From the Garden: Late Spring at the Wild Rose Homestead

Spring is in full swing at the Wild Rose Homestead. Here's a few scenes from the farm:

Our Rose bushes are covered in beautiful, bright blooms! We harvest just a portion of  these for our Attunement Balancing Facial Mask and Bloom Muscle Rub. The rest are left for the bees.

Our mixed flower/herb bed of poppies, mint, borage and calendula flourished every year. We also added a young apple tree that will one day offer shade.

We started the last of our veggie seeds including this beautiful Cassiopeia popcorn offered by Siskiyou Seeds. We'll be growing this in a traditional Three Sisters bed with winter squash and beans.

The greenhouse is packed full of veggies, flowers and herbs! We used the last of our excess jar boxes from Wild Rose to start sunflowers and hollyhocks.

An early June harvest of rose petals, calendula, mulberries, strawberries, cherries and red clover! Our array of veggies, fruits and herbs grow together harmoniously, improving the soil to produce more potent herbs for Wild Rose.

The Summer Garden at Wild Rose

Summer is here in Southern Oregon and our permaculture gardens are exploding with fresh food and herbs! We grow all of our own Calendula and Yarrow in our annual veggie gardens because they are wonderful allies for our food crops. They attract beneficial insects, improve flavor and keep the soil healthy. 

This is a first year garden on our new homestead. We established this garden using the lasagna gardening method with the help of a couple loads of rich, USDA organic compost. Our compost is from Southern Oregon Compost, a local company that reclaims local waste and transform it into black gold.

Calendula is perfect paired with tomatoes. Our tomatoes aren't quite ripe, but we are sure to have an epic crop this year!

We also practice bio-intensive gardening which combines beneficial crops into the same bed to best utilize space and increase yields. Here, our early kale plants are using space not yet taken up by our young squash. Lettuce also fills unused space as the squash grows.

When establishing our garden, we left this large wild Yarrow patch intact. I was surprised to see it bloom in hues of pink - a color only found in ornamental and high elevation varieties. This beautiful bunch will provide us with Yarrow for many years to come!

Bloom Muscle Rub with Arnica & Rose

We're excited to share with your our newest addition - Bloom Gentle Muscle Rub! Potent Arnica and soothing Rose are infused in hydrating Organic Coconut Oil and Pacific Northwest Beeswax for maximum absorption. Enhanced with precious essential oils of Cardamom, German Chamomile, Rose Geranium and Helichrysum for a gently penetrating muscle rub. Bloom's aroma is complexly floral and sweet with the subtle spice of cardamom.

Bloom is designed to be well tolerated and gentle on sensitive skin. This means that the power of this balm is not necessarily felt on the skin, but deep in the muscles hours after application. A good arnica balm is essential for the herbal medicine chest, and we've worked hard to bring you the best formula possible!

Product Spotlight: Gingermint Muscle Rub

When I started making herbals salves and balms back in 2006, a Cayenne-based muscle rub was one of my first creations. While several ingredients have ultimately changed to improve consistency and effectiveness, the herbal backbone of Gingermint Muscle Rub has remained: Cayenne, Burdock and Gingko.

Cayenne is one of nature's most effective circulatory stimulants, making it a staple for an invigorating muscle rub. Any hot-sauce lover knows that the burn of Cayenne gets the blood pumping. When applied to sore muscles and joints, this means quick relief for stiffness and inflammation that you can feel.

While Cayenne has an immediately noticeable affect, Burdock works deep within the body to purify the blood and stimulate lymphatic movement. Combining these two herbs creates lasting relief.

Cayenne and Burdock are enhanced by Gingko Biloba, an antioxidant-rich leaf that improves circulation in the skin specifically. This helps increase this balm's range of effectiveness while gently decreasing inflammation. Interestingly, Gingko is the oldest living species on earth. The leaf contains unique compounds not found in any other plant. Surely we have much to gain by incorporating this ancient herb into our routines.

These herbs are steeped in highly absorbent Organic Coconut Oil for a smooth balm with a non-greasy feel. We use a bit of Pacific Northwest Beeswax for a stiffer consistency, and a dab of Organic Rosehip Seed Oil to nourish the skin. Just before pouring, this balm's signature ingredients are added: Cooling Oregon-Grown Peppermint and invigorating Ginger Root essential oils. Gingermint's aroma is spicy, cool and subtly sweet. Sure to please those looking for a strong, naturally aromatic muscle rub!

This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Know Your Ingredients: Rosemary Extract

An herbal extract is only as good as the ingredients used - which is why we make our herbal extracts from scratch! We start with a locally-distilled Organic Cane Alcohol and use only organic herbs, often grown in our own permaculture gardens.

Our Rosemary Extract is made in this way - using the finest organic herbs and alcohol for an incredibly potent and powerful herbal extract. Rosemary Extract is a key ingredient for our popular Wild Man Beard Wash for its hair-strengthening and conditioning abilities.

Workshop Tour: Wild Rose's New Home

Over the past four months, we've transformed a small outbuilding into a fully-stocked herbal laboratory for crafting, bottling, labeling and shipping all of Wild Rose's products.

The shop has two sections: one for production and one for labeling and shipping. Nestled between one of our mixed herb gardens and our food forest, some of the botanicals used in Wild Rose products grow just a few yards from the building.

We're incredibly fortunate to have found a space for Wild Rose that is so beautifully incorporated into our permaculture gardens. This allows us to not only limit waste and excessive resource consumption, but also helps us craft incredibly fresh and potent herbal extracts for our formulas. We're excited to spend many years in our new space!