A Sweet Gift!

 A couple of weeks ago, my friend Jamie Jackson of Missouri Herbs was attending the Flower Festival at Baker Creek Seeds and shared some pictures of some of the wares of the vendors around her.  
Her friend Dez Dino, who is also the founder and editor of The Ozark Agrarian News had a table full of gorgeous pottery that made me literally gasp.  
If you've been following along for any length of time, you know I spend an inordinate amount of time finding different ways to make plant prints on fabric and paper, so this pottery was speaking to me... and let's face it, another independent magazine publisher is dear to my heart as well...

I commented on Jamie's photo, and before I knew it, there was a box on my porch filled with beauty.

Now I think I need to have a gathering when it warms up a little bit, so these plates can show off!

It's a funny thing.  A handful of years ago, one of my daughter's friends was sitting in the living room with me, looking around at the different art on the walls and shelves.  As I started explaining them to him, I suddenly realized that most of them were made or given by friends and that made them all the more special.  

Now that the years are starting to pile up, there are more things going out the door as donations than there are coming in.  Now I want to be surrounded by things that are made by hand with care.  My sister's house is the same way.  We have come to shun the mass produced stuff.  

It's nice to have a lot of creative friends!  
Be sure to check out the Facial Bliss Face Butter at Jamie's site, and if handmade, hand forged garden tools are more your thing, check out her husband Will's site Homestead Iron!

May/June 2026 Essential Herbal Magazine

The newest issue is out, and it is filled to the brim!

I always love this issue because we're all excited to get into the next growing season.  We have plans and dreams of medicines, meals, and gardens that were floating in our heads over the winter.  Tiny plants are sprouting and bravely taking on the unpredictable weather of spring.  That excitement turns into wonderful submissions of articles.

Check out the Table of Contents below!

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or Single Issue Only

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crossword Puzzle 
Here Comes the Sun – where the mind wanders in early summer.

Field Notes from the Editor, Tina Sams 
Doin’s on the farm, and what’s happening with the magazine, books, and AI.

About the Cover
How does your garden grow?  Ours does what it wants.

Calendula, First Choice for Wound Healing, Susan Hess
Learn Calendula’s talent, especially with burns,  and how to make tea, compress, powder and salve.

Excerpt on Garlic Mustard from his new book, Brandon Ruiz
Garlic Mustard identification, usage, and interesting information so you can forage without dying.

Building a Pantry Garden Apothecary, Amy Jeanroy
Growing food and medicine side by side without over-thinking it!

Growing Herbs for Summer Success, Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh
You’ll find tons of ideas for creating and enjoying the bounty from the summer garden.

Word Search
Taken from the contents of the magazine

Excerpt, The Nature Embedded Mind, Julie Brams
A Tea Ceremony post Forest Immersion is described.  What plants might we find to incorporate?

Marvelous Mugwort, Kristine Brown RH(AHG)
Appreciating mugwort, handy while I’m trying to reclaim a garden.  There’s a poem, salve and oil to make in addition to the full offerings of mugwort.

Researching Flower Essences, David Dalton
How do we find the benefit and value of a particular flower essence after we’ve made or acquired it?

South of the Border Herbs, Barbara Steele
Tender perennials for the herb garden.

Untangling the Cosmos, Todd Eliot
“Could there be more to our world than meets the eye?”  How will we learn to adapt to a changing world?|

Much Ado About Ginger, Alicia Allen
Alicia was loose in the kitchen with a big batch of fresh ginger, and we get to enjoy the recipes!

Jasmine Lavender Lemonade Tea Punch, Maia Wisher-Warren
A bright and delicious cup of tea to welcome the day!

Meet Our Contributors
Puzzle Answers

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or Single Issue Only

 

EXTRA - Essential Herbal Mar/Apr 2026

 The EXTRA is full of good stuff, even though we are trying to pull back.  It's not working out so well yet!  I'm beginning to think we won't be able to do it!
The thing about the Extra is that it is only available to subscribers.  It will disappear (until we do a compilation) and be unavailable if you aren't a subscriber 

 
In this issue, of course we had the regular herbal word puzzles - word search and crossword.

