As you can see from the picture above, we have been busy planting our healing plants. They include: lemon balm, lemon verbena, calendula, german chamomile, sage, white sage, thyme and parsley (just to name a few).

We still have the field garden to plant. This garden includes our lavender patch, but will also be home to catnip, more lemon balm, stinging nettles, yarrow, and of course sweet annie.

We also have been wild crafting some of the native plants on our property, turning them in to healing salves. Try our Chickweed & Plantain Healing Salve. It has a medicinal yet herby aroma, all with the healing properties of Chickweed,  Plantain, and Calendula. So good to have a jar for the summer season approaching, (insect bites, sunburns, and skin irritations) .

We made use of all of our plants this year, and have no extras to sell.  However, stay tune to our site for these wonderful plants to be turned into wonderful healing salves, soaps, and teas.

We wish all our customers a restful and peaceful summer season.

We thank you for all your support.

Blessings,

Karen

Updated 2-25-09

With the days lengthening and the warming sunshine

the seeds in the Greenhouse have started to sprout.

The healing garden already beginning…………..

Pictured above are the seedlings of Lemon Balm

“Quedlinburger Niederliegende (an improved Lemon Balm with high essential oil content). In the past, I never gave Lemon Balm much respect in the garden, fairly easy to grow, some what weedy in the garden, I never researched its attributes. However, after researching and preparing for our healing garden, it turns out that Lemon Balm has a high place in the healing department. “Melissa officinalis” Lemon Balm has sedative properties. It was thought to be especially beneficial as a tonic in cases of anxiety and depression. A cup of Lemon Balm Tea can help alleviate tension and if you struggle with nervous disorders or nervous exhaustion, it is said to cleanse toxins and renew strength. It can also soothe the entire digestive tract.

To Brew the Perfect Cup of Lemon Balm Tea

1 cup (not quite) boiling water

1 Tablespoon dried Lemon Balm or 3 Tablespoon Fresh Leaves

Place the leaves into a cup that can be covered with a lid or saucer. Pour water over the leaves. Cover immediately. Steep for 10 - 15 minutes. Add honey or sweetener if desired. Sip any time of the day to calm the mind, settle the stomach and chase away melancholy.

Lemon Balm was the Herb of the Year in 2007 by the International Herb Association. They have a great booklet all on Lemon Balm (see our book category for a copy). It contains all kinds of information on the herb and lots of recipes.

We plan on making a Healing Salve with infused oil of Lemon Balm. Lemon Balm is Antibacterial and Antiviral making it ideal for fighting infections of the skin.

So as you think about your own garden this year, try growing

good old common Lemon Balm for that special cup of calming

tea that we all need.

Update on Barn

Don and I are just finishing up on the interior of the new workshop/barn. Just been painting and organizing everything. We are looking forward to the coming Spring and preparing for our Opening Season.

God’s Blessings to you all.

Spring thoughts,

Karen at Country Cottage Primitives

 

Updated 12-30-08

I have always loved new beginnings. Every time I turn the page of a calendar to a new month, I feel I can start again. (yes, I am the one that loved the start of each new school year, new pens, pencils and notebooks, a chance again to try my best) and begin again……………………………….............

Well, with the start of a new year. I always like to begin with a theme and this years theme is going to be “A Healing Year” and isn’t that what we all need in our nation today. Healing………..even just saying the word has a soothing effect.

I am sure each of us individually has healing to do within our own lives. Maybe it is in relationships, in career changes and perhaps even in our lifestyles.

With the time I had off this past season, I really noticed myself renewing my interest of my first love (of my farm/business life) and that was of plants especially herbs. I simply get amazed at how our Creator “God” created so many plants with so many uses and some of those uses are used to soothe and heal.

With much thought and prayer the idea was born to create a healing medicinal garden this year. We already have an herb garden with some very useful herbs, but this healing garden would be used exclusively for making all our healing oils and salves and soaps.

