Dandelion Tincture

The dandelion is one of my favorite, favorite plants. Not delicious, not particularly beautiful. But I find it so very admirable for both its undeniable usefulness, and its remarkable tenacity.

I want to be just like the dandelion. Firm. Steadfast. Stubbornly pursuing its goal of conquering the world, improving the soil, and providing medicine to all those inclined to find it.

Every spring, I gather the dandelions that pop up in and around my garden, and make a dandelion tincture. This is really very simple, and it has benefitted me greatly when I remember to take it. The dandelion is very bitter, and very good for digestion. I have always struggled with my digestive system in general. Usually this involved me heavily abusing my guts while they cried out pitifully for an end to the corn syrup and manicotti, and retaliated with stomachaches, gas, and eventually, the destruction of my gallbladder.

Now, just so we're all on the same page. I'm not a doctor, or an herbalist, or a TCM expert, or any other kind of expert. I just know what has helped me personally. Dandelion is very good at encouraging the movement of bile, which can be very helpful if you struggle with constipation or sluggish digestion in general. Because of my gallbladder troubles, I know that I have certain challenges to face with my liver as well. Dandelion is excellent for both the liver and kidneys, and always, in my experience, encourages well-formed and regular bowel movements.

Didn't that sentence just make it sound so much more lovely than it is? "Well-formed and regular". Doesn't everybody want to be well-formed and regular? I know I do.

I'm sorry for talking about poop on my blog, y'all. It had to happen. I know some people have unresolved issues with poop. Perhaps there is a hidden trauma in your life that causes you to cringe involuntarily when you hear words like "feces", "manure", or "guano". My sincere apologies to everyone who hates poop (I'm sorry, Tim. Really!). I'm just going to say it a few more times to get it out of my system. POOP POOP POOPIDY POOOOOP POOP!

I have three boys. There is so much poop, and so much talk of poop in my life that it doesn't really phase me. I get to hear about all the different sizes, shapes, and personalities of my kids' poop every day. I also get to hear the name "Mr. Poop Butt" applied to myself, my grandmother, and pretty much everybody else we come in contact with at least a couple of times a week.

Anyway. Enough of that. Dandelion will help you poop. SO, if you have trouble pooping, just make this tincture and you will be able to have awesome poops every day without even thinking about it. And it's way easier than eating a dandelion salad every day, that's for sure.

First, gather some dandelions that have hopefully not been sprayed with chemicals, or peed on by the neighbor's dog (smelling them first helps to determine this). Try to get a few good roots among the leaves and flowers. Leaves and flowers are great, but the roots are seriously hardcore. This will be extremely evident when you try to extract them. They don't really like coming out of the ground.

Next, wash your dandelions to rid them of all excess dirt and creepy crawlies (there are a lot of places to hide on a dandelion, so try to be thorough! it helps if you have one of those sprayer thingies on your sink, as well as a vegetable scrubber for the roots).

Next, every bit of dandelion must be chopped into teensy, tiny pieces. You can do this by hand, which introduces what some have called "the human element" to your work. If you're in a good mood, and you have a lot of patience, and a lot of time, and you really want to feel that extra spark of productivity in your life, I absolutely recommend chopping by hand. There is something so wonderfully visceral about it.

If you are in a bad mood, or a stressed mood, or anything other than a fabulously bright and cheery mood, or if you suffer from bouts of extreme impatience, I recommend you leave that sort of human element out, and opt for the food processor. Instant gratification can be wonderful too. ;)

I have used both methods, and both have made good tinctures, so have at it with whatever you prefer!

After the herbs are all lovely and fragmented, transfer them to an available (clean) mason jar. Make sure that your jar is big enough, and that the plant isn't being packed in like brown sugar. The plant bits should have room to move and swirl around once you've added the vodka.

Which brings us to the next step...

Get yourself some good quality 80-100 proof vodka. If you can find and afford organic, great! If you can't, well...then you'll be like me and you can stare uncertainly at shelves and shelves of vodka until you grab one at random and pray that it wasn't made from GMO corn.

Pour the vodka over the dandelion until you have at least 1 inch of vodka above the herbs. Next, get a small piece of wax paper to put atop the jar, and put the lid tightly on top of that.

