We had another successful herbal workshop last night. The last Tuesday of every month we join together with Amanda at her shop Sacred Space, located in Modesto. We had a few new faces that joined us last night. It is always exciting as well as nerve wrecking meeting new people. Talking to groups of people always makes me a little uneasy. Thankfully everyone listened to me nervously ramble about all the neat information that I have collected about Calendula. Each month everyone gets a few pages about the herb we are discussing. First time participants always get a folder to place all their herbal info into. I then put together a few pages of information and recipes on whatever herb we discuss. Everyone brings the folder back and adds the new information from the workshops into their folders. Kathy make us delicious treats and beverages. Last night she made some tasty Calendula cookies. She put together Calendula margaritas or a mocktail for those who didn’t want to drink. We created herbal bath blends with a mixture of herbs known to be helpful with dry irritated skin. The herbs we used included marshmallow root, lavender, chamomile, rose, and rosemary. Of course, we had the herb of the month, Calendula. We had oatmeal already ground up and ready to be added to their herbal bath blends. After they finished creating the blends we then had them create a Calendula sugar body scrub. Everyone left with a gift bag. It contained some lovely items that we create and sell. Everyone went home with a small Calendula plant. We had a great group of people who enjoy a night of mixing herbs and good conversations. Next month the 24th of June we will be discussing the mint family.
This month’s Herb of the Month is Mint. As always, our herbal workshops are on the last Tuesday of every month. This month we will be playing with a few varieties of the mint family. There are so many different varieties of mint that we will cover in our mint workshop. Additionally, there are many types of herbs in the mint family. Â We will create a tasty beverage. We will also make some type of yummy treat from the few varieties that we have growing. Everyone will have the opportunity to eat and drink this super tasty plant. We always ask everyone to make sure to RSVP the weekend before the workshop. If you tap on either picture they will take you to our Instagram page. Message us and we will get you on the list. Â We need time to create the right amount of gift bags and folders for everyone attending. Â We always have a hands on creative process when we gather to discuss our herb of the month. So be prepared to taste, touch and smell mint the 24th of June.Â
Last Tuesday night in our monthly herbal workshop we taught everyone how to make a motherwort tincture. Then everyone created a salt scrub. Kathy infused honey with motherwort and drizzled it on top of some yummy cornbread. Everyone tried a delicious motherwort herbal tea blend. It is always such a fun night hanging out and playing with herbs with other people who enjoy herbs. There is so much that our plant kingdom has to offer us. We enjoy sharing our herbal knowledge with the community. Â Our next workshop will be on Hibiscus! Join us August 26th at 6:30 pm over at Sacred Space in Modesto.
We gather every 2nd Tuesday of the month with Andrew and Bethany Basmajian from Cool Company. The meeting is at 3:30 at the Odd Fellows Lodge on Main St in Knights Ferry, California. We help them hand out nutritious food to those who need it. Tonight the Knights Ferry Free Market Fundraiser will be hosting a raffle table. It is full of beautiful ways to help raise funds. These funds will be used to build up the Knights Ferry community garden. After we finish giving out the boxes of food, we will head over to Ricks saloon. There, local musicians will pay tribute to the Beatles. We have donated a gift set and cute succulent arrangement that will be on the raffle table.
“The Knights Ferry Free Market is an up and coming non-profit organization. We serve residents and patrons of Knights Ferry and its surrounding rural areas. We provide food, household and hygiene items, farm fresh fruits/vegetables, art classes and educational workshops to those in need. Bridging gaps and opening doors to bring our community to a higher level of living. Our goal is to give help to those in need. Specializing in supporting local farms, artisans, businesses and entrepreneurs. Highlighting land conservation and organic living through out all the work we do. We see the work we do as a vital role that is missing in communities. Free Market has been serving the Knights Ferry community since 2021. We now see a greater need growing. We are ready to grow now to meet that need.
WHO do we work for?
WHO do we work for? Knights Ferry residents and patrons. Including the surrounding Knights Ferry rural areas. We believe the Free Market ultimately belongs to The Divine Creator, an follow where the Spirit leads. All people are served with complete transparency, truth, and humility. We do not discriminate against any person. No matter what race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, class, status, etc. We are very excited about Free Markets 2025 calendar!” This was on a post on their Instagram account. Any of the free market pictures will take you to their Instagram profile. Give them a follow and keep up with all of the amazing stuff going on out in Knights Ferry California.
