Community Care Apothecary

Packing up a whole bunch of Cozy Season tea for the Revolution Will Be Well Fed book launch next week! Want a free bag of our fave tea??? Get yours by preordering new book through our amazing friends at before Sept 17th!
PS, Did you know that I made this delightful tea blend to pair well with the recipes in this book??
You’ll find the recipe and a deeply meaningful piece I wrote in the dessert section 🧁🍩🥧🍪🍰🍂

PSS, CCA will have a table set up at the Feed the Movement book launch on the 17th! Will we see you there????

Am I going extra hard on fall this year? yes. Do I have even more dreamy seasonal goods in the works? you bet!
When my sweetie asked for a sugar scrub, I knew just what I was going for…and it did not disappoint!
Featuring super local syrup from Two Mamas Farm and a blend of freshly ground spices, this Maple Sugar Body Scrub smells, feels and yes I’ll admit, even tastes incredible. Side bonus, I used all organic food grade ingredients, so I gave it a try and now I want to put some in my coffee and bake with with it 🤣
Extra special thanks to Em for requesting a new sugar scrub, testing the batch, giving feedback as I tried different ratios and sitting in as a beautiful hand model.

COZY SEASON is officially upon us 🍂🎃🍁 Did you feel the crisp chill in the air this morning?? Made me want to fire up the woodstove, grab a comfy oversized sweater and curl up with my cats, crochet and a pot of cozy season tea ☕️
The first batch of spiced elderberry syrup of the season is ready (just in time for back to school) adorable new mugs, wooden spoons, herbcrafter tarot cards & candles have arrived and the selection of hanging herb bundles from this year’s abundant harvest is delightful 🌿

The Big Gay Summer Soirée was not able to be rescheduled in time, so this year, we’ll be hosting our very first annual fall flannel party that I’ve been brewing up, called Transitions. Stay tuned 😘

Back home from an incredible weekend at Templefest, filled with so much inspiration and overflowing with gratitude for the whole experience🌿 I visited our gardens first thing this morning to see how everyone is doing and was greeted by a single red rose. The herbs are doing their late summer abundant things, bees are busy beeing and another round of big harvests are happening this week.
PS, tell your plants I said hiiiiiiiiiiii

Hey herb lovers🌿 Reede here, dropping by with a little love note from Templefest 2024. It’s been many many years since I last attended my favorite nature filled witch camp and it’s been incredible to be back reconnecting with old friends, classmates and teachers, as well as meeting so many lovely new folks. Lots of great classes, panels and keynotes back-to-back with rituals and reflection time by the fire… and oh did I mention the night market themed “the witches’ apothecary” this year?? perfection.
Annnnyway, I’m here for a couple more days soaking it all in with my basket of crochet, chatting away with all the dreamy herbalists in the crowd and will be back in on Tuesday with new nuggets of kitchen witchery wisdom and plenty of plant magic to integrate🌿😘

Hey friends 🌿 Your over the moon happy local tea making shopkeeper & first time published writer, Reede, here with some super exciting news to share!!
But first, storytime 📖
Somewhere around 2 years ago our friend Corrie came in the shop and told me all about ideas for a cookbook they were going to be starting called The Revolution Will Be Well Fed. We excitedly geeked out for some time before my jaw dropped speechless when she asked me to write a piece in my own voice for the book around my practices of cultivating ancestral connection as a source of nourishment and resistance. Me? a writer? huh? I’d never written anything for others to read and let me tell you, it has been a TRIP.
After so many months of prompts, somatic practices, rituals, pleading & petitioning to get any words to come out, the first draft was submitted-at like 11:59pm the day it was due…and it felt like there was still so much missing.
By some miracle, the publish date was extended by a few months and I had the opportunity to rewrite the piece after returning from Armenia last summer and the words finally poured out. Writing the essay in this book was one of the most challenging and expansive things I’ve done in this life to date…
taste testing all the gluten free sweets however and choosing the herbal tea recipe to be included…well that was just the icing on the cake!

Annnnnyway, I got to see a sneak peek of the final layout and it is absolutely gorgeous! And because we adore collaborating with our favorite bookstore ever, preorders placed at will receive a free bag of the tea that I’ve blended with your book 😍😍😍
We’ll be doing some really fun events this fall together, but in the meantime- here’s the details on the big book launch right down the road here in Florence!!!

ps, as I was typing this post Corrie happened to walk through the door unexpectedly and that thread of q***r magic that weaves through us come flowing in once again. I can not wait to hold a copy in my hands soon 🥰
photo credit from the book by the talented

A new batch of gorgeous all natural candles from ***rcandleco has arrived 🤩

Starting this week we’ll have a few bunches of FRESH herbs available🤩 This week We have sage, thyme & mountain mint! Stop by the shop and take in all the amazing smells or put your order in online for local pickup only 🌿

Made a new batch of roll-on oils from gorgeous flowers grown in our very own garden today😍 Heirloom Rose is back, along with a dreamy lavender roll-on oil!

silly kitties Anoush & Ella reminding you that today is the last day of tax free weekend in MA and we’re giving you an extra 10% off everything in the shop with code TAXFREE10 😻 Help us clear off some shelf space for all the new seasonal goodies we have coming out soon!

