Burrows Bay Herbs & Spices

I started Burrows Bay Herbs and Spices in April of 1995. I wanted to have an independent source of income and I wanted to run a business the way I wanted to. Since I love to cook and use a lot of herbs and spices this type of business was ideal for me. I put my creativity to work creating new spice blends and provided recipes to feature my products. I sold my products at the Anacortes Farmers’ Market for 10 years. Seasonal produce stands abound in our agricultural area and I had a rack of spices in almost every one in Skagit and the neighboring counties. Several retailers in the area found a home for my products and I participated in many arts and crafts shows.

I had to suppress the growth of my business while I continued in my profession and I planned to expand it when I retired. A newly developed interest in art and design changed my plans.

Now Burrows Bay Herbs and Spices sells only those products that don’t require a licensed processing plant: catnip, catnip toys and lavender products. Snow Goose Produce carries my products during their operating season, and I still participate in a few holiday shows.

Since we have always had at least one cat in the house, keeping kitties happy is an important focus. BBH&S offers small packages of a special blend of catnip that can be added to your cat’s food or rubbed on kitty’s favorite blanket. I use an organic catnip in my Purrfect Kitty Catnip Toy.

It’s always a challenge to get your cat to sleep where you want it to sleep. My contribution to this on-going exercise in frustration is a Catnip Quilt. These small quilts are made from a variety of fabrics with charming kitty prints and have half a cup of catnip in the center. The idea is to attract the cat to the quilt with the catnip and get it used to sleeping there. After a while the cat’s own scent is in the quilt and I think that’s what they really like. These quilts are washable and you can rub more catnip on the top after washing.

Only about half of all cats react to catnip; the remainder are just not into it! Each cat reacts differently to catnip and it’s fun to watch them change as it takes effect. For humans, catnip is a relaxing herb and you will find it in many sleepy-time teas. The catnip that I sell is just for the kitties, so you will have to get your own somewhere else!