Keep your eyes out for their monthly newsletter! Released on the 1st Tuesday of the month. Direct message or email them to see how you can get involved. They are always looking for volunteers at the events and always welcoming donations to keep them moving.
The Modesto Love Center is what makes this whole program possible. All the food boxes are assembled for the KF Free Market at this location. This program is focusing on residents and patrons of Knights Ferry and our surrounding rural area. The organization offers two different programs. The first is The Modesto Love Center food box. This program provides food to anyone in need. All ages, individuals, & families. There are no income or age requirements. (We do however require proof of address. )
The second food program is the Commodity Supplement Food Program (CSFP)….. This program provides USDA food boxes to low income seniors (60+ in age). ( to apply= proof of residence , I.D., & proof of income, must be resident of Stanislaus county) Special accommodations can be made if needed.
The Free Market has recently started receiving generous donations. This support has allowed them to start offering things like seasonal fruit and staple household/hygiene supplies. Free market is a three branch operation. Food Distribution, The Trading Post, and The ARK.
June 26, 2025 We had a great time vending at Elevate Community Yoga this last Saturday. Good Day Sacramento did a segment around 10. The energy of Elevate Community Yoga was beautiful. Cat Ramer who put this event on did a great job putting  everything together. We cant wait to do more adventures with the ladies at Elevate. Thank you for including us in this event.  If you want to check out Elevate Community Yoga click on the photo.
Everyone was so nice. All of our fellow vendors and all the people who stopped by to say hi and shopped and bought local. We small business owners appreciate the support of our community.
This last event we brought some of our loose leaf herbal blends. We had tea blends, smoke blends, bath blends. We had some of our topical blends such as lip balms, body salves, chap stick and our essential oil rollers. On our other
It was great meeting all the other vendors. One vendor in particular caught our attention. We met a young woman who creates the most amazing homemade journals.
Her booth was set up next to ours. The way she creates some of them them from recycling and reusing older books she collects from thrift stores. Such a creative idea! It is always great witnessing the youth stepping into their own creative powers. This young lady has already started her own business doing what she loves. I wanted to shout out her Instagram page, Holly’s Handmade Journals. Go check her page out. You can go directly to her page by clicking on the photo of one of her amazing journals. We as a community should rally around and support our youth as they showcase their heart in their creations.
It’s always a great day joining community events and selling our products.
We grew a bunch of home grown veggies and lettuce from seeds in spring. The seeds were in one of those variety packs. We ate on the plants until they turned to flower. One plant in particular has flowered with flowers I have never seen on a lettuce plant. So now I wonder what have we been eating? What type of plant is this? Does anyone know?
We will be vending the Community Vendor Fair at Elevate Community Yoga within the Roseburg Square in Modesto. We will have our succulent arrangements, crystals, herbal blends and our new apothecary line. It should be a pretty fun day. There’s a rumor that Good Day will be going live from the Community Vendor Fair the 10:00 am hour. We are thinking about having a build your own succulent station. I think kids as well as adults will enjoy a moment of playing in the dirt and planting something cute. I mean I still enjoy playing in the dirt.
Creating succulent arrangements
Creating succulent arrangements is such a meditative practice for me. I enjoy the process of collecting the cuttings. I don’t just randomly cut pieces off. They are selected one by one. I take a moment with the plants. The pieces themselves decide who wants to be a part of the arrangement. Then I collect a nice collection of cuttings and start my creation process. Then I begin by putting a taller succulent into the pot first. I then begin the process of choosing who goes where and always aware of how they will eventually grow together. Some arrangements get cute succulents that dangle out of the pot. Some have spiky little cactus buddies. All of my arrangements have crystals in them. I like to have at least 1 crystal point, amethyst or a rose quartz chunk in each arrangement. Every one of the arrangements are unique and carry their own little bundle of energy. And sometimes I add cute tiny wooden lady bugs or bees. We will be at the community vendor fair on July 21st. The event is from 10 am until 3:00 pm.Â
This month we will be discussing Calendula at our monthly herbal workshop. We discuss different herbs each month. Sacred Space Holistic Center in Modesto hosts us the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm. If you are local in Stanislaus County, we would love you to come down and join us for a workshop. Always RSVP in advance so that we can make you a gift bag. Our gift bags are made with products that we sale on our website.
Calendula has been growing in our yard for years. Once our plants begin producing flowers, we begin to harvest and dry them. Once they are dried, we put them in jars. We use them when needed to add to our herbal tea blends. We also infuse oils with the Calendula flowers. Then we use the oil to create herbal salves, lip balms, lotions, chap stick, and body butters.
