September News

September Newsletter

Hey Everyone! It's wild how things have lined up this year. Despite being the busiest I have ever been with three kids and so many plant and business babies to tend to, I have found time and resources this year to take a big zoom out and reassess my business model, day to day quality of life and have started making plans to optimize my time and energy and learn to thrive, not merely survive.

In 2010 I started out without a home, let alone a car, and a dream. I hitchhiked to house cleaning jobs until I had earned enough with my eco-friendly cleaning business to buy a car. I eventually earned enough to move back home to Northern Michigan and start Bear Earth Herbals. I worked long days and longer nights raising my son, continuing to clean houses and starting the business. Over time I was able to stop cleaning, buy a farm in Kingsley, build a commercial kitchen and host classes and workshops. There are a lot of achievements in this, don't get me wrong, but throughout these past 15 years I have never really had enough money to comfortably pay the bills without wondering how I was going to make it work on a monthly basis. I am proud of how far I and Bear Earth Herbals have come, and I realized I owe it to myself and BEH to try to get to a place of true sustainability - sustainability for the planet, the plants and people (including myself).

Life is magical. I set this goal one night while working in the shop alone, and shortly after received a call from my late aunt's dear friend who has been following this journey since my aunt shared products with her many years ago. She wanted to help me start distributing product to a larger area. I said I wasn't ready for that right now, but I was ready to get ready. She introduced me to her daughter, Molly, who has a business helping other businesses become environmentally and financially sustainable. I knew I needed to update the salve labels and get new product photography too. I had found the right professionals, but had no means to pay them for their services. Then, a local small business support organization informed me that I had been pre-approved for a grant through my work with them for get this the exact amount that these three services totaled. Woah.

So...here's how it's going:

The new salve labels are almost done! Expect to see an announcement in October with the new look and updated packaging hitting the shelves this fall. The same artwork is being used but they have a fresh, updated look that I really love.

The photography is underway, and we're about to bring up some seasonal teas into the big tins, see article below.

In August I went to Colorado for a family vacation (the key to surviving burn-out season in MI), and met with Molly for our third and final session in-person. We dove deep into the why's and how's of Bear Earth Herbals and with her help created a sustainability plan to implement over the next few years. It's amazing what a Rocky Mountain view and taking a big step back can do for strategic visioning.

Seasonal Teas going Year Round We have a big project underway...we are bringing a variety of seasonal teas into the big leagues with the other year-round teas in tins. This may lead to us discontinuing some of the current teas in tins, but don't worry, you'll still be able to get them bulk on our website. Here's what's moving into tins: Rooted (from the infusion bags) Daytripper (made with bee pollen) Hang Loose (relaxing tropical tea) Lake Michigan Sunrise (black tea) Heart Beet (with local beets) Sleepy Bear (sleep tea with hops) Bluegrass (with MI blueberries)

Herb Fest 2026 Registration Open!

We are excited for our second annual Herb Fest here at the farm coming up on September 20th! We have spots still open, but it will fill up, so make sure to register now to attend. We're honored to be hosting two amazing herbalists this year as instructors: Angie Jackson will be returning from Grand Rapids to teach us about spirits, herbal elixirs and more! Daisy Kostus, an anishinaabe elder and local herbalist will be teaching about traditional indigenous herbs and plant uses. The day will include an herb and yoga walk, many hands on workshops, DIY herbal remedy bar, an herb infused lunch and lots more! Register Here

Virtual Learning Offerings Coming Soon!

Thank you to all of you who filled out the survey last month about online offerings. After much thought and your feedback, I have decided to start offering a subscription based educational offering that will be in the form of articles and videos. I plan to launch this winter, so keep an eye out for more on this as we get out of harvest season.

Featured Herb

Shiso Perilla frutescens

Shiso is one of the lesser known mint family herbs, but is as easy to grow as Basil and a gorgeous red hue that makes it really stand out in the garden. If you like to combine herbs and ornamentals for a natural looking, useful flower bed, consider adding in some shiso next summer for this colorful pop. Shiso is often used for flavor in Asian cooking and is the flavoring and coloring agent used in pickled plums (a common ingredient in asian recipes). The flavor is so hard to describe, you just have to try it for yourself. It has all the flavors in one herb...sweet, sour, spicy, minty...it's complex.

• antibacterial there is good reason shiso is often paired with raw fish in sushi, it acts as a powerful antimicrobial herb to preserve and protect the fish

• gently warming Shiso is a warming plant, but not in the irritating way that something like ginger or cayenne might be. It is a gentle warmer and stimulator to the digestive system and immune system, being a perfect herb for fall when we are eating heavier meals and cold and flu season begins

• respiratory support the gentle warming and moving properties of this plant along with it's antimicrobial action make it a superb respiratory herb for coughs, colds, moving phlegm and opening up the airways

• lymphatic mover a subtle yet very important system in the body, our lymphatic system, benefits greatly from moving herbs like Shiso to help clear stagnation and toxins from the body by moving lymph fluid and promoting detox

• anti-inflammatory the properties in Shiso can help reduce inflammation in the body which can cause anything from arthritis to skin conditions

Next year order some shiso seeds, start indoors like basil, and add this gorgeous mint family plant to your pots, flower beds or culinary gardens.

For this year...stay tuned! We grew quite an abundant crop of Shiso this year and will be playing with it to create some very fun, unique offerings for our Winter Wellness Boxes this year.

Preorder your Winter Wellness Box Here

What's your Favorite Herb?

Get featured on Bear Earth Herbals social media and get a 20% OFF Coupon Code to be used at an in-person market or on our website during checkout of your next order!

• Send a photo of you and the herb (can be dried, prepared, growing, fresh...whatever you like)

• Send in a couple of sentences or a small paragraph about why it's your favorite herb

• We'll send you a 20% off coupon code and feature you on our socials

Farm Store Coming this Fall! It's been a long time coming, but we're finally ready to open our on-farm store. No, it's not this cute little building in the photo. That is the storage shed we got to move all the stuff into that is currently in the room we will turn into a store. It will be open by appointment only and we'll have a grand opening event this fall!

Thanks for being the backbone of this business, without you it wouldn't exist. I had so many folks reach out after last month's newsletter to let me know they read it and enjoyed it. It made the push to keep with my monthly newsletter streak feel even more worth it. I know life is busy so I really do appreciate that you take the time to read about what we're up to and the journey getting here. It's Hops harvesting season...which is a perfect antidote to late summer overwhelm. It's aromatic, beautiful, done standing (great for sore backs) and the resins from the hops after enough picking will leave you feeling dreamy. Or in my case, incredibly sleepy, leading to a hard earned afternoon nap. Hopefully you are all able to fit in some down time in this coming month to help rebuild after summer and prepare our bodies to move into fall with vitality and resilience.

We still have another month left of Farmers Markets so come out and see us if you're local! I always love hearing from you, so don't hesitate to reach out with questions, ideas or just to connect.

Warmly,

Sierra and the Bear Earth crew