Too Busy to Write: Our Summer in Photos

May Day in Portland with some tiny friends.

Hello beauties! I hope this finds you well and taking good care of your sweet selves. If you’re in any of these horribly hot zones, I hope you’re mixing up lots of delicious cold beverages, dunking in cold water, filling your space with bouquets, and reveling in the delight of darkened rooms.

We’ve been crazy busy here, as farmers and wildcrafters tend to be during the summer. So instead of sharing (many) thoughts today I am going to share some images of what we’ve been up to.

But don’t be fooled by the majesty of it all. While the beauty is real, so are all the images you won’t see here—the ones where I’m so tired I want to cry and still judging myself for not getting enough done, where Seth and I are “practicing our communication skills” in response to triggering one another, where fear rumbles beneath the surface because it’s a hot and dry summer after a scary fire season last year.

I say this because it’s so easy for us to see each other’s curated worlds and forget that life’s ups and downs exist for all of us, even when we live in idyllic settings. A huge part of Seth’s and my commitment to living a life of love and beauty is surrendering to all of it—the beauty, the pain, the doubt, the conflict, the healing. The richness of it all. Here’s a glimpse of some, but not all, of it.

In love and beauty, xo Becca

Picnic on the Ditch

At the beginning of each summer, Seth spends days on the irrigation ditch clearing debris, fixing and adding pipe when necessary, solving the mysteries of where all the water disappears to. Sometimes I help. Sometimes that looks like a picnic.

California Poppy

I got to spend a dreamy golden hour collecting these beauties on the East Applegate Ridge Trail near us. Soon you can take their glory in to support your sleep, relieve your pain, and inspire relaxation.

Family Time!

After 1.5 years without seeing my family, Seth and I got to visit them in Chicago thanks to vaccine magic. Our smiles capture the joyful hours we spent on my sister’s back patio.

Meadow Magic

It’s time again for our favorite salve! This stuff calms bug bites and stings, helps wounds recover, soothes chapped lips, and eases sunburn pain! And it smells amazing.

Meadow Magic Link

John Day River

I got to join one of my best friends and her family for a four-day paddle on the John Day River. Seth couldn’t come because one of our seed crops decided to go to seed just before putting in. A downside of farming, for sure.

Sea Blush

This cutie is the one that kept Seth off the John Day. It’s one of the native wildflowers we are growing for the Understory Initiative, a nonprofit that pays farmers to grow native plants to seed restoration projects. We are honored to participate in rewilding our landscapes!

Understory Initiative Link

Elder Apothercary

We are so excited to have our product in Elder Apothecary, a new herb haven in downtown Ashland. Check them out! They’ve got an elixir bar, classes, and are stocked with art and wellness products from small-scale local makers.

Elder Apothecary Link

Ozzie

Some of our community members got a puppy. We love him so.

Acorn Pancakes

A couple times this summer I’ve come down from my morning practice to the smell of eggs and pancakes that Seth was making from acorns he collected and huckleberries we dried from the summer before. Life feels pretty dreamy then.

Calendula

Fresh calendula tincture in the works! Coming soon in herbal mouthwash and belly-calming formulas.

Calendula Tincture

This is how happy it is in tincture form. It really likes hanging out with flowering catnip.

Blue Vervain

For this first time since we moved here, huge patches of blue vervain appeared this spring. They say plants come to you when you need them, and I really need this grounding, calming ally right now. Perhaps you do, too.

Elder Flower

We’ve been harvesting this beauty from trees on our land like crazy. She’s a central component of our pollen-season tinctures, and she is ready and willing to help you breathe deeply at any moment.

Pollen-Season Tincture link

Motherwort

Motherwort, the lion-hearted one, has historically been used as a heart tonic and for emotional support. She’s also particularly kind and strengthening to the uterus. And her fierce love is evident in the prickles she grows around her purple flowers. I wear gloves whenever I’m working with her magic. Her boundaries are solid.

Motherwort Tincture Link

St. John’s Wort

Oh, beloved! St. John’s Wort emerges right around summer solstice and I’ve been collecting these bursts of sunshine on my morning walks. When the blues strike, our St. John’s Wort tincture is here to fill you with liquid sunshine.

St. John's Wort Tincture Link

Pine Pollen

Seth turned 52 on July 1st, and we celebrated by heading up the mountain to harvest Douglas fir and coyote mint. To our surprise, there were still trees loaded with pine pollen, so we came home with several pounds of pollen catkins and smelling like high mountain air.

This tree essence is full of phytoandrogens and has been traditionally used to strengthen vital organs, offer energy, support the immune system, and balance hormones.

Pine Pollen Tincture Link

Stew

We got a kitty and we call him Stew. He’s not very into being a pet—he spends most of his time outside and comes home only to eat. I imagine it’s a bit like being parents of a teenager. We love him all the same.

Lemonbalm

Oh, how I wish smells could travel through the internet! We grow lemonbalm in our field, and its wellness magic is in its beauty and aroma as much as it is in its tincture form. This goodness is uplifting and calming, delightful and peaceful all at once.

Fire Trailer

We’re upping our fire preparedness game. We’ve got a 250-gallon tank, a high powered hose, and a brand new water pump. Let’s hope we never have to use it for anything but practice and play.

Coyote Mint

Another smell I wish I could transmit to you. Coyote mint, or Mountain Monardella, grows in mountain landscapes and is always feeding bees and butterflies. It’s good for digestion, menstruation, and cold season funks. And it’s perfect for putting in a water bottle on a mid-summer hike.

Applegate Evening Market

At last, we have our very own farmers’ market booth! We LOVE working with people in the flesh, and COVID really put a damper on that. Farmers’ Markets have been hard to access because so many place limitations on CBD sales. But not this one. If you’re nearby, come find us every Wednesday evening!

Applegate evening market link

More from the Market

We’ve got a colorful selection of tinctures, herbs, cards, bath salts, mists, books, and CBD goodness!

Also, this market is a community event every week. All of us in this valley are far from town, so this market lets us gather without leaving our little valley. There’s different music every week, food trucks, cider, beer, wine, and sometimes mead. It’s one of our greatest weekly joys.