This flower is super helpful for our skin. It has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. We create salves to be used topically to help soothe irritated skin and to reduce inflammation. Calendula also carries antibacterial and anti-fungal properties which may help prevent infections in wounds. This wonderful flower can be used to treat various skin conditions. And it is even gentle enough to be used on diaper rash. It is known to help with eczema and even athletes’ foot. Its antimicrobial properties help promote faster healing.
*Calendula is considered generally safe for topical use. It’s best to ALWAYS consult with your doctor before using herbal products. Calendula should be avoided during pregnancy.
We have been eating fresh veggies from the garden this last week. I think homegrown tomatoes are my favorite! I love how they look when you cut them open. Their insides are such a dark red and none of them ever look the same. The flavor is so delicious. We have been eating them every night this week.Â
The tomatoes in the picture to the right were grown from my plant. I planted it in my garden in the spring of 2024. This and two other tomato plants survived the winter of 2024 and are still growing. I waited until the last freeze. Then, I trimmed all the dead leaves and branches. I continued until I reached the green parts of the plants. In no time at all the plants began growing again and started flowering. By May, we already had a plant full of green tomatoes and flowers. The first couple tomatoes didn’t look all that great. in fact I threw them into the compost. But the next group looked healthy and they were getting bigger.Â
I like to pick the them before they become dark red. I read somewhere that once they begin to change from the green stage, you can pick them. They will continue to go through their color-changing process and eventually turn red. I don’t remember where I read that from, but I always wait until they are orange then I pick them. From the orange color my tomatoes always ripen up nicely sitting on my kitchen counter. Plants spend all of their energy on growing their fruit. So when we pick the tomatoes it helps redirect their energy back to making the other tomatoes grow.
Some people say that tomato plants, because of what is inside their leaves, are effective mosquito repellents. There is a lipid compound called IBI-246. This compound is found in tomato stems. It seems to repel mosquitoes, ticks, and some other bugs as well. The smell when you crush tomato leaves can release compounds that deter insects. I read about the possibility of tomato leaves being a natural mosquito deterrent. We can crush the leaves and rub them on our skin. I am going to have my girlfriend try this out. Mosquitoes find her to be super tasty. I have also read that applying leftover tomato juice from cutting up tomatoes can help. It stops mosquito bites from itching. Tomatoes are also known to be rich in thiamine (vitamin B1). Thiamine might contribute to masking our natural human odors. These odors seem to attract insects, especially mosquitoes.
Tomatoes are great for our heart. They have Lycopene and this powerful antioxidant helps reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. They are also full of potassium which mean tomatoes can help regulate blood pressure. Both of these can potentially lower heart disease risk and help with heart health. Tomatoes are full of fiber which supports a healthy digestive system, that can also indirectly benefit heart health. Tomatoes are full of vitamin A which is great for our eyes and our skin. The vitamin C in tomatoes supports our immune function. The vitamin K and calcium in tomatoes helps with our bone strength.
There is so much health and goodness in tomatoes. Everyone should be growing tomatoes at their house. Grow a tomato plant at home! Tomatoes do best in the ground but you can also grow them in 5 gallon buckets. Don’t allow space to deter you from growing the best home grown tomatoes ever!
Benefits of Orange Peel Infused Vinegar for Cleaning. Its an effective cleaning solution. The infused vinegar can cut through grime and grease, deodorize surfaces, and leave behind a pleasant citrus scent. It also acts as a natural pest repellent especially with ants.Â
We decided to test the theory. Orange peels soaked in vinegar for two weeks in a dark cupboard produce a solution. This solution will remove ants. We used it in the kitchen area and it definitely has made a difference. But it seems to work best as a cleaner not so much as an ant repellent. As far as we are concerned.
Orange peels infused vinegar helps break down grease, grime, and soap scum. It is a powerful cleaning agent. The citrus scent of orange peels helps to mask the strong smell of vinegar, leaving behind a fresh, clean aroma.
How to make orange peel infusion
Fill a jar with orange peels (any combination of orange, lemon, or lime peels). Pour white vinegar over the peels to ensure they are fully submerged. Let the mixture sit in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks to infuse. After the 2-3 weeks we drain the vinegar from the peels and add water. Use a 1:1 ratio. If you have a cup of vinegar, add a cup of water. For two cups of vinegar, add two cups of water. Put it in a spray bottle for everyday use.
Cold and Flu Season is coming. Be Sure and check out our Elderberry Kits we have available. Everything you need to make your own syrup, just add honey!
