This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Jane Hawley Stevens of Four Elements Herbals at the Kickapoo Country Fair. She led a fascinating workshop titled "Gardening by the Moon" in which she shared tips about planting and harvesting during monthly cycles for optimal results. After her talk, I visited the Four Elements booth where she was selling a wide range of products from handmade soaps and lip balms to herbal tinctures and flower essences.

I sampled the Organic Orange Calendula Lip Balm which smells really refreshing and felt incredibly soothing to my lips. The best part though, was knowing where the organic comfrey root and calendula in the ingredient list came from - herbs harvested in small batches at their peak potency in the pristine Baraboo Bluffs of central Wisconsin.

After completing a B.S. in horticulture, Jane began specializing in the healing qualities of herbs. She and her husband, David, supplied stores with organically grown potted herbs and developed an extensive herb collection. She explains on her website, "herbs became a way of life from cooking and crafts, to body care and healing. It is from our tried-and-true experience that we created Four Elements body care products."

Their best selling product, Look, No X E Ma! Moisture Creme has relieved people with eczema from skin discomfort across the county. Originally designed for her infant daughter, Jane's cream contains licorice root, which has cortisone-like components, and cooling chamomile, comfrey and calendula. All Four Elements products are packaged on Nature's Acres farm in recyclable containers using recycled packing materials.

-Dorothee