Prairieland Herbs Blog - Adventures from the Farm

Helpful

2012-01-11T11:19:00.001-06:00

Had some great help in the kitchen last Saturday :)

Monk says....

2011-12-18T08:22:00.001-06:00

...you should come out to Sample Sunday today and check out his holiday costume :)

Violet approves

2011-12-17T09:39:00.001-06:00

We had to buy a new printer yesterday. Fortunately, Violet approves. (The printer is her favorite hangout!)

Happy holidays!

2011-12-16T13:03:00.001-06:00

Stocked up and ready!

2011-12-11T09:10:00.001-06:00

Local author A. R. Miller dropped by a fresh new stack of signed books... A perfect holiday gift for your favorite reader. Sample sunday special price - only $10! (reg. $11.95)

We have loads of gorgeous silk scarves and handspun yarns...knitted scarves too. And today only some of our guest vendors will have handmade clothing and crocheted hats, gloves and more!

We are fully stocked on our popular essential oil wax melts...work great in any tart warmer, and at $5 they're a perfect hostess gift or stocking stuffer.

And we have plenty of pre-made gift sets.... Or we would be happy to help you custom-create one in any theme or price range!

Open 12-5 today!

2011-12-07T12:30:00.002-06:00

The shelves are full, the gift-wrap table is set up, and the sample basket is full! We are ready and excited to help you with your holiday shopping needs!

We have gift sets in EVERY price range, gift certificates available, and we can even help you mail your gifts if you... like!

Angie of Recyks will have her creative, useful upcycled/recycled/repurposed crafts and home items - affordable, stylish, and one of a kind useful art made from JUNK! She does such fabulous work.

JAG photography will be displaying photographic artwork - prints and cards, all featuring local scenes! There IS time to order any of his prints in your desired size, so stop by and check out the available designs.

Girl With A Sword Productions has a fantastic collection of 100% naturally dyed silk scarves - each one a beautiful, wearable, one of a kind work of art! Afforable and very classy, these make fabulous gifts too - and are very light and easy to ship, if you are looking for gifts to send.

and Sally Kilkenny will be sampling her amazing handmade gourmet jams and jellies - these make stellar stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or gift-basket additions. Choose old favorites such as apple butter, or try some of her exotic new favorites featuring herbs and wines!

Of course our neighbors at Picket Fence Creamery will be open as well, so you can stop by for some post-Thanksgiving taste treats!!!

Lynn of Herbal Bliss will be sampling tea, have ELDERBERRY TRUFFLES for sale, and will be doing ear candling!

Randi Stone of Lovin Oven will have handmade baked goods, yummy :)

Rebecca of Willow Avenue Pottery will have her beautiful handmade pottery for sale - it goes fast, so get there early!

Melodie of Mind and Body Massage Therapy will be doing warm bamboo chair massage - this was a bit hit last month, you gotta try it! Take a few minutes and pamper yourself :)

Dawn of Candy Hoops will be doing henna tattoos and tarot card readings!

Jenny will have her FABULOUS handmade clothing - her patchwork sweater coat was the HIT of the day last Sample Sunday, you must see her beautiful goods!

and Amanda has been busy crocheting and crafting, her hats, scarves, gloves and mittens will keep you warm and stylish!

and Danelle from Stamps Family Farm will be sampling and selling her pasture-raised pork sausage.

Comeon out and enjoy this family-friendly, relaxed event. Support your local farmers and artisans, you'll be glad you did! :)

Of course our neighbors at Picket Fence Creamery have an astounding array of vendors, gifts, samples and much more available too, so head across the road to see their goods as well!

Making ALL THE THINGS!

2011-12-04T12:50:00.001-06:00

It's our busiest time of the year! Karla brings is giant orders of soaps 2x a week.

We have tables full of products waiting to be labelled and shrink-wrapped, stacks of orders to be packed, lists of things to be made.

And of course lots of boxes to go to the post office!

And so it begins

2011-11-29T19:07:00.001-06:00

The shelves are starting to look like this.....

....because our post office trips look like this.

But we are making things and packing boxes as fast as possible!!

Black Friday, farm-style

2011-11-26T18:15:00.001-06:00

2011-11-23T09:19:00.003-06:00

Want to skip the craziness of the malls, and enjoy some art, delicious foods, and handmade herbal treats instead? Come on out to our "Smalls not malls" Black Friday Funfest and book signing!