Now comes the fun part. It is beneficial to shake your tincture vigorously a couple of times a day. This encourages the extraction of awesome stuffs by the vodka, and speeds up the process in general. It is not required, but it is fun. After your tincture has been shaken, store it in a cool, dark cupboard for probably 3-6 weeks (honestly I can't remember the recommended time...my last tincture sat for probably 6 months, because I meant to do it that way forgot about it).

Once the 6 weeks are up, you need to strain your tincture and transfer it to an airtight bottle (preferably one that pours well). You can use a floursack towel for straining, or a nutmilk bag or cheesecloth or an old tshirt or whatever. Personally I think the floursack towel works best; I somewhat regretted using cheesecloth this time around.

Squeeze the marc (all the leftover plant bits) until you get every possible bit of goodness out of them.

Bottle the tincture (a simple flip-top bottle would work nicely), transfer labels (always label things, you guys. It's important), and you're done!

A good beginning dosage for an adult might be 30-60 drops 2-3 times a day. I estimate that 30 drops is around 1/4 teaspoon. I always mix mine with some water, because man...80-100 proof will burn your nosehairs out. Remember to always be cautious with dosages when trying something new. Dandelion is regarded as a fairly safe herb for nearly everybody, BUT...there are always those few who are sensitive. Start small and slow until you get an idea of what your body can handle. Everybody is different.

Store your tincture out of direct sunlight, and take daily or as needed! If you're going for daily, I recommend you take a day or a few days or a week off here and there. Balance is key. Find what helps you.

Happy pooping! ;D

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Problem Salveng

Somebody told me that "Salve" is, despite its appearance, pronounced "Sahv". So now I'm going to revert to my rebellious 8 year old self and say: "WUT? THAT'S DUMB!". Which continues to be my opinion on much of the English language. And I was a grammar nerd, y'all. Lemme tell you. It just doesn't make sense. It's a twisty language. It likes to make you feel all comfy and safe and confident before popping out with a word like "Salve (sahv)" and laughing and jeering when you say it wrong.

English, you're a meanie-butt.

Regardless, I happen to know that in BRITAIN, where English STARTED, or something, people actually do occasionally pronounce the "L" in "Salve". So there. It's all YOU people that are saying it wrong. Not me. I meant to say it that way. On purpose. Because Britishes do.

AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SOME. Ahem.

This week the kids are learning about insects, and thus, bees, and so I thought it would be the perfect time to make salves, so that they could see what beeswax looks like! Yay!

First, you need a double boiler.



Or, a super fancy pot on top of a pot. Ta-da!

Next, you need some herbal oils (oil that's had herbs soaking in it for a period of time) and some beeswax. Oh, and some cute little tins or somesuch to contain your finished product.

Now, if anybody wants an actual recipe, they should go here: Mountain Rose Herbs. That's for those of you who are into measuring and stuff. Because I'm queen of chaos, I winged it. But you don't have to. I strained my oil into the pot and then I added some beeswax until I thought to myself, "Ooo, yes. That looks good. I think that's enough. Well done, self!" and then I melted them together on my super fancy double boiler.

My oils might have been soaking for a while longer than recommended. I might have forgotten that they existed until today. Maybe.

The kids had fun stirring, and then when it was melted together I poured it into my little tins (which I've had floating around the house for ages, just waiting for a purpose). It seems to have worked quite well, despite my aversion to measuring. I was rather pleased with the results! I made a simple plantain salve for things like stings and burns, and then a big batch with a mixture of comfrey (leaf...I haven't dug up my roots yet, lol), lavender, catnip, and plantain, which should be good for bruises and the like. It made a LOT for such a small amount of beeswax, which I think was the most expensive ingredient.

 

 

Hurrah! Easy peasy. Boo-boos begone!

This post was shared on the HomeAcre Hop!

Foraging Friday

Blackberries. Oh the things I will do for blackberries!

Or pretty much any berries, for that matter. Plump, juicy, luscious things. When we discovered brambles by the duck pond early this year, right in the middle of our little town, I wondered what they would turn out to be. I hoped for something edible. Later, when I positively identified them as blackberries, I was ecstatic! I took the boys berrypicking at the first opportunity.

And quickly repeated the excursion.

And intend to do so again shortly.

 

 

 

 

So it turns out...wild blackberries have lots of thorns.

 

 

Maybe the mini skirt wasn't such a good choice...

 

 

...at least I wore boots?

