Meet The Farmers & Purveyors

Part of our mission at Rebecca's Herbal Apothecary is to support local farms, small-scale organic farming, and sustainable agriculture. Meet some of the providers that supply us with the highest quality botanicals. 

Biodynamic Botanicals

Biodynamic Botanicals found its home in Sustainable Settings Ranch in Carbondale, Colorado in 2016. Situated under the majestic Sopris Mountain on 244-acres once known as the historic Thompson Creek Ranch. Sustainable Settings is a Demeter Certified Biodynamic Ranch and Whole Systems Learning Center. They work on locally applicable solutions to climate change, food and energy security and the regeneration of healthy topsoil. Things they believe to be paramount if we are to survive. This effort is intended to move the culture into greater awareness of human being’s responsible participation as humble stewards and reverent members within Nature’s economy.

Stephanie, Co-Founder, has spent the past decade with her hands and heart in the dirt growing and using the powerful herbs that create vitality and wellness. She is a Certified Permaculture Designer, an educator in the fields of greenhouse management, seed saving and herbalism. Stephanie lectures across the United States on topics such as public food forests, seed saving libraries and culinary and medicinal herb growing. Stephanie is committed to community service through education and demonstration of herbal self-care and sustainable farming practices. Stephanie grew one acre of medicinal herbs at Sustainable Settings in 2016 and was overwhelmed at the quality, potency and vibrancy of the botanicals. She is thrilled to partner with Brook and Sustainable Settings to expand the quantity and variety of healing herbs that will be offered in the seasons to come.

Earthstar Farms

Earthstar Farms is a collective of four co-creative, organic farms located in the foothills above Boulder, Colorado. Together, Earthstar Farm, Wildcat Gardens, Wildstar Farm and Starlight Caravan share over 150 acres of mountain meadows, pine forests and pockets of cultivated gardens. The four growers are immediate neighbors and work together as a close-knit community. All the land and gardens are held as sacred and stewarded with great respect. The farms have been USDA certified organic for over 18 years and the community is committed to following earth-wise, sustainable practices, such as Bio-dynamics and permaculture.

Medicinal herbs are the farms’ specialty, as the mountain meadows and forests naturally support a wide range of wild healing herbs such as St. John’s wort, monarda, yarrow, Oregon grape root and mullein. Other medicinal herbs, including nettles, calendula, red clover, mints, lavender, comfrey, passion flower, elderberry, sweet grass and echinacea are grown in five cultivated gardens and two small greenhouses. The herbs are sold either freshly harvested, or minimally processed by being dried in one of three solar drying sheds. Once dried, the herbs are packaged, or made into value-added products. All the work, from planting seeds to attaching labels, to braiding sweet grass is done by hand.

Earthstar Farms has the good fortune to share the land with The Starhouse. A Boulder icon, The Starhouse is a much-loved temple that hosts many sacred ceremonies, weddings and healing workshops. The land is also home to sculptures, energy-works, sacred spaces, labyrinths, trails, community gardens and a historical log cabin. These aspects combine to create a unique, special place of natural power and beauty. Over the years, many people have spent time and found deep nourishment on this land.

Earthstar Farms is committed to the bright journey of earth wisdom, healing herbs, co-creative community and integrated learning for the universal good of all.

Foster Farm Botanicals

Foster Farm Botanicals is nestled in Calais, Vermont, and has been in the same family for over 200 years. They grow, harvest and process certified organic botanicals. Owners Peter and Annie originally founded the organic condiment company Annie's Naturals, and are exceptionally meticulous about the production methods, cleanliness and quality of the botanicals grown on their farm. Peter loves farming and Annie loves plants. The two melded their interests and passions together to establish their organic medicinal herb farm Foster Farm Botanicals. Now a band of ten, Foster Farm takes great pride in producing diverse botanicals, from growing and harvesting to drying and milling every botanical on their property. They are committed to being stewards of the land and are grateful to share their love of plants with the devoted crew and customers at Rebecca's Apothecary.