Tax free weekend + an extra 10% off everything in-store & online shipping orders 🤩
With being such a small handcrafted shop and all, we don’t do sales often…and also, I may or may not have been getting into the spirit of fall a little hard this year and would love to make space for all the back-to-school/autumn goodies I’ve been making behind the scenes with this year’s abundant harvests!
See you this weekend 😘

one minute I’m watering the garden, going about my day…when all of a sudden I spot it, my very first Armenian cucumber, and let out a great aunt Margaret style squeal that was surely heard across down Florence👀
It’s almost too beautiful to eat 😭😭😭

Good morning from this stunning monarch hanging with the wood betony, tulsi, blue vervain, skullcap and yarrow in our gardens 🦋

3 years ago on the new moon in cancer, this ♋️ moon announced the start of Community Care Apothecary🌿 It would still be a few more months before we moved into our tiny little magical shop, but it was on this day that I planted so many of the seeds that have grown slow and steady, getting more deeply rooted like the hearty perennials in our gardens with each passing season. 3 years of pouring my whole heart into building the foundation little by little, showing up with what I’ve got to contribute each day and it’s all adding up to something really beautiful.
Thanks for all the love friends, it feels incredible to be here with you 💜

Making you a batch of something extra special today with herbs I brought back from Armenia 😍🌿🧿🇦🇲
This time last year I was immersed in the rivers and lakes and mountains and feilds of wildflowers of my ancestral homeland and I’m missing that connection something fierce this week. I returned in my dreams 2 nights ago and again last night during a guided meditation. I visit this way often.
The land where these herbs are so abundantly grown on mountain sides may be 6,000 miles and a 24+ hour travel ordeal away…and…working with these precious herbs connects me back everytime 🌿
I’m so excited to share what comes out of this magic making kitchen witching this afternoon, and, in the meantime it smells so good in here I could cry!
ps, I have a hundreds of pictures and video clips from my time there saved and have been slowly working on creating something really beautiful little by little. Cancer season has me all smushy so I might put up a mini version this week 💜

well, our Big Gay Summer Soiree may have been postponed- but it was such an incredibly lovely day at the shop filled with dear loved ones who surprised me from out of town anyway!
So grateful for all the life filling this little shop these days. Sending a big thank you to everyone who comes in to connect, it truly is what makes this space feel so special 💜

dreamy maximalist apothecary vibes 😍 With growing season fully upon us it’s been a while since I’ve shared updated interior photos of this little shop of wonders and with a new special addition, I think it’s about time!
Earlier today I had the pleasure of picking up this gorgeous rug that belonged to a beloved by many teacher & author Raven Grimassi and his wife Stephanie 🐦‍⬛
The Grimassi’s taught many workshops on ancestral connection, Strega & the old ways and I will always remember being present for one of the last classes that Raven taught before his passing years ago. What I experienced in the meditation towards the end of that workshop called The Witches’ Garden, will absolutely live with me forever and I am so so grateful for all the wisdom and insight I gained from that experience.

You may or may not know this about me, but I’m a sucker for a good rug. Like so much so that I left stuff behind in Yerevan last year so I could bring more rugs home 🤣 I must have come from a long line of weavers or merchants in Western Armenia because I can’t even tell you how hard I geek out about rugs. There’s something so magical about the threads of connection that get woven into carpets and it’s a honor to now house this one here ♥️
ps, we already moved it under the community tea table so it wouldn’t be a tripping hazard, but I had to share because the shop looks so full & luscious!

Mullein & Garlic infused ear drops are coming your way tomorrow 😁 This has been our go to for ear aches for ages and it’s been too long since I’ve made a batch!

Speaking of…I love looking at pretty things as much as the next guy, and while I aspire to share even a fraction of the garden glamour that my camera roll is chock full of, days of tending, harvesting, processing and making turns into weeks and before you know it the whole season has gone by!
So here’s a little mullein flower beauty to make your day, hanging out with them earlier sure made mine 😍
# herbalapothecary

Big harvest before more big rains came ⛈️🌿
After we lost most of our herb crop right before harvesting season last year to flooding, this year I was quick to harvest when I saw so many days of rain in the forecast!
Annnnyway, big harvests = delightful smells & soft fluffy sensory yes yeses while processing herbs all day, so there’s no where else I’d rather be today!
Harvested so much mountain mint! and marshmallow! and skullcap! and yarrow! swooooon 🥰
Big thanks to the lovely for coming by to talk life and craft the afternoon away while I processed these beauties. Oh, and for the gorgeous photos too, what a treat💜

oops, forgot to mention, made you some super cute stuff before we left 🌈♾️🏳️‍⚧️🔮and now we’re back!

tomorrow 🌈
Still at the ocean for a few more hours, so I’m make this post short and sweet. full deets are listed in the website under the workshops & events tab!
BYOC or come work on a big q***r community collagetogether 🧶✂️🧵

