Fawn and Crow Apothecary

06/07/2026

Spruce tips!

Whenever I stand with the Spruce trees, my spine straightens, my heart opens, my mind clears. They have such generous medicine and friendly energy. Beyond their rad vibes their nutritional and medicinal properties are profound!! Each spring the Spruce tips grow new arms, the shoot out soft tips at the end of their branches that will later become limbs!! The optimal time to harvest them is when they are still soft, tight and supple. If they have become hard or fluffed out, you missed your window. But don't fret, you can always go up a few hundred meters in elevation and I'm sure you will find your spruce tips at the perfect harvest time.

Not only are the tips high in vitamin C and minerals, they are also one of natures best expectorants. Used in a tea or steam they help loosen phlegm from the lungs and sinus cavities wonderfully. They are basically super food for the immune system friends!

Spruce tips also naturally possess antimicrobial and antiseptic properties that work wonders on our skin. When used topically in salves, or poultices, Spruce tips naturally help heal minor cuts, abrasions, rashes and skin eruptions.

You can find Spruce medicine in my Aurora balm where I use the resin, my Emerald forest body oil containing the needle extract and resin, my Danu resin perfume and the dried tips in my delicious North Mountain tea blend. All of these offerings can be found on my website. The link in my bio will transport you over there!!

06/04/2026

This foraging and garden year feels different. Not sure why exactly but I am having a hard time keeping my head above water!!

Just when we thought we are in the clear and planted most of our gardens...they changed the forecast and it is set to be 3 degrees celcius for next few night which means risk of frost. Back to hooping everything!! I have been sidetracked with pain flare up, supporting loved ones through grief, and playing chess with mother nature. When you start medicinal herbs in feb and march you can't replace them. If you lose them it's done for the season. There is nowhere to buy starts quickly!! You are plant mom and have to make sure these babies stay alive. Me against the northern bc cold nights!!

I have been fiercely protecting my babies in the apothecary garden and somehow the veggie garden planting times are falling on weekdays when my love is at work!! I have had to pace myself and just accept I am exactly where I should be. The cards will fall where they fall, the cookie will crumble how it wants. Right ?

A break will come soon right ?? Hehee.

06/01/2026

Finally, planting day has arrived. Well... day 1 of about 3 planting days. My babies are rootbound!! They need too get in the ground asap!! We have had our last cold snap, like cold as in 10 degrees during the day and - 3 or 4 degrees celcius at night. OUCH!! It has not been very pleasant.

But today, the sun and safe planting weather has arrived. My perennial plants are well established now but the annuals I love will always have to be sown, tended and cultivated. After 4 years here, I have noticed I need to sow less varieties and focus on annuals...and all my precious flowers.

This morning I started of planting Spilanthes, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Vervain and Calendula. The birds are so fantastic right now, I decided to just let the sounds in the video transport you to my garden with me instead of adding any music. It is very peaceful and serene here.

These have been some tough days friends. I have been dealing with chronic pain, strange new pain, anxiety out of the blue and to be honest a slight lost feeling. This spring has not been as smooth as others. Planting theses herbs I have tended since winter has helped ground me but also reminded me, this makes me so happy.

At the same time, my body is hurting!! I am thankful for Willow bark, Mullein root and solomons seal tinctures right now. They are helping !! Chronic pain from injury doesn't go away, it just fluctuates in intensity. Some days are better than others. Thankfully today is not too bad and I can manage, but it's usually in the evening I really feel it. I am thankful to be here, doing the best I can. I know these plants, they know me. Together we would like to share and be in community with more humans!!

For now, it is far too hot to keep planting. A pleasant difference from the past few weeks. Time to work in the apothecary to produce some stock for upcoming markets. Thank you for being here!!

05/31/2026

05/25/2026

05/16/2026

Have you tried our Tulsi Rose tea blend ??

This is my queen of tea blends. Simple, wildly flavorful, relaxing, nourishing and supportive.

