Salve

My latest obsession....making my own herbal infusions! Thanks to Shoshanna (Pearl) Easling for the most part, I have learned so much and she makes it so easy! So, taking what I've already known for years from my mom, from reading, listening and yeah, reading more, I'm finally putting all I know into more practical use!

Making a salve has got to be one of the easiest things ever! I did not take pictures till now and the process is nearly to completely done so...put up with me ok?

Research what herbs you want to be in your salve (or read the label of one you like) first of all. What ever your needs are, bend towards them and collect! I so far have bought mine from Bulk Herb Store since they have been by far the cheapest, are fast and have great herbs. So I've only ever used dried at this point. Don't forget I live in the heart of the city so collecting herbs is difficult if you don't grow an herb garden (I won't go into detail why I don't).

Next, stuff them into a jar, for me a pint works best. I don't measure, I just figure which herb is most important then put it mostly that and the others fall in line behind according to importance.

Pour oil over herbs till they are thoroughly saturated and the oil covers them. I used a combo of olive and grape seed oil. The grape seed because it absorbs quickly and I like that with my dear rashy skinned Tori. Olive because it has good properties for health.

Now dig out your crockpot, put a washcloth or similar cloth on the bottom, set your jar on top of the cloth and fill with water to the top of where ever your herbs are in the jar. The little guy there floating is rosemary in oil since it wasn't yet dried from picking it at a friends to put in when I started the other oil. Oh, and I had three jars in there to start with.

Turn it to low, and you might be wise to check the temp of the water since crock pots cook different. I don't know right off how hot is too hot but you don't want it to boil for fear of destroying all that good stuff in the herbs. So now all you have to do is let it sit for about 3 days. Add water as it evaporates and stir the herbs once a day or so.

After 3 days of letting this stuff soak and all the herbal qualities go into the oil, strain off the oil. Use an old T-shirt, cheese cloth, or like me, a small holed strainer. I still want to squeeze them out but they are still dripping in the strainer!

 Nope, I don't really think it smells good at this point.
If you don't mind it as a runny oil, you could stop here. Label what's in it and store. I've read to add vitamin E oil to preserve it but I use mine up so fast with Tori that I don't need to.

To make it thick, I start a pot of water boiling on the stove, grab a small glass measuring cup and hook the handle to the edge of the pot to act as a double boiler. Pour a little bees wax pastilles in the measure cup and add the oil. The bees wax takes a little to melt down so have a little more patients here. I like my salve soft like a lotion, some like it harder. The harder you want it the more bees wax. 

The wax hardens quickly so to see if it will be too hard, too soft, or just right, drip a little into cold water, or dip the end of a butter knife into it and let it cool. Add oil or wax to consistency you want. The first time I made it, the salve was HARD. So better to add a little, be too soft and add more wax! The wax goes a long way.

I nearly forgot to insert here that I always add Lavender oil. It is good for you and makes the smell pleasing. This last time I also added Tea Tree oil. I put it in just before pouring into container

 After that, pour into a glass or metal container, cool and....ahhhh....nice, herbal, home made salve! I used a container from other salve and had the brainy idea to empty my husbands Altoid container! (he doesn't know it yet as I write) Don't forget to label. I even forget what herbs I dumped in!

In the picture they look more brown for some reason but they are actually a pleasing shade of green. Love it!

Oh, and I also put up a sticky note of what all I put into the jars while in the crock pot because I throw such random stuff in that I don't remember by the time 3 days go by!

Go ahead and try it! Even if you only have one herb! It's so fun and has such a good feeling of satisfaction that you didn't have to spend $20 for that little tin of salve. To those of you who like specific measurements, I'm sorry! I am not a measured person even in my normal baking so I don't know how to tell you exact, I always guess!

How does it work? Great. I gave some to a little guy who had a serious bike accident and both his parents told me it was amazing on his wounds. Tori's skin is looking great with regular use! Cannot be happier about that! Even my not-so-herby husband put some on his "ouchy" last night!

I would love to hear that you started to do it yourself too!

Any-one-can-make-this Ice Cream

I did not take any pictures of this because it was all an experiment and I don't think of a camera when I have no idea if it will turn out anyway.

 I'll start off by saying that this was instigated by my need of dairy/gluten free food in my kitchen. How do you have deserts that are loved by a picky 3 year old that do not contain these? I can always buy the ice cream that way but its so expensive and who knows whats slowly killing her via the chemicals that preserve it! Like I heard on a movie, a kid was saying the properties of preservatives and how he figures if he eats enough twinkies he'll live for about 1,000 years!
Anyway, the ice cream.

Whatever kind of milk you have, cows, goat, almond...etc, etc, put it in the blender. If you don't have a blender, use an electric mixer as if making whip cream. Add a sweetener of your choice and the best for our girls is to add several strawberries. Blend  until it's good and foamy. I put blender and all into the freezer for the next several hours. Blend it real good again. Put back in freezer....continue this till it reaches the frozen state you prefer. I usually serve as a milk shake or I'd have to wait for so long!
Leftovers freeze fine though and my girls eat it either way, soft or hard.

For our church potluck I knew there wouldn't be any desert for Tori so I put a container in a small ice box and she still had desert at the park. She thought it was pretty cool actually, wandering around with her container telling everyone she had her own ice cream made with goats milk! (sitting down to eat is not preferred posture in her etiquette book)

I feel so much better giving them this ice cream than store bought. I control what goes in, how much sweetener their gut has to process and the flavor is so easy to change. No need to finish up the vanilla before we can go buy the chocolate. ;)
To end all this, I have admit that I still prefer creamy hard serve ice cream from a good shoppe! (in a waffle cone)

~Shy