November/December '23 Essential Herbal Magazine

The latest issue is out and it really is full of fun, delicious, and fascinating content!  So far we've taken advantage of a scone recipe, I've gathered the acorns and milkweed pods for an angel (or fairy) and we're probably going to be making some salt soap soon.  I'll be sure Molly notices the dough clay recipes to make some decorations for her new home, too.  Eventually we'll get around to everything.  There's lot to learn about Pine and Fireweed inside.  During a soapmaking class this summer, we discovered that at least half of the attendees did not know the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils.  That is a big deal, so we enlisted an expert to help with that.  All in all, this is an issue that has a lot of teaching and learning inside.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crossword Winter Herbs and Remedies
Word Search about this issue
Jigsaw Puzzle (all puzzles are interactive)

Field Notes from the Editor, Tina Sams
Between the seasons is a wonderous place to be.

Fireweed, Jackie Johnson
Have you met this delightful plant?  Jackie is smitten!

Pine, Jen Sutherland Cline
There’s so much to know about this lovely conifer!

Essential Oils vs. Fragrance Oils Demystified, Liz Fulcher
We’ve realized a lot of people do not know the difference, and expert Liz offered to help explain!.

Cooking with the Herb Winter Savory, Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh
2 delicious dishes to showcase the talents of winter savory.
 
Winter Savory, Tina Sams
Turns out winter savory is helpful medicinally as well as culinarily.

California Green Chile Strata, Marci Tsohonis
Guaranteed, we’ll be eating this beauty here – and soon.

Spa Bars (Salt Soap) Maryanne Schwartz
A fun, luxurious take on cold process soap that is surprisingly lush.

Curried Coconut Cashews, Marci Tsohonis
Great snack to have handy for drop-in guests.

A Brief History of Herbs, Kathy Musser
The first recorded herbalists up to modern times.

Our Connection to the Earth, the Plant, and the Medicine, Sylett Strickland  
Finding our place in this world with sustainability and conscience.

Holiday Simmer Potpourri, Marci Tsohonis
This stunner makes a nice gift!

Holiday Baking, Alicia Allen
7 incredible breads, scones, and muffins to tempt the whole family.

Herb Angel, Barbara Steele
Try your hand at creating an herb angel (or fairy).

Modeling Clay Dough Recipes, Marci Tsohonis  
Use these dough recipes to create ornaments, tie-ons, and gifts.

Making Potpourri, Kathy Musser
General instructions that allow you to let your imagination free.

Meet Our Contributors  

For the Next Issue, ideas for writers and what to look forward to.

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CURRENT ISSUE

Crossword Puzzle ANSWERS for Nov/Dec 2023 Essential Herbal

... And Why It Appears That Those Two Sisters at The Essential Herbal Have Lost Their Bloomin' Minds!

What a week...
You can skip the yada yada yada and find the answer sheet at the bottom of the post.

Last week was one of the wackiest weeks I've had for a very long time.  It started with me heading up the turnpike to do a little incense class for A Way of Life Herbal Course at The Rosemary House. It was the last day of the 10 month course, and the day all the students bring dishes made from wild and foraged plant foods to share. Here is the post (with recipes) from last year when we participated as students:  https://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-wild-foods-pot-luck-recipes.html

I was really looking forward to that, but instead, my nearly new (less than 5000 miles) little car decided to drop the transmission on the PA Turnpike. 
I have never had any similar experience, so called my sister who was equally dumbfounded, but she did manage to suggest that I look up what to do on my phone before setting out in her car to rescue me.  Lo and behold, on the PA Turnpike, you dial *11 and get an operator 24/7 who will send a tow-truck and a safety vehicle (that parks behind the tow truck with flashing lights to warn drivers away.)  Other turnpikes are different.  Looking up Ohio TP, it appears that you're on your own. I later found out that KIA (my car) also has roadside assistance, which would have been free.  We made it in time to squeeze in the class, but missed the feast.

Although this is under warranty and I expect reimbursement for any out of pocket expenses, my usual MO is to immediately get my mind on other things, so I sent out a Just the Essentials newsletter with a special on incenses.  I also set up a category filled with calming and anti-anxiety items where a % of sales go to Int'l Rescue Committee, since everyone wants to help or do something.

BUT THEN, on Tuesday our friends at Mountain Rose Herbs sent out
a  newsletter that included a remedy from my latest - The Big Book of Herbal Medicine - with a link to TEH website. 
I don't keep a lot of books in stock because usually people check them out on my site and then go to the giant bookseller.  Sooooo... I wound up placing 2 orders with Simon & Schuster last week, for the same book.  I hope you're smiling here, because at this point, the week was taking on hilarious tones.

And then we finally finished up the magazine.  Except a bunch of little mistakes didn't get fixed, and for the first time in 22 years, we revised it and sent it out the next day.  And guess what - we STILL forgot the answer key to the crossword puzzle.  

In the meantime, we did all the things we normally do during a week.  Made a soap delivery and shipped some soap orders out.  We had our young apprentice for an afternoon, and that included a visit to the local diner for pie.  We had an appointment or two, and we even did household chores.  IT WAS A BLAST!

So there ya have it!  And here are the answers to the crossword.