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Photo: Indigital

GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

From floral milk baths to end-of-life doulas, this was a crazy year for health, beauty, the environment, and humanity. In case you missed them, here are 10 standout stories our magazine covered this year.

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Mesquite Flour_Garden Collage_Andreana Bitsis Photo: Andreana Bitsis | Styling: Jessy Scarpone
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Mesquite Flour

Mesquite Flour is a sustainably-harvested, low-glycemic, gluten-free flour made from ground mesquite cactus beans. This year, it won over our taste buds and minds, as we were the first magazine in the world to give it major editorial coverage. Produced mainly by harvesters in rural New Mexico (at least at this point– we’ve since seen it in Trader Joe’s!), this new superfood flour has a delicious, caramel-y taste that won’t spike your blood sugar. And how it is harvested is a pretty interesting process, too. Read the full story here.

9c3e4597-e5b4-4724-b573-fb7735666c11-shot_03_064-3 Photo: Reformation
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Sustainable Denim

This year Reformation Jeans announced a new eco-friendly denim line that has become popular with everyone from Emily Ratajkowski to Rihanna. “To make fabric for one pair of jeans [requires] 1,500 gallons of water,” they wrote of the concept when it initially launched. “Oh, and don’t forget water waste from dyeing and washing, which uses 1.3 million tons of chemicals and puts polluted water back in the environment.” In order to combat the problem, Reformation makes their jeans from deadstock and has started purchasing water offsets with the help of BEF and the National Forest Foundation. Read the full story here.

Orange peel. background Photo: @zatevakhin/AdobeStock
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

The Orange Peel Economy

In 2014, the world produced around 68,925,200 tons of oranges, with much of that figure being used to make products like jams, marmalades, and juices– all of which result in around 3.8 million tons of orange peel waste per year. Our thorough investigation of the orange peel economy reveals that orange peels could actually be used to make everything from plastic to textiles. Orange peels, as it turns out, might be the key to relieving excess trash at global landfills. Read the full story here.

Eile Paloumpis_Garden Collage_Andreana Bitsis copy Photo: Andreana Bitsis
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

What Is An “End of Life” Doula?

“There is this idea that we know how to die, that it’s in fact a part of life, and that at an earlier point– not even that long ago– death was very much tended to in the home and was not something that was considered only medicalized,” iele paloumpis, an end-of-life doula, told us in our exclusive interview. In our groundbreaking story about what goes into all natural end of life care, we discuss everything from aromatherapy to society’s views on death. It’s a poignant conversation. Read the full story here.

The Fancy F_Garden Collage_Andreana Bitsis-4 Photo: Andreana Bitsis | Styling: Jessy Scarpone
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Rainbow Eggs

When we first saw the “rainbow eggs” that Catherine Delphia sells under the moniker The Fancy F, we knew she had a special story to tell. On her 15-acre farm in Hillsdale, New York, Delphia raises dozens of rare, heritage chicken breeds whose colorful eggs she sells in beautiful, modern packaging that she designed herself. Modeling her cartons after a 1930’s prototype, Delphia is something of a visionary when it comes to farm-fresh eggs and the aesthetic experience they can provide– and she has a number of hilarious stories to tell about what it’s really like to raise chickens. Read the full story here.

rodarte_look_2_ready_to_wear_spring_2018 Photo: Indigital
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

The Repeat Renaissance of Floral Fashion

2017 was an absolutely amazing year for floral fashion. Fall is a period in the fashion cycle that is often the most anticipated season, characterized by the exciting return of outerwear and textured layers. Historically, however, this time of year hasn’t always been synonymous with florals, as designers often associate warmer weather and springtime renewal with flowers, leaves, and wildlife. This year, however, instead of shying away from flowers in cool-weather clothing, the Fashion World wholeheartedly embraced them. Botanics as a design element are here to stay. Check out our favorite looks from this year’s runway.

28924982624_ac9a78b43f_k Photo: Jerry and Pat Donaho/Flickr
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Public Parks, Environmental Advocacy, and Trump

Alas, 2017 was a passionate and at times disheartening year for the Environment. Donald Trump regularly made it a point to attack the National Park Service and the myriad organizations that support public land in this country. From ill-advised perspectives on drilling to the private sale of wilderness, Number 45 is not a friend of the environment. But in his wake, a number of organizations have stepped up to protect the environment that we hold so dear. Read our story about the best environmental organizations to donate to, here.

11 Aquarius_July Florascopes_Garden Collage_Andreana Bitsis Photo: Andreana Bitsis | Styling: Jessy Scarpone
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Milk Baths and Monthly Florascopes

Our monthly “Florascope” feature–a series of botanical horoscopes– continues to be one of Garden Collage Magazine’s most highly-anticipated monthly reads. In this particularly beautiful Florascope series for July 2017, we team with Astrologer Deb McBride to pay homage to the nascent floral bath trend that keeps popping of all over Instagram. Read this month’s Florascope here— and sign up for our newsletter to get it in your inbox each month!

Anxiety Foods_Garden Collage_Andreana Bitsis Photo: Andreana Bitsis | Styling: Jessy Scarpone
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Anxiety Foods

Now more than ever, people around the world are realizing that food plays a huge role in how we feel on a daily basis– and not just in terms of health and weight. We mean, in terms of stress. New science suggest that food directly contributes to your state of mental health, and there are a number of foods that can actually help alleviate anxiety without medication. In this beautifully-shot food photo series, we work with Alchemist Jennifer Iserloh to explain which foods can help relieve anxiety at a time when all of us seem to need it most. Read the full story here.

Botanarchy_Garden Collage_Molly Beauchemin-6 Photo: Molly Beauchemin
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GC’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Botanarchy & Feminist Healthcare

Our interview with Carolyn Barron, L.Ac., was one of our most moving experiences of the year. As Staff Writer Nora Rose Mueller and Editor-in-Chief Molly Beauchemin sipped jiaogoulong tea in her sunny, Los Angeles office, they learn about Botanarchy— a radical feminist healthcare clinic whose mission is simply to supply “botanical medicine for body autonomy”. The chic, white jumpsuit that Barron sports in lieu of a white lab coat is an apt metaphor for her disruptive perspective, one that eschews traditional Western medicine in a manner that has become increasingly important as healthcare (especially women’s healthcare) comes under fire. Read the full story here.

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