|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|||
 |
|||||
 |
 |
||||
|
|
|
|
About Us |
| Susan and Alana harvesting wild Yarrow in the yard to make Alaskan Herbal Hair Rinse. We love teaching our children native plant identification and food and medicinal uses for Alaskan botanicals. |  |
| Our chief harvesters Liam and Alana taking a break from picking Horsetail and playing thier gnome game in the bracken ferns. |  |
| We love visiting the baby goats in early summer at our neighboring farm where we get fresh goat milk for our Goat Milk Soap. They take such good care of their animals. It's such a pleasure to raise our kids with this connection to animals and nature. |  |
| It takes about 12 hours to make a batch of liquid soap or shampoo. Here Susan is diluting the soap paste with the minimum amount of water to produce a concentrated Hand & Body Wash. |  |
| We make our bar soap in a large block mold and slice it with a manual wire cutter. First we slice towers like you see here. Then we slice bars from the towers. One batch makes 144 bars weighing 4 oz. each after curing. |  |
Susan picking cottonwood buds in the spring to make balm and massage oil. Cottonwood is Susan's favorite scent. |
|
Our highly technical means of gathering snow to make our skin care products. After melting snow by our wood stove we triple filter the water to remove any debris. This “soft” water is preferred over mineral-laden tap water because it rinses cleaner and leaves skin softer. |
 |
| The Kenai Mountains visible from our cabin were the inspiration for the name of our business and our logo. This photo doesn't illustrate true alpenglow which is a radiant, glowing light reflected from the mountain peaks during sunrise and sunset. But it does reflect the grandeur and peacefulness of the place we call home. |  |
| Patrick and Susan enjoying our 8th season at the Homer Farmer's Market where you can find only locally handmade quality goods and the freshest produce available. |  |
| We harvest our annual supply of Cottonwood buds at the end of April before the leaves unfurl. The sticky and fragrant buds are the magical healing ingredient in the cottonwood balm and massage oil. |  |
| A bucket of freshly picked cottonwood tree buds. |  |
The house and workshop smell incredible when we make Cottonwood Balm. We use it daily on all family members. Alana requests it as soon as she gets an ouchie because she knows from experience how well it works. From bee stings, to burns, to cracks on heels - it is amazing how it stops the pain and heals the skin. |
 |
| A favorite part of Susan's job is hand picking our wild Alaskan rose flowers. The scent is a lovely floral - so dainty and pure. We wildcraft thousands of petals to use in our Wild Alaskan Rose Soap. During our long cold winter it's always a pleasure to make this soap and deeply sniff that precious summer scent. |  |
| Patrick and Liam biking near Portage Glacier after thoroughly enjoying Girdwood Forest Fair - our favorite show of the year. |  |
| A mother moose and her week- old calves walk between the porch and our garden in late May. When the garden was packed with ripe vegetables in August, a bear pushed the fence over one night to investigate. A week later moose took advantage of the lowered fence and feasted on dozens of ready-to harvest veggies. A new fence is in order this year! |  |
| Walking along the shores of Kachemak Bay create the best summer memories. |  |
| Lupine in bloom on the shores of Cook Inlet. |  |
| Liam and Alana enjoying lowbush cranberries. |  |
| Picking wild Nettles for Alaskan Herbal Hair Rinse. |  |
| Picking wild Alaskan Prickly Rose petals. |  |
| Preparing an infusion of wild Nettles, Horsetail and Yarrow flowers for Alaskan Herbal Hair Rinse.. |  |
| Alana with freshly picked wild Prickly Rose petals. |  |
Click on any of these photos for a larger view.