Here’s What It Takes to Do What I Do…
Not so surprisingly, a lot of people don’t understand what is involved with each step taken with all that I do.
I’ve never found it desirable to video everything I do. I feel that the time it would take to edit and the energy I’d put forth making a “quality” video would take away from the more important things; making the products! So I wanted to walk you all through all that it really takes to make what I make!
If you’ve been following along for awhile, you know that most of my herbal remedies that I make, I grow the plants that are used. Some of the plants are sourced from local farmers/growers and recently, I’ve added in organically sourced herbs to create a wider variety of products.
I wanted to grow the plants that I used because when I first started getting into using herbal remedies, I never knew exactly where the ingredients were sourced. I knew how to grow plants so I thought, “Why not!” And so, having a garden began!
If you’ve ever had a garden or even just growing a plant, you understand that it’s not as easy as “put plants in ground and done.” They take daily care, nurturing, fertilizing, and with the work that I am in, constant pruning!
No, I do not spray for bugs. No, I do not add in any unnecessary fertilizer. Each spring, I till the soil, add in our own compost and sometimes an organic topsoil to add in extra nutrients to the soil that’s been consistently tilled.
Most of what I grow comes back every year without me having to do anything but when I add in new herbs, I will order organically certified seeds and prepare the garden to plant those.
Summertime comes and the weeding begins! Sometimes by hand, sometimes by shovel. I don’t usually get bugs that bother my herbs. Those bugs are more interested in the vegetables! I weed the garden, hopefully, twice a week. I work in my shop and make the products all while being a mother, so I get to it when I can! It’s not the top priority.
Chamomile is my first plant to harvest! They are popping up now! I will have to pick the flowers for about 2ish weeks (give or take) to get enough to make a few jars for brewing. After that, it’s distilling and brewing season!
Distilling takes about 3-4 hours a day. The bigger the batch, the longer it takes. So much ice used! I try not to distill on too hot of days or too cold of days. Too hot of days, the ice melts too fast. Too cold of days, it just gets hard for me to handle because I have to use cold water and it’s freezing outside!
Some of my crop is cut for drying the herbs. I make my salves, body oil, herbals oils, chap stick, so and so forth. I get my oil from Walmart! They carry an organic coconut oil by Carrington Farms. It’s the best and liquid! I’ve ordered it from Amazon before but sometimes it takes too long to get here or it breaks in the mail so it has to be sent back and reordered. It’s easier just to go to Walmart and grab it! If you are a local on the OBX, you’ll know I make it an all-in-one trip! Can’t drive that far for just one thing! 😅
The beeswax is locally harvested from Don Babin. He has hives up and down the beach! He’ll sell his honey at the farmer’s markets. Mainly at Secotan Market in Wanchese and at the Manteo Farmer’s Market in Downtown Manteo. He’s a nice man and has integrity with the way he harvests his honey/beeswax and maintaining the hives for his bees!
When I harvest my herbs for my glycerites, it all depends on how much I need per plant. Some herbal glycerites sell faster than others. Sometimes it has to do with the season or even with what people see on TikTok! When I see that I don’t have much of one product, I try to keep it on back stock as much as I can. I wash the herbs I cut and use a coconut-derived vegetable glycerine that I get at Wildlyorganic.com. It has been the best that I could find. I like that it’s made from coconuts!
Some of the products I make, I outsource from respectable companies. I basically stalk them before I buy from them ☺️ If I wouldn’t use it personally, it doesn’t come in my shop!
I outsource some of the newer herbs, the essential oils I have in the shop and use in my products, and all of the carrier oils I use, mainly in the skin care. You’d be surprised how hard it can be to find quality ingredients at a quality price! Things are tough for a lot of people these days so I try to keep my prices as reasonable as I can. I’ve seen other herbal remedy companies who charge double what I do and they don’t even grow any of their stuff!!
With that said, when prices of bottles, solvents, and other ingredients go up for me, I have to adjust my prices. I do apologize for that! I can understand the sticker shock sometimes but I ALWAYS make sure that you are getting the highest quality products. I put my heart and soul in this. I value honesty and integrity and believe in karma ☺️ So just know, I give my absolute best in my work!
A loooot goes into making each product! Whether it’s growing the plants or outsourcing, it takes time to grow and make each product, patience on waiting for some of the products to be ready, ordering the appropriate bottles and solvents, designing the labels and updating the website, and just making sure that things are running smoothly!
I once had a friend/customer say they were going to try and make their own batch of fire cider. She came back a month or so later and said, “Nope! I’ll let you make it!”
I share these things so you.. 1) get an understanding of how each product you use is made and 2) So you can understand the amount of time and effort I put in for the sake of the love of what I do. It’s hard to know something about someone unless they tell you, right!? ☺️ When it comes to products that you ingest, put on your skin, and give to your kids, I want you to know that it all comes from a place of love and absolute dedication. 💖
I believe we are meant to connect with nature and work with nature. I believe it’s a vibrational exchange that brings us closer with our connection with God/Source/whatever term you feel comfortable with. Herbs are meant to be used for medicinal uses that’s why so much of the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals are derived from specific compounds that were originally found in plants. I find it important to start getting back to this time of using/eating/growing plants and herbs to heal our bodies naturally. As Barbara O’Neil says, “Our bodies heal themselves under the right conditions.” (kind of a paraphrase…) I have been given a gift of being able to grow bountiful herbs and mastering the art of making herbal remedies. I am here to utilize this gift to the best of my ability to help the collective connect with nature and heal fully and naturally.
My goal is to continue to make my herbal remedies and share/teach the knowledge that I have. I’d love to implement classes in the shop ranging from beginner + advanced: making herbal remedies, learning herbal first aid, and maybe even learning backcountry first aid (basically first aid for when it’s an emergency but you are in the wilderness). You’d be surprised to know this is what I studied in college! I have an associates in Outdoor Education and Leadership! I learned Wilderness First Responder from the man who actually wrote the book about it; Buck Tilton. Worth a look into it!
What’s the phrase; Feed a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
All in due time, more and exciting classes will be taught in the shop! A larger variety of healing herbs and products will be added and restocked! Things will fall into place and we’ll all be healed and vibing high 🙃
If you ever have any questions, you are always welcome to reach out!
Be sure to check out my “About Us” tab on my website! I have information about Bulk Ordering, Wholesaling my products, and a place for you to Donate!
Thank you for reading and for your continual support!!!
Sending y'all my love,
Austin💛