My love and I married on summer solstice 24 years ago this June. Since mobing north, our ritual is to gather rose petals together on this day. 54 degrees north, the petals are always in the peak of their magnificent blooms on June 21st. Each tin of this tea shares the love and ritual of our partnership and the sacred energy of what we call the rose temple. The rose temple is a place I discovered near our home, a place that is dear to my heart. I have never seen so many wild roses in one spot. This is where I spread some of my mother and dogs ashes. With the majestic telkwa mountain range as our backdrop, we meticulously pick 2 petals from each flower for this lovely tea blend. A ritual, a gift, a kiss from nature.

We then blend these beautifully dried roses with our home grown Tulsi that we grow right here in our gardens. I wasn't sure when we moved this far north if my beloved Tulsi seeds would thrive. I am so happy they do! I dedicate a whole 6 foot by 4 foot bed in my greenhouse to theses glorious plants. There is nothing like sticking your head in a bed of Tulsi. It is truly uplifting and magical.

This blend is a perfect choice for when you need to feel more calm and centered in your daily journey, for a gesture of care to yourself, before bed for a restful sleep, or in a tea ceremony amongst loved ones!! I drink it hot or cold, in all seasons!! These two herbs are so valuable for your nervous system, digestion and overall energetic health!!

You can find this blend on my website a link can be found in my bio. 🌹

05/06/2026

It's been a minute...

I have been very very busy. So busy I am forgetting to document and post. My days filled with plant tending, animal tending, getting the veggie garden beds together and organizing my brain for the abundant season upon us.

My love went back to work this week, so I am alone in the farm again. I'm feeling the loss and digging deep to find the energy to do all the things on my own now. I have some this so many times but this year feels different. We had such a wonderful winter creating art together, it was hard to see it come to an end. But...this is my favorite time of year and every movement is a blessing. My gardens are coming alive, the bears are out, the foxes are dashing through the meadows, my plants are growing abundantly and my soil looks great!!

Here we go again!

04/19/2026

Spring has finally arrived..

Spring in the north hits a bit different, your wool coats, fuzzy sweaters and warm socks still on hand. Green growth starts to emerge and the sky still tries to spit snow. The cold mountain wind, still sends a shiver up your spine, then the northern sun beats down so hard and all the layers come off, back to shivering...

Dusk is already 9:20 pm, soon the sun will hang in the sky for almost the whole day. By solstice the nights still have a glow and darkness in sparce.
My thoughts this crisp morning are all about kindness and care. How to show up with respect and gratitude. Even though I don't see many folks unless it's an organized visit, I still dress up like I am attending a funeral, birth or ceremony. It helps me embrace the sacred union of my intentions and actions. I treat each day like a gift.

Even though the plant life is just emerging, every single blade of grass and emerging sprout is wildly exciting and in my own little nature fairytale...a MAGICAL experience. We just have to show up and be a willing participant in earth magic. Speaking of earth magic....

We are making friends with a pair of Crow lovers who hang out in the tall Aspen by the chicken coop. I first thought i was hearing a lost cat in the woods behind the cabin. I kept hearing distinct meow echoing in the woods, but I never saw a cat?? I then saw the Crow lovers. They lean into eachother, grooming and kissing, they bring eachother food and ruffle their feathers together, all while making a specific cat meow sound. I took some time to research the significance of this sound as I have never heard this before!! This call is a sound Crow mates make when they are at ease and expressing their love and comfortability with eachother ❤️.
I joined the meow. They now meow to me. We meow together. It is truly spectacular. We alert them when we take out the compost and they are quite happy with the offerings. I'm sure they recognize both of us and are possibly studying us as much as we are them!!

I am loyal to the wild. This is where I learn. This is where I feel good. Full of many thanks today.

04/08/2026

Northern living...

The earth is just waking up here. The mulch is still frozen, the grass still brown, no flowers or green shoots yet. We are patiently waiting for the official sign of spring in the north, which is the return of the Sandhill Cranes. This is when we know spring is truly arrived. Our calender here is more based on plants and animals because it surely does not reflect the calender on our wall!!

I have been busy, planning, sowing seeds, planting early crops in our greenhouse and enjoying the last bits of quiet before the season is in full swing. It is light until about 8:40pm, a reminder that by solstice, the sun will set just for a few hours and the long northern days will be upon us. Magic is brewing, the mountains are flowing with glacier water, the birds are on their way north, insects and trees slowly waking up. Soon we will all be reunited 💖