For the first time in the 3 years that I’ve been loving on this plant that came into the garden as a sweet little bb, Rue gave us flowers! So many gorgeous flowers 🤩
If you’ve been around for a bit chances are you’ve heard all about my deep love and kinship with Rue. This plant is a dear old friend that I work with in room sprays, ritual bath soak blends and even infuse into candles once a year…so what an incredible honor it is to make some flower essence too!
*flower essences do not contain active constituents, so it’s a lovely way to work with plants that one might not otherwise typically ingest.
Throughout the summer I’ll be making a few more essences, and for now, it felt only right to have my love Ruta be the first 🌿

This week our seasonal favs are making their way back for summer 😍 First up, because everyone in our house is a long time fan- Refresh Body Spray. Great for hot sweaty pits, bits, rolls & folds!
Also, this 3rd year lavender plant that I lovingly call Large Marge is flowering like never before 🥹

The first trans meetup we held two summers ago was so freaking fun, so we’re doing it again! and this time, we’re adding a clothing swap 🏳️‍⚧️ Last summer was a complete wash from all the flooding mess- so we’re really looking forward to hosting more events this year!

How it works:
step 1) bring your fabulous self. Ta-Da if this is the only step you get to, beautiful, welcome!
If you have some clean clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc in good condition that are no longer doing it for you, bring ‘em in and make someone else’s gender affirming day.
You are welcome to take some clothes home even if you don’t have any to swap! My one ask is to try to minimize the amount of fragrance on the clothes (and yourselves) as much as possible. Common scents from laundry detergent, body products and perfume trigger awful mast cell activation flares for me and it’s truly miserable (and I’m sure for others in our community with MCAS as well). Thanks for your consideration 😘

What to expect:
We’ll do some icebreakers, have some projects to work on for my fellow anxious bees and have the opportunity to build community in a no pressure, low stakes social environment.
Just beginning your current gender exploration journey? Come on in! It’s a great space to try out a new name and/or pronouns.

This event is open to trans, nonbinary and gender creative folks of all ages. yay for multigenerational spaces, we really need them💜

Q***r Plant Magic workshop + potion making going down next Frigay!! This after hours event is equal parts 1) learning about herbal practices to sustain us as we continue to fight for liberation & 2) getting into some q***r witchy magic together. We’ll build a community altar to honor our q***r & trans ancestors (known and unknown), charge up special objects of your choice that represent your connection with q***rness and make some super q***r potions together.

We’ll discuss several nourishing medicinal & magical herbs to work with for:

🌿nervous system regulation & stress/anxiety management
⛰️herbal embodiment practices (especially helpful for dysphoria)
🌈working with shame from internalized homophobia & transphobia
🧿protection
❤️‍🩹grief
😏herbs for q***r love & attraction magic
💕nourishing herbs to care for ourselves and eachother in community

Space is super limited so please register in advance for this one. I’m really looking forward to making some ***rmagic with you!

Digestive Aid Oxymel is back and a fresh batch of Nourish Oxymel is ready as well 😘
Oxymels are made with apple cider vinegar and raw local honey, instead of alcohol to extract the medicinal goodness from the plant friends in this bottle…and they just so happen to be one of my favorite ways to get my herbs in 🌿

We’re looking forward to this event happening at the shop this Friday from 4:30-6:30 with Ebbie & Julissa 🌈 This masked workshop is free to attend, and space is limited so please email (info on flyer) to register!
Hope to see you there 💕

June garden glamour shots 🤩 Our 3rd year perennials are looking beefy yall, like so much bigger than I anticipated when I planted these beds. I’m so thrilled to see all these beauties and their babies that came back to our herb gardens again this year!

1) lavender with chamomile
2) valerian (front) & elecampane (back)
3) hyssop (left) & sage (right)
4) my prized giant Solomon Seal
5) wood betony (front) & lemon balm (back)
6) flowering sage
7) rue
8) yarrow
9) mountian mint
10) blue vervain
🌿not pictured yet but also thriving is, Solstice wort (St. John’s wort), Maypop (passionflower), thyme, oregano, lemon verbena, bee balm, marshamallow, anise hyssop, catnip, black cohosh, nettle, echinacea, motherwort, california poppy, violets and so. much. skullcap.

🌿direct sow bb tusli, calendula, oats, lemon balm, sage, marigolds, rue & catnip are coming up as well!

We are already in haveresting & extract making mode/ and I’m anticipating there will be extra fresh herbs available for order🙏

quick love note with updates on this weekend:
More time/energy is needed at home to focus on some family stuff we’re navigating, so the shop will be closed for the long weekend.
Sharing some big gratitude for the relationships built with our neighborhood families and local community. It really is such a relief to experience the kind of understanding, grace and support that’s been cultivated when we need to take some time off to tend to life outside of the shop. It makes running this little family run business possible. Love you big😘
PS, Hope you get some restorative time in- see you back here next week 💜

it’s officially LILAC HONEY season at CCA💜💜💜 Every year we make a super small batch of lilac infused honey, and every year I’m amazed by how fast it flies out of here.
We were delighted to be invited back to harvest fresh lilacs from our friends over at apiary just a few towns over in Montague-where the honey comes from as well🍯 Shout out to the sweetest q***r bees around🐝

If you preordered your lilac honey we have it tucked aside for you, if not get it while the gettings good!