http://www.florafungiapothecary.com/

FLORA+FUNGI, Au Gres, MI (2026)

05/01/2026

Nettle season is in full swing in my neck of the woods! Do you eat nettles too? If so what are your favorite foods to make with them?

04/27/2026

Ecoprinting with Ferns: Tips and Tricks

Ferns are one of my favorite plants to incorporate into my textile art, but there’s a problem- most ferns don’t leave a print- so if you want to use them in your ecoprints you need to take a few extra steps to ensure you get a gorgeous result.

While most ferns lack the tannins and other dye constituents that other reliable printing leaves have, they can still be used if you use them as a resist.

Tip 1: Use a dye blanket to create a background color so that the fern blocks the dye from penetrating the fabric where the ferns are placed.

Tip 2: Find the right moisture balance for your fabric- some fabrics like velvet need to be more moist than others- too much moisture will cause blurry washed out prints. Other fabrics like lightweight silks need to be just moist enough to transfer the dye from the dye blanket into the textile being printed.

Tip 3: Bundle tightly! If you want crisp clear prints you must have good contact between the fabric, plants and dye blanket. Practice your bundling skills on small manageable sized pieces before scaling up.

Tip 4: Under-dye for richer color palettes. I almost always pre dye my fabric before eco printing with ferns so that the ferns aren’t white. Under dyeing + resist printing can create amazing color combinations that you couldn’t achieve with reliable printing leaves.

Tip 5: Reuse your ferns! I often reuse ferns several times- sometimes they will absorb bits of the color from your textile and dye blanket creating even more nuanced colors. Not ready to print more yet?- freeze your used ferns in a ziplock bag until you’re ready to use them again.

Tip 6: Dead ferns work as well as live ones, if not better. Dry dead ferns (like what you will find in winter) work great for printing and often produce crisper prints since they don’t have the moisture content fresh ferns have. —————Continued in comments………

04/25/2026

You get what you pay for! I will admit that when I started distilling eight years ago, I had no idea about the differences in quality of Copper equipment. I somehow got lucky and managed to buy a still from a reputable company without doing too much serious research into the matter- there were cheaper stills available, but something told me that I shouldn’t go with the cheapest option for a piece of equipment that would become the work horse of my business. If you’re considering buying a copper still, I highly recommend avoiding the cheap equipment you’ll find on places like Amazon and Alibaba, and opting to invest in equipment produced by a reputable and seasoned company-because that cheap still might just be an expensive decoration. If it’s made with low quality copper, and leaded solder. I have two manufacturers I trust and highly recommend to those looking to invest in copper distillation equipment- and

04/18/2026

When I first started working with natural dyes I felt like making dye swatches was a waste of fabric. But as I started working with silk I needed to keep better track of the colors I created, and a new obsession emerged.

In my ecoprinting practice I like to use layers of color, and I started creating swatches of the dyes and their respective concentrations so I could better replicate colors in the future.

Far from a waste of fabric, I began to document a library of possibility, initially starting with the familiar plant dyes I’d been growing for years, and began testing out wild plants for their dye potential and was amazed at the wealth of color in the world around me.

These slides represent a small fraction of my dye swatch library- just a handful of my favorites I made last summer. I’ve got a list of plants I can’t wait to try this year!

For those of you not versed in natural dyeing, WOF stands for weight of fiber, and the percentage is given in relation to the weight of the fiber being dyed.

Many traditional natural dye plants only require a small amount of plant material due to their high pigment concentration, however when testing out wild plants, I typically start at 100-200% WOF to ensure a rich color.

Since these are protein fibers, all are mordanted with Potassium Aluminum Sulfate @ 15% with the exception of the Silk Velvet which is mordanted with 5% Aluminum Triformate.

Additionally, Iron is used to modify colors and creates darker tones. I’ve included some of the iron modified samples while others only have the PAS and ATF mordant derived colors shown.

04/15/2026

There’s a reason why copper is the gold standard for distillers around the world…..

04/12/2026

Foraging the Great Lakes Bioregion: Balsam Poplar Buds (Populus Balsamifera)

Poplar trees of many varieties hold a rich aromatic resin in between the tightly folded buds that will erupt into leaves come spring.

While many species in the Populus genus have medicinal resins, we prefer the Populus balsamifera for the rich aroma of its resin.

The resin of poplar buds has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties

Poplar bud infused oil is a wonderful ally for a range of skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis, as well as reducing pain and inflammation from bruises and other minor injuries.

You can make your own poplar bud infused oil by soaking poplar buds in oil for several weeks, or for several hours on low heat.

To identity Balsam Poplar look for long, pointed reddish brown to deep amber buds coated in an aromatic resin.

The resin has a strong sweet scent almost like honey and propolis.

The resin will stick to your fingers and everything you touch!

Buds are alternate not opposite along the twigs which will be a grayish to reddish brown color.

Look for the trees near water- on riverbanks, the edge of lakes, etc.

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) can also be used, but are much less fragrant.