From Robert Dale Rogers, the author of the new book "Moss Medicine" we had an article entitled, Evolving From the Ancients.

Marci Lautanen Raleigh sent some Simple Spring Awakening Tea Blends that followed up her article from the main Mar/Apr magazine. 

I wrote all about violets and the article included recipes and instructions for candied violets, syrup, and violet leaf salve.

Maryanne puts almost as much effort into the Extra as she does the regular magazine.  She makes sure it is attractive and easy to read.  

The Extra is exclusive content that we've come to love, as do our subscribers! 

 

Essential Herbal Magazine - March/April 2026

It was a surprise to notice that the Mar/Apr issue hadn't been posted.  NOR the Extra!  Not sure where I've been.  Better late than never, though.  This was a particularly informative issue, and since we're in the middle of working on May/June right now, I can tell you that it will also be amazing!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crossword, Waiting for Spring  
Field Notes from the Editor 
About the Cover – Violets  

Some Plants and Their Pollinators, Barbara Steele
Suggestions for adding life to your garden.  

Back in Time, Alicia Foster Allen 
Updating some good 70’s recipes with herbs! (no aspic!)

When the Carrier Becomes the Medicine, Plant Oils and Butters as Herbal Allies, Connie Byers 
Choosing carrier oils and butters with intention.

Herbal Allies for a Hard-Hitting Flu Season, Amy Jeanroy 
Herbs that will make a difference, with teas and honey to try.

Herbal Helpers for These Days, Tina Sams
We are living in some overwhelming times, but herbs are good allies.

The Healthier Herbal Charcuterie Board, Jackie Johnson ND 
No need to give anything up.  Herbs make everything better.

Word Find, Random Herbal Stuff

Ask The Aromatherapist – Chemistry, Janet Gutierrez MS   
What is it that makes each essential oil different, and have the properties they have?

Spring Awakening: Herbal Ways to Gently Step Into the Light, Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh   
Spring awakening isn’t a checklist. It’s a conversation between you and the season.

Nettles! Gathering, Preserving, and Sharing, Lily Arati Michaud    
Learn about nettles, and make some delicious soup.

Splendid Speedwell, Kristine Brown, RH (AHG) 
We’ve been walking over this sweet herb, time to learn about little Veronica.

Meet Our Contributors
Puzzle Answers 

SINGLE ISSUE 

 

 

Wild Salad in Spring

 At this time of year especially, I try to take advantage of the nutritious foods growing freely in the area around my house.  This can include the yard, fields, woods, or even the trees across the road in my neighbor's yard.

 When my sister an I first started working with herbs, we went to an herbal potluck.  A salad filled with violets and pansies stole the show for us, and it started me on my way.  That fall I found Billy Joe Tatum's wild food cookbook - and foraging became a part of life.  Maryanne isn't as keen on wild plant foods as I am, but she tries some of them.

Today I took the mail out to the mailbox, and got a handful of redbuds from the tree nearby.  Then I swerved over for some violets, a grape hyacinth spike, and a dandelion.  Although I had a "normal" salad all mixed up in the fridge, there were still lots of wild greens waiting.   

Then there were the 2 spears of asparagus that broke ground over the weekend, and they deserved to be celebrated in just such a beautiful salad.  Nearby a bunch of wild onions grew along with small dandelion leaves.  There are also some small horseradish leaves up, and they are delicious, but they were left behind for something requiring that heat.  Raspberry leaves called to be included.

I added some chicken (use your protein of choice) and made it a complete meal. 

If there was no salad waiting for embellishment inside, other greens could easily have been added.  More chickweed, garlic mustard, and dandy leaves for starters, and then things like wild mustard, dead nettle, and plantain - among many others.  Depending on where you live, there are other good greens to try.  We don't have miner's lettuce here, but I'd love to try it, and as the summer rolls in there will be others.  In fall, we can add some roots, too.

Give it a try.  Just one or two at a time will give you the idea!