 

Please join us as we share what we learn, grow and experience with the Lord’s healing plants. In return, I am sure they will bring healing to our lives, maybe just by bringing joy to our souls in the process.

 I encourage each one of you to look inward and search the area in your own life that needs healing. Perhaps by calling that someone that offended you, will bring forgiveness and healing to them and you. Or perhaps your life has gotten to out of control with “too much activity” and you need to step back and get closer to nature (consider a small garden to enjoy).

 I think a lot of people maybe struggling with a career change in our nation, perhaps by simply embracing change in a different light (remembering God is ultimately in control, he guides our steps and trusting in him to provide for us) might bring the positive healing that we need into our lives.

 

Whatever the situation we face, we do not face it alone. We are all called to make deliberate choices to shape our lives. Just maybe this is the year we can all begin to heal, by letting the good, the pure and the positive energies into our individual lives, that only the Lord can provide.

God’s best for you all in 2009.

Some of my Goals for Year 2009

1. Get to know God more, by reading his Word more.

2. Try to eat better (always on the list)

3. Drink more water and herbal teas

4. Exercise more (always on the list)

5. Create a blog

6. Always keep learning

7. Say five positive things each morning

8. Plant a healing garden. Learn more about the Creator’s amazing plants

 

Update on rebuilding project

So much has been happening at Country Cottage our New Barn/ Workshop is completed. We are still working on the shop’s electrical and will be replacing the poly covering of the Greenhouse this Spring. Our take off of our Web Site has been successful and we are very grateful to all that

ordered.

We are looking forward to the new year. We missed seeing all our customers this past Christmas Season.  However, it is nice to be able to offer our products all year round now. We are presently looking into shipping herb plants this Spring Season. Stay tuned.

 

 

This section of our  website to dedicated to keeping our customers in touch
with what is happening at our Farm.  We will try to update bi-monthly or
at least monthly.

 

As much of you know this past February we had a devastating Fire on our Homestead,
that destroyed our Workshop/ Barn and took the lives of beloved pets.  Clover
our Golden Retriever,  our four cats, Lucky, Carmel, Smokey, and Red.  It was
very devastating financially as well as emotionally.

 

It has been 3 months at this time, and we are slowing  rebuilding our lives.  We are very
fortunate to have found a talented builder and his crew to rebuild our Workshop.
We will not be opening up to the public this 2008 Season, because of the rebuilding
project, but we are fortunate enough to be able to offer our best-selling items on
this website.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our faithful
customers this Christmas Season.  However, when one door closes in life,
another one opens.  We are excited to have our own official website and
to still be able to produce our handcrafted, primitive products to our  valued
customers- along with meeting new customers along the way.

 

Please stay tuned for further happenings and developments  in the future.

 

For those of you that do not know us, Here is a little background of us and
what we do.   We have a small Homestead on 20 acres where we raise icelandic
sheep and chickens for eggs.  We garden and try to grow a lot of own food,
asparagus and rhubarb in early spring. Cherries, raspberries and a vegetable garden
in the summer, we also grow plenty of dried flowers and herbs for arrangements
and for our  products that we produce.   Our favorite is lavender and lemon verbena. 

 

The ‘We’ consists of myself Karen (the Mom), Don (the Dad) and Emily and Ethan
(our 2 teenage children).  We have been blessed to live on our homestead for  16 years- 13 years of that time we have had a home-based business, selling flowers and herbs out of Greenhouse under the name of Country Cottage Herb Farm and now selling primitive hand-crafted items like soaps and candles under the name Country Cottage Primitives, LLC  from our Primitive Shop located at our farm. We have seen our business change over the years and evolve with the many changes in our own lives.  We are very thankful to all our dedicated, faithful customers.  We met many kindred spirits that have enriched our lives.  Our prayer is that we continue to do the Lord’s will in our lives and to share with others our blessings. 

May God Bless you!!