If you’re in the western part of Turtle Island, look for Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp trichocarpa)

04/12/2026

Foraging the Great Lakes Bioregion: Balsam Poplar Buds (Populus Balsamifera)

Poplar trees of many varieties hold a rich aromatic resin in between the tightly folded buds that will erupt into leaves come spring.

While many species in the Populus genus have medicinal resins, we prefer the Populus balsamifera for the rich aroma of its resin.

The resin of poplar buds has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties

Poplar bud infused oil is a wonderful ally for a range of skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis, as well as reducing pain and inflammation from bruises and other minor injuries.

You can make your own poplar bud infused oil by soaking poplar buds in oil for several weeks, or for several hours on low heat.

To identity Balsam Poplar look for long, pointed reddish brown to deep amber buds coated in an aromatic resin.

The resin has a strong sweet scent almost like honey and propolis.

The resin will stick to your fingers and everything you touch!

Buds are alternate not opposite along the twigs which will be a grayish to reddish brown color.

Look for the trees near water- on riverbanks, the edge of lakes, etc.

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) can also be used, but are much less fragrant.

If you’re in the western part of Turtle Island, look for Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp trichocarpa)

04/12/2026

Foraging the Great Lakes Bioregion- Balsam Poplar Buds (Populus Balsamifera)

Poplar trees of many varieties hold a rich aromatic resin in between the tightly folded buds that will erupt into leaves come spring.

While many species in the Populus genus have medicinal resins, we prefer the Populus balsamifera for the rich aroma of its resin.

The resin of poplar buds has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties

Poplar bud infused oil is a wonderful ally for a range of skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis, as well as reducing pain and inflammation from bruises and other minor injuries.

You can make your own poplar bud infused oil by soaking poplar buds in oil for several weeks, or for several hours on low heat.

To identity Balsam Poplar look for long, pointed reddish brown to deep amber buds coated in an aromatic resin.

The resin has a strong sweet scent almost like honey and propolis.

The resin will stick to your fingers and everything you touch!

Buds are alternate not opposite along the twigs which will be a grayish to reddish brown color.

Look for the trees near water- on riverbanks, the edge of lakes, etc.

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) can also be used, but are much less fragrant.

If you’re in the western part of Turtle Island, look for Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp trichocarpa)

04/12/2026

Foraging the Great Lakes Bioregion: Balsam Poplar Buds (Populus Balsamifera)

Poplar trees of many varieties hold a rich aromatic resin in between the tightly folded buds that will erupt into leaves come spring- if you want to snag some of these now is the tail end of the season!

While many species in the Populus genus have medicinal resins, we prefer the Populus balsamifera for the rich aroma of its resin.

The resin of poplar buds has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties

Poplar bud infused oil is a wonderful ally for a range of skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis, as well as reducing pain and inflammation from bruises and other minor injuries.

You can make your own poplar bud infused oil by soaking poplar buds in oil for several weeks, or for several hours on low heat.

To identity Balsam Poplar look for long, pointed reddish brown to deep amber buds coated in an aromatic resin.

The resin has a strong sweet scent almost like honey and propolis.

The resin will stick to your fingers and everything you touch!

Buds are alternate not opposite along the twigs which will be a grayish to reddish brown color.

Look for the trees near water- on riverbanks, the edge of lakes, etc.

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) can also be used, but are much less fragrant.

If you’re in the western part of Turtle Island, look for Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp trichocarpa)

04/10/2026

Seed starting season has me all nostalgic about last years blooms. I’ve usually spend a lot of my winter working on textile art but this year I’ve been so busy filming and editing videos for my Botanical Distillation course launching this May that my dye pots have been sitting empty and lonely- but often I create my favorite artwork after a forced break where I’m not able to make anything for a while. This year my focus is on larger pieces and finding a collaborator to sew garments 🧵 🪡 💫.

04/08/2026

I thought I just didn’t like the smell of lavender, until I started doing this….

Turns out I just don’t like fake floral scents. Real floral hydrosols smell divine.

Lavender has been used for centuries for its calming effects on skin

But what actually makes lavender so great for skin….?

Plants are more than just pretty petals, they’re full of natural chemical compounds that give them their beneficial properties

Secondary metabolites in aromatic plants are specialized chemical compounds—such as terpenes, phenolics, and alkaloids—

the plant produces them not for basic survival, but to interact with its environment, contributing to scent, flavor, and defense against pests, pathogens, and stress.

Lavender contains Linalool, Alpha Terpineole, Linalool oxide, Borneol, Lavendulol ,Geraniol, Cineole, Coumarin, Neral- among many others.

Linalool has anti inflammatory and antimicrobial properties

Geraniol has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Cineole has antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Each compound brings its own virtues to the whole.

Varying levels of these compounds combine to give a plant its distinct scent and flavor.

For skincare products I distill lavender hydrosol and essential oil, and infuse lavender into carrier oils and glycerine to make whole plant extracts for my serums and lotions.

Comment LAVENDER to check out our range of lavender offerings.

FLORA+FUNGI

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