We will be open 12-5 (regular hours) on Black Friday, Nov. 25. Come enjoy a low...-key, quiet environment - feel free to bring family members or visitors to show them the sights of rural Iowa!

Local author A. R. Miller will be available from 12-5 for book-signing - she recently released her book "Disenchanted" - a fabulous fun fiction set in a location that looks strangely similar to Woodward...but quite a bit more magical! This book is a great read, and a FABULOUS gift idea for your favorite bibliophile!

In honor of this book signing, we have created a custom scent, and will be selling this scent in conjunction with this book, as a very limited-edition item! Stop by and give it a sniff ;)

In addition to the book signing, we will have several local artisans on hand with their fantastic handmade goods. We LOVE to promote and support small local artisans, and know you do too! Give the gift of handmade this holiday season!

Angie of Recyks will have her creative, useful upcycled/recycled/repurposed crafts and home items - affordable, stylish, and one of a kind useful art made from JUNK! She does such fabulous work.

JAG photography will be displaying photographic artwork - prints and cards, all featuring local scenes! There IS time to order any of his prints in your desired size, so stop by and check out the available designs.

Girl With A Sword Productions has a fantastic collection of 100% naturally dyed silk scarves - each one a beautiful, wearable, one of a kind work of art! Afforable and very classy, these make fabulous gifts too - and are very light and easy to ship, if you are looking for gifts to send.

and Sally Kilkenny will be sampling her amazing handmade gourmet jams and jellies - these make stellar stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or gift-basket additions. Choose old favorites such as apple butter, or try some of her exotic new favorites featuring herbs and wines!

Of course we will have our wonderful selection of handmade herbal bath products, including our brand new limited-edition soap "Holiday Home", made with local lard and scented with the spicy scents of the holiday season! We offer FREE GIFTWRAP, and will gladly make gift baskets in any price range you desire!

We will be sampling delicious herbal teas locally made by Herbal Bliss - we chose to sample her relaxing "In-laws tea", just in case any of you have jangled nerves from Thanksgiving feasts (now might be a goood time to stock up on this tea - it soothes jangled nerves AND irritated tummies! Perfect to have on hand for the holiday season).

Ila Heins will have a wide selection of River's Ropes and Yeller's Yummies available - upcycled handmade dog toys and delicious, natural dog treats. :)

Of course our neighbors at Picket Fence Creamery will be open as well, so you can stop by for some post-Thanksgiving taste treats!!!

Sample Sunday :)

2011-11-21T09:45:00.001-06:00

Free sample....with purchase.

2011-11-19T07:10:00.001-06:00

Thirsty Thursday?

2011-11-17T19:32:00.001-06:00

We discovered today that Violet is a huge fan of rooibos tea.

And got in a bunch of really cool aromatherapy necklaces! They come with little foam-type pads to fit inside, that can be charged with your favorite essential oil(s). Very cool indeed, come to the shop and check them out!

2011-11-16T09:05:00.003-06:00

Thankful Sample Sunday!

This Sunday, Nov. 20, 12-5 PM

What a wonderful time of year! Time to give thanks for all the bounty around us. We are ready to celebrate and get ready for wonderful times with good friends, food, family and health!

Come join us for a fun and laid-back celebration. We gather once a month with a band of friends - we all showcase our skills and share them all with YOU!

Lynn Parkey with HERBAL BLISS will be sampling three kinds of handblended herbal teas - ...and you gotta check out her great new holiday gift sets featuring herbal teas, tinctures and syrups. Give the gift of health this year!

Rebecca of Willow Avenue Pottery will have her beautiful handmade pottery available - it's going FAST for the holidays, so come now and pick out a few wonderful pieces to use to serve holiday foods or give as gifts.

Amanda Rae will have her beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade crocheted creations, they are simply stunning!

Ila Heins of River's Ropes will have her healthy, 100% natural dog treats and upcycled pet toys - your dogs need some holiday treats too! :)

Jenny Van Rees will have her one of a kind hand-sewn clothes and crafts - her goods are NOT to be missed, full of love and creativity!

Sarah Macht of Knotty Dog Creations will have her magical crafts.

Stamps Family Farm will be offering fabulous pork samples, and taking reservations for cuts from their "holiday" pig!

and Melodie of Mind and Body Massage Therapy will be offering warm bamboo chair massage - this is NOT to be missed! $15 for 10 minutes $25 for 20.

of course our neighbors at Picket Fence Creamery will have a FABULOUS assortment of foods, samples and fun - this is the perfect weekend to pick up foods for your Thanksgiving feasts!

at Prarieland Herbs, we will be offering FREE GIFT WRAP, as always, and have a fabulous new selection of really gorgeous naturally dyed silk scarves and knitted scarves too- a perfect gift item!

