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Green Your Garden
Watching one of my favorite YouTube channels, Sailing La Vagabonde, sail Greta Thunberg across the Atlantic to COP25 inspired me to look at my life to see where I could do better. “Tighten up” my green, you might say. Carbon miles have been weighing on my mind, so I made the decision to use only herbs that are grown in the U.S. This forced me to reformulate again, using a limited palate, but I’m really excited about the results. I discovered blends that work so well together that I never would have thought of before. Essential oils have been bothering me, too. The vast amount of plant material used seems…
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Made with US-grown Herbs
Pleased as punch to announce a major systems upgrade: All the herbs used in my vegan skincare line are now US-grown. This redesign means giving up plants I’ve worked with since I started like Rose and Elderflower, but opens up a starring role for some of my besties like Marshmallow and Red Clover. Feels good to lose the carbon miles 🙂
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Plant Love
Happy Valentine’s Day <3 I’ve been researching Lavender today and have this song playing over and over in my head… (It’s such a sweet love song. Please don’t tease me about showing my age.)
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To Craft, or Not To Craft
That is the question that has been plaguing me. Making bodycare is definitely my thing- don’t get me wrong- I am endlessly awed and entertained watching herbs transform oil and wax into incredibly useful, beautiful things. But is it the best contribution I can be making to the world right now? I racked my brain. I searched my heart. I threw tarot cards. I asked the spider living in the shower. I heard no answer. Being unsure of the right way to go, I pretty much stopped. After time spent agonizing, reading and re-reading herbal texts on the bookshelf and feeling only more unsure, my husband asked me to make…
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Good skin food.
It’s been awhile since I had this old girl workin’! Stand mixers have many uses, I’m guessing. I’ve only ever used mine for whipping body butters. Had some Cocoa butter to use up so I thought I’d give it a whirl. This blend is about 1/3 Cocoa butter to 2/3 Coconut oil. Cocoa butter + Coconut oil + Whip = Good skin food. Et voilà ! The finished whipped body butter. Has a light texture but is very rich and deeply moisturizing. Apply copious amounts whenever desired.
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The Enplantae story (so far)
It started with essential oils and a desire for clean, natural products. It grew into a herb garden that took over the backyard and a desire for real connection with the world. Today, Enplantae.com is the new incarnation of work that began in 2007. Back then, I was making perfumes, salves, soaps, and face creams under the name ‘Paradise City Herbal’ (Paradise City being the nickname of my hometown, Northampton, MA). As the love affair with plants grew, my husband Hawkeye and I expanded our backyard garden to a ‘micro-farm’ with a rented field in a neighboring town (about a 15 minute drive, 30 minutes with traffic, not ideal but…
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Waiting is the hardest part
Where are we at with the move from Massachusetts to North Carolina? Waiting… Plans are made but the start on our new path has been delayed. We thought we’d be there by now and dragging out the anticipation of leaving my garden has been brutal. Can’t help thinking as I work in the garden that everything I’m doing, I’m doing for the last time. It’s heartbreaking. I really don’t know how I’m going to say goodbye to this space and these plant people that I’ve loved for 20 years. The upside is the wait has given me the chance to be in the garden until the very end of the…
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Lettuce face mask, a favorite Summer treat!
A lettuce face mask helps restore skin’s natural pH, soothes rough skin, and can help heal pimples. Any lettuce will do, but it’s a bit more thrilling using lettuce you’ve picked from your own garden 🙂 It’s quick and easy –> Put a handful of lettuce in a blender and gently pulp, then massage onto clean skin. Leave on for 5-10 minutes. Rinse off with cool water. For a fancier version, add a little olive oil and lemon juice. Olive oil is a great moisturizer, and lemon juice a gentle astringent that cleans and refines pores.
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Our 10th Season: Hello, Goodbye.
Funny thing happened on the way to the farm’s 10th anniversary year- We decided to quit. (Half my brain is excited, the other half is threatening to throw itself off a cliff.) So there we were, getting seed orders prepped for the start of a new farm season, when a sweet little cottage walking distance from the water and a marina pops up for sale- 700 miles away in North Carolina. Hawkeye and I JUMP at it. The Story: Our “get closer to the ocean so we can sail” idea has been brewing for awhile, but we’re only in the middle of our 5-year-transition plan. I am nowhere near ready…
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DIY Antioxidant Face Mask
Besides eating them, the best way to benefit your skin with antioxidant vitamins is to use them topically as facial treatments. Masks and scrubs made with antioxidant-rich fruit and veg can help give you a brighter, smoother complexion. Mash the fruit or veg and use alone or with a little olive oil as a facial mask, or add oatmeal, cornmeal, clay, or rice powder to make it a scrub. Look for: vitamin A: Encourages healthy skin cell production. Smoothes wrinkles. vitamin C: Evens skin tone and contributes to collagen production. May help prevent and treat ultraviolet (UV)-induced photodamage. vitamin E: Moisturizes and softens. Try these: Banana: Emollient, cleans pores. Vitamins…
