Artists of the Month: Michael and Mary Devito, Naked Botanicals Apothecary

The following post is by Michael and Mary Devito, Owners of Naked Botanicals Apothecary, the Herban Lifestyle July 2014 Artists of the Month.

ABOUT NAKED BOTANICALS APOTHECARY

We’re an organic skincare company dedicated to the prevention of violent, brutal attacks by mosquitoes and other little buggers. Our natural insect repellents harness the mighty superpowers of…lavender! Lemongrass! And peppermint! Which smells like you ran nekkid holding candy canes through lavender fields in Provence. (That’s in France.)

Rise up, friends! We’re empowering adults, children, pets–anyone with skin!–to take a stand against unwelcome advances by would-be predators. We’re arming you with certified organic ingredients and intoxicating aromas, straight from our nation’s capital. YUM.

 

ABOUT ORIGINAL LAVENDER INSECT REPELLENT
Our organic bug spray harnesses the mighty superpowers of…Lavender! Citronella! Peppermint! Which smells like you ran nekkid holding candy canes through lavender fields in Provence. (That’s in France.) And look, Ma! No itchy, nasty mosquito bites. Best. Summer. Ever.

We take a bold, citrus bouquet of lemongrass, citronella plus energizing peppermint then round it out with woody lavender and cedarwood notes to create our signature intoxicating scent. YUM. Not only does it repel biting insects, but the witch hazel-based elixir also refreshes and purifies your skin in high heat and humidity.

• Certified organic essential oils of lavender, cedarwood, citronella, lemongrass and peppermint are potent, naturally-occurring insect repellents.
• Effectively repels mosquitoes, ticks and biting insects for up to 4 hours.
• Biodegradable, vegan and DEET-free.
• Contains NO nuts, gluten, dairy, chemicals, dyes, fragrances or preservatives.
• Safe for the whole family: adults, children over 6 months of age, those with sensitive skin, even pets!
• Proudly made in small batches in the USA.
• Each durable, recyclable PET plastic bottle contains 4 fluid ounces. Please recycle.

You can find more about Naked Botanicals Apothecary on their website 

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Wineberry Surprise! A True Harbinger of Summer

Happy Summer Solstice!

After being on the road for 9 days, I was eager to survey my yard to see how the gardens were doing. Happily, they had fared well in my absence. But our white mulberry tree was completely devoid of fruit, showing no evidence at all that they had been there!

However, as I was checking out the tomatoes (which had not been there when I left), I noticed a spot of red next to my tool shed. On closer inspection, I discovered some wild wineberries in the making!

In the past couple of years, we have discovered a few choice raspberry foraging areas throughout Virginia, and have been eagerly awaiting the time when they will be ready for the pickin’ – there are few things as delicious as raspberries straight from the bush. So it was a huge thrill to find the domestic raspberry’s Asian relative right here in our yard. The vine appears to have climbed up under the fence from the neighboring property. I have included a photographic showing the unromantic reality of my wineberry bush’s existence below. I love how tenacious nature can be!

Since childhood, raspberries have been harbingers of summer to me. We had a single raspberry bush in our backyard in Connecticut, and I looked forward to fresh raspberries for dessert in late July/early August. We also had friends with a large untamed property who had dozens of raspberry bushes, with plenty of fruit for the taking if you didn’t mind getting pretty scratched up in the process. I thought it was worth it! To me, raspberries taste like the epitome of summer.

And now I have to wait patiently for another week or two before the berries are ready to be harvested. Let me know if you have any favorite wineberry recipes. I plan to make something fun out of them, if there are any left by the time we get home from our foraging adventure 🙂

[Note: after receiving a comment from a reader, I added some info to this post, and changed the title from “Raspberry Surprise!” to “Wineberry Surprise!” Thank you to Amelia of Gradually Greener!]

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