From selling herbs at the renaissance fair to editing one of the most influential herbal magazines of the decade, Tina Sams has done it all! She’s joining us on the podcast for a special herbal edition of 5 Questions. We talk about her early days running an herb shop at a renaissance festival in the 90s, growing Jerusalem artichokes and horseradish, plus we dig into the International Herb Association’s Herb of the Year Books and Tina even shares her go-to herbal tea recipe for managing stress... this episode is packed!  Beginning with an herb shop at the local renaissance faire, Tina (along with her sister Maryanne) has dabbled in many different types of herbal businesses. She's published The Essential Herbal Magazine for more than 20 years and has written more than a dozen books about herbs.   Learn more about Tina’s work and The Essential Herbal Magazine at https://essentialherbal.com/ Tina’s shoutout was the Black Walnut Botanical Conference https://www.blackwalnutbotanical.com/ and the Pennsylvania Tea Festival https://www.teafestpa.com/ Before the interview, Bevin shares a little bit about a recent family trip to Chicago. We enjoyed a wonderful band at Andy’s Jazz Club https://andysjazzclub.com/ and ate what might be the best dumplings in Chicago at Hing Kee in Chinatown. https://www.hingkeechinatown.com/  We recently got the first big snow storm of the season and now we’re more ready than ever for spring to arrive! We’re keeping busy with various projects including planning for our 8th annual Central Michigan Seed Swap.   We’re almost ready to launch our new Herb Co-op, an exclusive offering for members of our Patreon community!   Members will enjoy wholesale prices on bulk organic herbs and spices including black/green teas, flowers, roots & more! As a member of our community, you can enjoy the benefits of buying quality herbs by the ounce at special discount prices! Check it out and sign up at https://www.patreon.com/smallhousefarm and https://www.smallhousefarm.com/herbcoop/ Today’s episode of Seeds & Weeds was brought to you in part by our friends at EZ Swap Pots! Check out their line of handmade fabric liners and reusable pots at www.ezswappots.com Use coupon code SEEDS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!  Join the Seeds & Weeds Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/seedsandweeds  And as always, big thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers.. we appreciate every one of you! Thank you for supporting the show! Remember, you can always support our podcast by joining our Patreon for as little as $3/month at www.patreon.com/smallhousefarm Connect with us! Join our special Seeds & Weeds Facebook Community! The Seeds and Weeds Podcast is made possible in part by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company - America’s top source for rare and heirloom varieties from around the world, and publisher of The Whole Seed Catalog. Their 2024 catalog is chock full of heirloom goodness; new varieties, recipes, stories, and gorgeous photographs! Order yours now at www.rareseeds.com Support the show