 

 

I would show you only this angelic picture of my three-year-old (right), but this next one is more typical of his personality:

 

Booyah! Blackberries in my yogurt! I win!

 

As a side note, I DID learn that you have to eat/cook/freeze/process/whatever your fresh picked wild blackberries THE moment you get home, otherwise they mold very quickly, or wind up with interesting little wiggly critters in them (...yummm...). Hence the reason I will be going berrying again very soon. Be wise and learn from my mistakes. LOL...happy foraging to you all! May your baskets overflow!

 

 

 

 

(Shared on the Homestead Barn Hop, and the HomeAcre Hop!)

 



'Fred and Cordy

I LOVE MY BUNNIES!!

chillin' after gorging themselves...

Guys. I mean seriously. They are SO ADORABLE.

I've been gradually switching their feed portions so that they are now on mostly forage and hay. They still LOVE their pellets (I only give them about 1/4 cup or less a day now), but I always give them forage first to make sure they get the most out of that! And lemme tell you, they pretty much pig out on everything. Which is awesome. I have so many weeds/herbs out in my yard and garden and having these gals to eat it all has been awesome motivation for me to get out and weed every day. Ha! Two birds with one stone.

a few of the choicest selections...wild lettuce and sunflower...

...clover and blackberry...

 

 

...and dandelion, of course!

And no joke, they are ready to storm the door every time I bring them a big plate of goodies. I've been kind of surprised by the huge amount they've been downing, actually. It makes me worry a little that I'm not giving them enough! But their energy levels are up for sure since I got them, and they are becoming much bolder around me as well. I have high hopes of taming them completely with my bunny-whisperer skills in the next couple of weeks. ;D

They haven't had any weird changes in their stools with the diet adjustment, so I'm really pleased about that. The first day I thought I saw some loose stools, but I think they must have just gotten stepped on or something, because when I checked the droppings the next morning they were all cute and round and...well, normal. Sorry for talking about poop so much, y'all. It's just what I do.

waiting for the fennel to get bigger, but I'm sure it will be a favorite...

 

comfrey, already a favorite! 

purslane, possibly MY all-time favorite green. No, I'm not sharing.

 

Oh! Did I show you? Baby blackberries!! So exciting!

And here's my baby lemon tree...that I grew from seed...because I'm awesome...and my baby walnut tree, that Enoch has ripped up about a thousand times and it has still managed to survive...because it's awesome...

I think my Echinacea is going to escape its pot one of these days...

Scarlet Runner Beans! They're blooming! Prettiest color EVER!

 

(ahem. sorry for the impromptu garden tour. I get easily distracted.)

It's amazing to me how different the rabbits' personalities are. Winifred seems to be the more aggressive of the two. She'll come over and head butt my hand if I hold onto her greens for longer than she deems necessary. Which just tickles me to death!

Cordelia is a little more reserved in general, but she looooves her sunflower leaves and will just about leap out onto my lap to get them. I'm so very encouraged to see them thriving like this! I was worried the first couple of days because they were almost completely uninterested in veg of any variety. Except comfrey. That's been a favorite since day one! But really. They've gone from half-hearted nibbling to full on devouring in the space of a week. Pretty grand!

Another thing I've been doing is putting apple cider vinegar (the real deal, complete with "the mother"...no walmart brand stuff!) in their water. I read from numerous sources (can't remember them now, my bad) that this was a good idea. I tend to put it in either their bottle OR their dish and not both, just in case they feel like having plain water instead of fancy water. Oh, except it is always filtered water. Ain't no crappy chemical-filled city water going into MY bunnies! Ah. Yes. I can be a little bit obsessive. Did I mention I've been going out to feed them three times a day? *cough*...moving on...

I'm also keeping a bunny-calendar (I happened to have a spare) so that I can remember when I got them, how old they are, any changes I notice and when they happen, etc. And I'm going to get a big bunny binder later on so that I can keep track of *ahem* mating schedules, gestations, litters (BABIES! BABIES YOU GUYS, THERE ARE GOING TO BE BABY BUNNIES!!! SHRIEK!!), genealogy, and whatnot. I'm having way too much fun.

The big question is: Should I call these my "Bunny Books" or "Rabbit Records"? Or perhaps "Lagomorph Logs"?



Shared on the Homestead Barn Hop and the HomeAcre Hop!