Family | The Practical Herbalist

Tea for Times of Transition: Black Tea and Rooibos

Posted by Candace Hunter | Family, The Family Herbalist |

I’ve been making a lot of time for tea. English Breakfast Tea with its sharp bite and over-the-top...

How to Make Seed Paper Ornaments – DIY

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Gardening and Harvesting, Lifestyle |

Seed Paper Ornaments are homemade paper in holiday shapes that hold the secret of life – seeds! They are fun to make and fantastic to add to cards, gifts or on their own with a little tag with planting instructions.

DYI Sprout Jar for Homegrown Superfoods

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Gardening and Harvesting, Lifestyle |

The supplies are simple to gather. A jar, a screen and an attacher, water and some seeds or beans are all you need to get this project going.

How to make Holiday Pomanders – Cloven Fruit

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Lifestyle, Spa and Leisure |

The pomanders of my youth were made by pushing an endless bowl of cloves into what seemed to be an...

How to make Chili Pepper Ornaments

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Lifestyle, Spa and Leisure |

Bright red peppers shine merrily against the deep green of holiday trees. This ornament is...

How to make Ristras – Chili Pepper Strings

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Lifestyle, Spa and Leisure |

Ristras are a traditional way to dry chili peppers for later use. The ristras that are available...

Kids and Cocoa: Herbal Medicine that’s Real Easy

Posted by Candace Hunter | Family, Lifestyle, Spa and Leisure |

From fall through early spring, my boy and I love cocoa. When he was wee, I did the cocoa blending...

Herbal Celebrities

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Lifestyle |

In honor of April Fool’s Day, the Practical Herbalist presents…. Herbal Celebrities!...

Herbal Crossword Puzzle

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Lifestyle |

This easy crossword puzzle shows kids they already have a lot of herbal wisdom. Download...

Pocket Herbal Word Find

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Lifestyle |

This easy word find is based on the herbs in our Pocket Herbal. If you don’t recognize a...

Recycled Soap Ball Recipe

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Cleaning, Family, Recipes |

Soap Balls are easy to make from either leftover soap bits or those undersized soaps distributed in hotels or in gift baskets. I like a soap that fits comfortably in my palm and won’t slip down the drain. The addition of the essential oil is not only for the lovely scent but to kill any bacteria that may be hiding in reused soaps. I recommend using one of the following antibacterial essential oils:

Dream Pillow Mix Recipe

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Family, Recipes, Spa and Leisure |

Dream Pillows have many different forms. Some are fancy affairs with ribbons and exotic fabric....

How to Sew a Catnip Mouse

Posted by Sue Sierralupe | Animal Care, Family, Lifestyle |

Cats love catnip. It’s lots of fun to watch them play with catnip toys. This mouse pattern...

Milling Soap: A Kid-friendly How-to

Posted by Candace Hunter | Family, Lifestyle |

This is a basic procedure, not a recipe. I haven’t included specific measurements but have instead described the process and what to look for as you’re working. For specific recipes using this technique, see The Practical Herbalist Recipes.

Milling Soap: A Stove Top How-to

Posted by Candace Hunter | Family, Herbal Housekeeping, Lifestyle |

Soap milling, also called French Milling, is an easy traditional process for enhancing cakes or bars of soaps. Milling allows you to add a variety of healing, soothing, or cleansing ingredients, such as extra fats or oatmeal or essential oils, to your soaps. I like to make hand milled soaps to give as gifts as well as to add luxury to our daily lives.