Colorado Aromatics

You may have noticed that I begun using the name Colorado Aromatics to brand my skin care products. I think this name better and more completely represents what we do here; growing herbs, extracting herbs, distilling herbs, and making quality personal care products using herbs. This name of course is under the Sagescript Institute name. There will soon be changes in my website to reflect this as well as marketing materials. Under the Sagescript name we will continue doing microbiology assays and education.

On Saturday, Dec 6 from 1-4 I will be participating in the Colorado Cupboard's Holiday open house. I will be showcasing my products there on that day and am very excited about it. If you are near Longmont please do some by to say hi.

Brandied Potatoes Gratin

We've been busy here getting products ready for Christmas so I haven't posted. But on the eve of Thanksgiving I thought I'd let you know one of the recipes we will be making for the big dinner.
We saw this recipe in Sunset Magazine many years ago. Since I always look for sweet potato recipes that avoid all that sugar we gave it a try. It was a big hit and we have made it probably every Thanksgiving for the past 12 years or more.

2 pounds white potatoes cut into thin slices
2 pounds sweet potatoes or yams cut into thin slices
¾ cup vegetable broth
½ pound jack cheese (plus a few slices of smoked gouda0
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup brandy

Layer white and sweet potato slices and jack cheese (along with
smoked0 in a buttered casserole dish lightly salt and pepper each
layer. Mix hot broth and brandy together and pout over potatoes.
Bake covered at 375 degrees F for 75 minutes ( 1 ¼ hour) or until
potatoes are tender. Uncover, top with grated parmesan, bake until
browned. You can then top with chopped chives from the freezer.

Some of what I am thankful for this year is the opportunity to have a large property that I can care for and help blossom, my husband and sons, my siblings, and herbs.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Hay is for Horses (or is it)

We recently bought and stacked hay for the winter to feed our horse and goats. Its nice that they have enough pasture for their needs in the summer, but at this time of year the grass starts looking bad and soon it will be either covered with snow, or brown. We are lucky to have a hay farmer next door so we don't have to drive far to get hay. We stacked 80 small bales and covered it with a tarp to keep it from getting ruined from rain and snow. I worry that the wind might shred the tarp though.
Since the scent of hay is rather sweet and pleasant I wondered if I could capture it in a tincture. I filled a pint jar with hay and covered that with 70% ethanol (everclear mixed with water). I'll let that set for a few weeks to see if the aroma has gone into the alcohol. It actually smells very nice now after just 2 weeks, so I might do some more. Hay can be made from of many different types of grass as well as alfalfa, all of which affect the scent. The hay we bought is alfalfa grass mix and the grass I think is brome which is common around here. It is also the major type of grass we have in our own pasture. Its nice to still be playing with these plants after summer is over.
I couldn't resist also posting a picture of our mountain view as they start to be covered with snow.

Springtide Anti-Aging Cream

I'm introducing the new anti-aging cream that I have been working on for some time. Now I have a formula that am very happy with. This cream contains natural, botanical, safe, and effective ingredients. Green tea and rosemary extracts are the primary herbs in this cream and give it a beautiful, pale green color. A touch of peppermint essential oil blends well with the scent of rosemary extract and gives the cream a refreshing feel.

Green tea and rosemary can be considered cosmeceuticals because of the active phytochemicals tbey contain. Green tea is a remarkable plant that has a multitude of health benefits. As far as skin benefits, phytochemicals in tea absorb UV light and so decrease the risk of sun damage to the skin. Sun damage includes redness, DNA damage, collagen degradation and formation of free radicals. It has also been found in animal studies to decrease the risk of skin cancer both when applied topically and when taken internally. It appears that besides the catechins found in tea, the caffeine is also important for this activity.

Rosemary extract has anti-cancer activity in animals possibly due to potent anti-oxidant activity. In fact, rosemary extract has been shown to be particularly useful in preventing oxidation of skin lipids that are important for helpin the skin stay moist. This is partially due to its high content of polyphenols (flavonoids) such as carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and ursolic acid.

Besides the nourishing vegetable oils and distilled fennel extract in this cream it also contains alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin C ester; both powerful antioxidants. I wish I could bath in it! You can purchase this anti-aging cream now for $11.95 plus postage. The price will go up after the New Year. I am confident you will enjoy using this cream on your face as well as the back of your hands. Oh, I have named this cream 'Springtide' to represent its youthful effect on the skin. email me for ordering information. sagescript@ earthlink.net

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Part of being green and sustainable is recycling and reusing. This is being made easier with a variety of websites dedicated to the cause. At Earth 911 you can look up information for your city on what can be recycled and where. In fact, you can put in a specific item you need to get rid of such as used motor oil or electronics and then be directed to a location near you. It also carries news articles related to recycling. http://earth911.com.

We are probably all aware of thrift stores such as Salvation Army, ARC, and Goodwill as places to find a variety of used household items and clothing. Thrift stores have been around for along time and have provided me with many needed items at a discount price. These organizations are also been a valuable resource when cleaning out my closets and drawers and hopefully my children’s used clothing have benefitted others. I have been on several phone lists for thrift stores that call me about every 6 weeks to see if I have anything to pick up. Its convenient for me and provides an incentive to clean. Find one in your area.

Restore is a store run by Habitat for Humanity and sells (as well as accepts) various household and building items for resell. I have bought many items there for the yard and office including fence posts, office chairs and room dividers. They usually have shelves and shelves of nails and screws as well as paint. Go here to see if there is one in your town: http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

The Freecycle Network was established to keep things out of the landfill and is an example of one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure. They have more than 4,000 local groups that are run as Yahoo Groups. If one person has something they no longer want and are willing to give it for free to someone else who needs it they can post it on their local Freecycle group for someone else to take. Go here to find a local group: http://www.freecycle.org/.

Craigs list is a site where anyone can post free classified ads. There are sites for over 500 cities. Many things on Craig’s list are free or at least inexpensive. I have used Craig’s list to find inexpensive yard tools and free firewood. http://www.craigslist.org/.

I will post these links and more when I find them on the right border of this website. Let me know if you know of other valuable ones.