them in. If you need yarn, let me know - we have lots of scraps and are glad to share.

We are excited to be part of the Chocolate Walk, this Saturday, February 13th, from 10-4, held in Perry and Woodward! Tickets only $5 - wander your way through 25 local businesses, checking out their wares and services, and sampling a delicious chocolate at each location! Your ticket also enters you in a drawing for a chance to win an overnight stay at the lovely Hotel Pattee in Perry! We at Priarieland Herbs will be giving out free samples of our White Chocolate Whipped shea butter, and will have 10% off our chocolate-themed bodycare items (shown above).

February Luxury Soap is here, and it is DIVINE! Terri had a great time concocting this special Sensual Soap. She scented it with a spicy, fiery, potent essential oil blend of nutmeg, ylang-ylang, and patchouli. It's floral, spicy and rich....and the essential oils in it are considered traditional aphrodesiacs. Consider yourself warned. :) We have 38 bars of this fantastic soap - when it's gone, it's gone, so enjoy it while it lasts! $6.00 each - any 3 or more soaps are $5.50 each. Ingredients: Fair Trade coconut oil, organic palm kernel oil, distilled water, sodium hydroxide, essential oils of nutmeg, patchouli and ylang-ylang.


Also. We are experiencing weather again. Donna's snowed in and Maggie's snowed out. We're not sure when we'll be able to pack orders again - hopefully Wednesday, maybe Thursday. :( We are sorry for any delays.....as usual, we assure you we will do our best to catch up, as soon as Mother Nature lets us. 

It's Sample Sunday time again!!

This Sunday, Feb. 7, from 12-5 and guess what? We have a new and wonderful farm joining us - Penoach Winery in Adel, Iowa! Just a short and beautiful 20 minute drive from Woodward, this gorgeous winery is WELL worth a visit! They will be sampling their luscious, Iowa-grown wines, and will be featuring their new bottling of Raspberry Wine, perfect for Valentine's day!

Prairieland Herbs will be ready, able and willing to help you with your Valentine's day gifts...or just provide a fun place to hang out and play for those who aren't interested in the sporting event of the day :)  We will be having free, mini-reiki sessions from Gauranga Reiki, chair massage and tarot card reading with Morning rain Massage, and MUCH more! Also, our new limited edition Valentine's Day Luxury Soap will be available (watch the next blog post for more info!)

Picket Fence Creamery has AMAZING samples, sales and deals available too, check out the Central Iowa Small Farms website for all the info, and a printable map. Can't wait to see you all on Sunday! 

I love sandalwood. I mean, I LOVE sandalwood! Years ago I stumbled across an Aveda salon, and ended up purchasing a tiny bottle of sandalwood essential oil. It was good stuff, and I am pretty sure that was the beginning of my love for essential oils and natural scents.

There are multiple species of Sandalwood trees grown in various parts of the world. The Indian Sandalwood (Mysore) is generally the most highly prize, and is certainly the nicest to my nose. However, there are serious sustainability concerns regarding the harvest of this tree.   The trees take 20-50 years to mature, are very difficult (if not impossible) to grow commercially, and are generally harvested in its entirety - root and all. The other, related varieties of sandalwood are less fragile, easier to harvest and propagate, but are noticably different in scent.

The Aura Cacia site has several lovely pages all about sandalwood, it's uses, history, and botanical info.

And, I very much like the respectful stance of Eden Botanicals, regarding Sandalwood, and agree: It's a precious resource and should be conserved, savored, and treated respectfully.

And, if you want to purchase sandalwood, please, do be very careful! Because of it's cost, this oil is very often adulterated. Go to a quality supplier that you can trust! Personally, I'd call Roe at Sun Rose Aromatics, or Marge at Nature's Gift.

Old fashioned herbal candies - part 2.

Our good friend Sally K. forwarded us this recipe - she hasn't tried it yet, but forwarded it because it uses sugar instead of liquid sweeteners - an easier and better option for some. She got this recipe from the book Herbal Sweets by Ruth Bass.

Sally Kilkenny January 28 at 5:01pm

4 cups boiling water
2 cups herb leaves with stems and blossoms (peppermint, spearmint - or any of the mints, horehound, wintergreen, lemon verbena)
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter plus more for the pan

- pour boiling water over herbs and steep for 10 minutes (longer for a stronger tea) - while steeping, butter a shallow pan
- strain tea, discarding the solids - return to a large saucepan and and sugars and butter - bring to a boil over medium heat - continue boiling until syrup hards when a small amount is dropped into cold water (hard ball stage, or 250-266 degrees F)
- pour into buttered pan and score into squares before setting completely, or break into pieces after candy hardens - wrap in waxed paper and store in an airtight container

variation: add 1 tablespoon mint leaves or 1 teaspoon crushed anise seeds to horehound herbs.

ALSO! I set up a Twitter account just for Prairieland Herbs. Follow Prairieland Herbs on Twitter!