House of Aromatics

House of Aromatics is a very small company founded and operated by Eric Scott Bresselsmith in the wilds of the Great Southwest. Featuring wild crafted essential oils distilled from Conifer trees and brushes of the Colorado Plataea, this aromatic collection defines "unique." A self-studied herbalist and artisan distiller, passion comes to Eric's pursuit of botanical knowledge and life style. "The art of living is to make life your art."

Julie

My name is Julie, I have a daughter named Garnet and we live in Southern California. I am getting my masters degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis and work with children with autism. I've been harvesting White Sage throughout Southern California for five years. I was taught by a native elder who showed me some harvesting rituals using prayer, song and I spread organic tobacco as an offering to honor the sage plants. California fires and expanding cities are encroaching on our sacred sage fields causing white sage to go on an endangered list. White Sage naturally grows in only a couple regions on our planet, we are blessed to have it in California. I now harvest off of private properties. I am very careful how I harvest from these plants. I give them ample time to grow back and leave the weaker plants alone. My aim is to preserve the integrity of these fields so my daughters grandchildren can do what I am doing. Please enjoy the bounty this sacred plant has to offer us in cleansing and healing.

Stefan Link — Wildcrafter

Stefan Link, a triple Earth/Plant person through and through, is a Wild Craftier, Apothecary, Clinical Practitioner and Holistic Western Herbalism Teacher. He has been involved with plant medicines for nearly 30 years and has collected desert medicine plants for Rebecca’s for the past several years, as well as wildcrafting for herbal medicine companies throughout the world.

In his words: "by entering the world of plants, be it desert or mountains, we embark on an age-old pilgrimage, in our ancestors' footsteps. We go because we are called. And which plants willingly allow themselves to be noticed by us, talk to us, reach out to us, allowing us the great privilege to collect them, is all part of divine inspiration on our journey to wholeness through plant medicines. We have evolved with plants and they have evolved with us. To know this is to know the great interdependency of all life and that truly we are all relatives. From the moment we hear the calling and create our intention with mind, body, and spirit – we must go – and go in a way knowing that all life depends upon it. In this way our first priority is to listen well and go in a way of honoring and respecting our plant relatives."

In 2017 he founded the Desert Mountain Botanical School of Western Herbalism, a primarily ‘field based’ school, with over half of the class hours spent in the field. His school's mission is to provide learning experiences to communities, in diverse settings and habitats, providing pathways of reconnection to our birthright as plant users and caretakers of this land, while instilling practical knowledge in the use of plant medicines to inspire self-reliant and sustainable living practices. His belief is that by cultivating this primal relationship with the plants themselves, we open up to a far reaching picture of how we can actively support healthy living for ourselves and others using plant medicine.

Zack Woods Herb Farm

Jeff and Melanie Carpenter own and operate Zack Woods Herb Farm in Hyde Park, Vermont. They have recently co-authored the book, The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer which came out in the spring of 2015, published by Chelsea Green.

Jeff Carpenter has farming in his blood. Descended from generations of Vermont dairy farmers, Jeff deepened his love and understanding of plants through an apprenticeship with Rosemary Gladstar and as the co-owner of Sage Mountain Herb Products. Since those early days Jeff’s work as a farmer, agricultural consultant, educator, and researcher has focused on the cultivation and marketing of medicinal herbs. Jeff also partners with Rosemary Gladstar in hosting the International Herb Symposium. His passion for the green world is evident as he spends his days working in the fields and in the community.

Melanie Carpenter grew up at Sage Mountain under the loving tutelage of herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. It was there that Melanie started her first business, Sage Mountain Herb Products. Over the last twenty years, she has worked as a farmer, mother, community herbalist, and educator. In addition to her work as a farmer, Melanie serves on the board of directors of United Plant Saver and assists her family in directing the International Herb Symposium and NE Women’s Herb Conference. She believes that some of the most profound teachings and healings come from working on the land with the plants. To that end, Melanie offers classes on the farm to help people explore and deepen their connection to the green nations.