How the Herbs Found Me
Sydney & Heather - Co-Owners of Meadowlark Made
Why I Chose Herbalism
By Heather
It’s funny how one small moment in childhood can plant a seed that takes root and quietly grows over the years.
I was around 12 or 13, snowed in at home with nothing much to do, when I picked up a book called Where the Lilies Bloom. That story followed a young girl named Mary Call, who lived in the Appalachian Mountains and used plants to treat the ailments of her neighbors and to help her family survive. I was drawn to her strength, her resourcefulness—but most of all, to her deep connection with the natural world. Something about that stuck with me.
Not long after, my mom began working for the Adair County Conservation. She would come home talking about native plants—naming them so effortlessly, and sharing bits and pieces about their uses. To me, she seemed so wise. I looked up to her and found myself listening a little more closely to the world outside.
Then life took me on a journey of its own. I moved away, following my husband as he served in the U.S. Air Force. We lived in different places, each one with its own landscape, its own plants, its own rhythm. But no matter where we went, that original spark—that wonder about plants and their power to heal—never really left me.
Over time, my belief deepened: that God, in His perfect design, placed everything we need within reach. Just like local honey reflects the unique needs of its region’s people, I believe the plants that grow around us are made for us—tailored to our bodies, our environment, and our healing.
Herbalism, to me, isn’t just about remedies. It’s about relationship. It’s about walking barefoot down the dirt road near our home, or wandering through my parents’ timber, or pausing in a meadow—and staying open. My eyes are always scanning the ground, not just for plants, but for the lessons they carry. It’s a quiet kind of learning, guided by curiosity, reverence, and faith.
That’s why I chose herbalism. Or maybe, more truthfully, herbalism chose me.
It began with a book, deepened with my mother’s wisdom, and grew stronger with every season of life. And now, it’s a path I continue to walk—one barefoot step, one leaf, one story at a time.
Nourishing herbal balm for hardworking hands, minor scrapes, and everyday skin resilience
Rooted in tradition our Homestead Salve is a daily go-to for dry hands, restoring wounds, and cracked heels. Made with pasture-raised pork tallow, organic sweet almond oil, beeswax, and a blend of skin-soothing herbs like calendula, plantain, and comfrey, it’s a salve as sturdy and comforting as the prairie women who inspired it.
This balm-style salve locks in moisture and creates a breathable barrier on dry, cracked, or weather-worn skin without petroleum or synthetics. Use it on hands, feet, or anywhere that needs extra care.
1 Oz.