We also have a large selection of photographic notecards from JAG photography, as well as prints available for sale - all local photographs, another great gift idea!

R & D

2011-11-15T18:54:00.001-06:00

Busy weekend!

2011-11-14T14:29:00.001-06:00

We continue our valiant efforts to stock the store! Here are boxes of products waiting to be labelled.

Bath salts are pretty well stocked...

Milk baths...and a kitty silhouette :)

Isn't she gorgeous??? Our current foster kitty....patiently waiting to be adopted!

Beautiful late fall skies

And a view of the sunset, through prairie grasses.

Sunset

2011-11-11T09:07:00.001-06:00

Sunsets on the farm are particularly beautiful this time of year.

No matter how you view them :)

The s word

2011-11-08T19:53:00.001-06:00

With the help of a good friend and her truck, we brought our other two hives back to the farm so we could properly care for them over the winter. I don't think the bees have made enough honey for the winter, though :(

Despite a hard frost, the Swiss chard, parsley, celery and mint remain green and cheerful.

The sky was bleak and grey earlier...and has been pouring cold rain for hours now. We expect it to turn to sn*w overnight.....

Getting ready...

2011-11-06T09:03:00.001-06:00

We have noticed that people have started holiday shopping already!!

We made a LOT of things yesterday. :) here's the facial care products, all fully stocked.

Peter is awaiting gifts to "help" wrap...

Maggie has loads of naturally dyed yarns, awaiting holiday crafters.

Essential oils are all stocked up.....

We harvested bittersweet yesterday too! $5/bunch, perfect for holiday decorating.

Made lots of body oils and botanical bath salts too.

And we have a fabulous selection of naturally dyed silk scarves too!

While we were hard at work, we noticed this funny sight....

Violet knocked the pizza box off, very cleverly, so as to get the last piece of pizza AND a hiding spot in which to eat it :)

Getting ready for winter

2011-10-24T12:51:00.001-06:00

It's currently 75 degrees and sunny, and we've only had one freeze so far. However, we know this won't last, so we are busy putting the farm away for winter.

Plants are going to seed.

Tools are being gathered up and put away.

Garlic is being planted.

Violet is soaking up the sunshine while it lasts.

Indigo dyeing

2011-10-19T08:47:00.001-06:00

We had an indigo dyeing class at PLH last Saturday.... It was AMAZING! John will be doing a full blog post eventually but here's a few sneak peeks.

Kitties

2011-10-17T08:02:00.001-06:00

The Prairieland Cats said they needed a blog post. Fostercat Sally likes shoulders :)

Luna decided she needed a nap in the sample basket.

Our antique cash register is Tilly's favorite perch.

Dante keeping some yarn warm.

And Violet is the undisputed queen of the store!

Gorgeous fall

2011-10-04T16:48:00.001-06:00

Packing a few orders on a gorgeous Tuesday

The rosehips are amazing this year

Here's the last of the hay the minis need for winter

Beautiful fall grasses

The Virginia creeper is startlingly colorful

Bees love the sedum

Abby....wonderful Abby

Peter :)

We have escaped frost several times... And with daytime temps in the 80's the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and flowers are still going strong.

Fall

2011-10-03T09:35:00.001-06:00

The zinnias and marigolds (from
Some seed packets I randomly scattered) are still blooming beautifully; I think I'll try doing some dyeing with them.

The tomatoes are still producing beautifully, and with another week of warmth and sunshine predicted, we should even get our tomatillos to finally ripen!

The trees are turning and the skies are gorgeous. This time of year is exceedingly beautiful.

The plants are starting to grow interesting seedpods....

....and we are distilling the last of the annuals - lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Rosemary.

Happy fall!

2011-09-24T08:49:00.001-06:00

This is what Iowa looks like right now. Huge gorgeous perfect blue skies, and corn (and beans) ready to be harvested.

The sunlight is pure magic. Everything looks golden and beautiful! What an amazing time of year.

The trees are just starting to turn, and the fields and roads are starting to fill up with giant trucks and harvesting equipment.

Donna was worried about the bees having safe access to water, so she cleaned out her overgrown pond. (it does NOT smell nice!!)

Yesterday we took advantage of great weather to make a new small pasture for the minis, distill lemongrass, and Donna continues to beautify the farm with weeding.