Recently, I sold the teas and the salts at a holiday craft and art show where there were seven other tea vendors out of 90 food vendors. Believe me. This was incredibly unnerving.

When I questioned the promoter why she allowed so many other tea vendors, she explained we were all so different.

My products are farm grown teas and salts. The hands that pass you the container of tea or salts are the same hands planting, cutting, and harvesting the herbs.

So plain and simple. We are different than my fellow vendors. Why? Because I am the only farmer.

Farm Grown Herbal Teas, Salts and Skin Care Products

Are you scratching your head and wondering, why should that matter? I only sell what I have grown. It is really important for me to know what the herbs should taste and look like after they are dried.

Over the last ten years, I have decided to stop growing certain herbs that I use because I just don't have the equipment to process them. (Fennel seed is one of those plants.)

Plus, I can't grow enough to substantiate the cost of processing by hand.

However, I know what that herbs should look and taste like so I don't ever skimp on quality.

Sourcing Quality is Key

Often times I will see my competitors say they source their ingredients from the finest sources. How do they know if they haven't had their hands deep in the soil?

Worse yet, I have purchased from larger wholesalers in the past and am always disappointed since the color and smell of the herbs aren't vibrant.

Most of their herbs come from outside the United States. Consequently, they may have to be treated in some way to make sure that pests do not follow them into this country. If they are being steamed, the color of the herbs will be a lighter green instead of my beautiful dark green herbs.

In addition, I have no idea how they are dried, how they are grown, if they received irrigation which often times strengths the oil content of the herbs, etc. Consequently, when I need to source, I only partner with farms that share my values on how to grow herbs.

Most herbs farms in the United States are small so they are growing herbs because they are passionate. Believe me, they aren't becoming millionaires.

Farming is hard work. You do it because you love it.

Pickiness is a Virtue

If you asked me what were the two important tenets of The Naked Botanical, then it would be quality and taste. I want you to sip and feel fresh tasting herbs, Just how Mother Nature intended.

I am very picky as to where I source my herbs from if I run out of mine. (This only happens rarely.)

Currently, we hand remove sticks from the herbs. Most small farms only have hand tools to cut their herbs into tea size. I do the same thing. Equipment is really expensive such as a hammersmith that cut the herbs and indented cylinders which remove the sticks and finally a sifter to remove the same particles.

I hope with your help I will be able to afford this equipment to create even a better product.

What I refuse to do is cut up the stems and sticks with the herbs and give that to you as a final product. The stems of the plants have no taste when they are dried. I know since I tried to make an herbal vinegar with them. Talk about no taste. Bleech.

So, pinkie promise that you won't buy a product that has a lot of cut up stems since I guarantee you the product won't have taste.

Got To Have Taste

But just like Mary Poppins said, "a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down." No one is drinking herbal tea if it doesn't have a good taste.

So my way of getting you to drink your "medicine" is making it taste delicious through blends that were thoughtfully put together. Since I grow the herbs, I am able to taste them to find out what pairs well together.

And sometimes I am pleasantly surprised especially when I added oregano and basil to Morning Mojo. I never in my wildest dreams thought that would work. But it does.

Plus, I grow herbs that no one else is growing since there isn't a demand for those herbs. (Hello, chocolate mint.) Most herbal companies are pretty conventional and can only create herbal teas from ingredients which are widely available.

We Say NO Artificial or Natural Flavors

Another tenet of our farm we only include real grown in the soil ingredients. We don't add any artificial or natural flavors to our products.  

Artificial and Natural Flavors are like fragrances. Who knows what chemical are in them.

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, some of the 3059 possible ingredients in fragrances have been linked to health effects including cancer, reproductive toxicity, allergies and sensitivities. Everyone screams about not using fragrances in any of your household or personal products since they can contain chemicals which may be harmful to your health.

But how many of you are still drinking products with artificial or natural flavors? Natural and artificial flavors are very similar to fragrances. Who knows what is in them? (Honestly, you don't want to know how they create vanilla extract. It made me want to toss my cookies. Due to vanilla's high demand, the flavoring comes from the anal glands and castor sacs of Beavers. Read more HERE. Just disgusting. (Thank goodness I make my own.)

If the flavor was derived from a plant or animal, then it can be used in foods that is certified organic.

So I ask you. Why would you want to drink something with that has natural or artificial flavors especially if you are drinking an organic tea? That just baffles me. Since the vanilla comes from a beaver it is allowed under the organic standards.

Flavors are created in a laboratory. Do you want a Frankenfood tea? So, we won't use artificial or natural flavors.

Yes, we know you like your fruit teas but you really are drinking artificial or natural flavors. Pour hot water over blueberries and tell if you want to drink that. Hence, companies add artificial or natural flavors to their teas.

Mother Nature made herbs to taste like they do. We do our best to give you lip smacking taste like in our Best Damn Mint.

We care what goes in and on your body so you won't find anything synthetic in our products. The only exception is there is a small amount of preservative which is Eco-cert certified in our hydrosols. Hydrosols are made of water. Water breeds bacteria and I don't want you spraying bacteria on your body.

We Truly Care

So in a nutshell, what makes us difference is we care about what goes into your body. We dig digging in the earth to make a better tasting and feeling products. We hope it shows.

Thanks for your continue support. We still get a thrill every time we sell one of our products. Your smile means the world to us.