Seeds & Weeds Podcast

Five Questions w/ Tina Sams, The Essential Herbal

January 17, 2024 Bevin Cohen, Small House Farm Season 2 Episode 2
Five Questions w/ Tina Sams, The Essential Herbal
Seeds & Weeds Podcast
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Seeds & Weeds Podcast
Five Questions w/ Tina Sams, The Essential Herbal
Jan 17, 2024 Season 2 Episode 2
Bevin Cohen, Small House Farm

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

We're teaming up with our friends at PERMIES to help you kickstart your permaculture journey! The Permaculture Adventure Bundle has over $600 worth of resources to help you reach your sustainable homesteading goals including a digital copy of SAVING OUR SEEDS. This amazing collection can be yours for only $65 when you sign up today! www.smallhousefarm.com/permaculture-adventure-bundle

The Seeds & Weeds Podcast is brought to you in part by our friends at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and while they’re well known for their incredible selection of rare and unique heirloom seeds, they’re also the organizers of the National Heirloom Expo which takes place every year in Ventura, California. Join us at the National Heirloom Expo September 10-12 in sunny Ventura, California! Find out more at https://theheirloomexpo.com/

Support the Show.

Show Notes

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

We're teaming up with our friends at PERMIES to help you kickstart your permaculture journey! The Permaculture Adventure Bundle has over $600 worth of resources to help you reach your sustainable homesteading goals including a digital copy of SAVING OUR SEEDS. This amazing collection can be yours for only $65 when you sign up today! www.smallhousefarm.com/permaculture-adventure-bundle

The Seeds & Weeds Podcast is brought to you in part by our friends at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and while they’re well known for their incredible selection of rare and unique heirloom seeds, they’re also the organizers of the National Heirloom Expo which takes place every year in Ventura, California. Join us at the National Heirloom Expo September 10-12 in sunny Ventura, California! Find out more at https://theheirloomexpo.com/

Support the Show.