The Crusty Herbalist

How to Make Herbal Salves

Herbal salves are such a simple, effective, and useful way to take in herbal goodness! They can easily be slipped into a purse, pocket, or first aid kit. Although semi-solid at room temperature, salves soften once applied to the skin, making them less messy than oils. They also make great gifts and are an easy and approachable way to introduce newbies to the power of herbs. Plus, salves can be crafted for a wide variety of topical uses. The addition of beeswax will protect, soothe, and nourish your skin.

How to Make Herb-Infused Honey + Recipes

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How to Infuse Honey with Herbs

There are two main ways to infuse herbs into honey: without heat, or with heat. There are pros and cons to each method, so we've included both here for your reference.

NO HEAT METHOD

Like many folks herbalists, I like to infuse herbs into raw honey to enjoy the benefits of both the botanicals and the unprocessed honey in each spoonful. However, I usually use dried herbal leaf and flower material, rather than fresh plant matter and/or denser plant parts like barks and roots. If you're interested in creating honeys with the latter type of ingredients, you may find more success with the heated method below!

Harvesting Hops with Our Organic Oregon Growers

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Experience the 100+ years of history behind our organic hops from a third-generation Oregon farming family, from harvest through processing!

As we step out of the car on a sparkling August afternoon, we’re immediately hit with a wave of intensely fresh, funky fragrance—the scent of hops ripe for the harvesting. Farmer Pat greets us in front of his home, which stands to the side of the fertile acreage his family has owned and cultivated since 1912. As we exchange introductions, we exclaim over the intoxicating aroma drifting from the fields around us. Pat glances back at his hop vines with a brief look of satisfaction, but when he turns back to us a moment later, his look is more serious than proud.

“They’re looking good now, but it hasn’t been easy. We had some challenges this season, and now we need to get our crops harvested while the conditions are right,” he says. “Then again, growing organic hops is never easy.”

We climb into Pat’s pickup and roll out into the fields themselves, right alongside a row of vibrant green organic Fuggle hops destined for the pantries and apothecaries of our customers. This heritage variety originated in England back in the 1880's, and its natural resistance to several of Oregon’s common pests makes it an attractive choice for an organic grower. Pat’s grandparents began cultivating Fuggles in the wake of a downy mildew blight that hit the budding American hops industry in the early 1930s, just a decade or so after the family began growing the crop for sale to overseas brewers (during U.S. Prohibition).

How to dry your Herbs?

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Snipping fresh herbs from the garden to use in summertime meals and drinks is one of gardening’s primary rewards. Another flavorful—and economical—benefit is how easily they dry for use in fall and winter cooking. Herbs that are homegrown and dried have an intenser, more robust flavor than store-bought herbs because their essential oils are fresh. Those expensive jars of herbs at your local supermarket may sit around for months while their flavors degrade. Once you’ve tasted homegrown oregano in tomato sauce, or spearmint in tea, you’ll never settle for supermarket herbs again. Air-drying is the easiest way to preserve most culinary herbs. Herbs that dry well include: chervil, dill, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, stevia, sweet marjoram, tarragon, and thyme.