I'm not sure how its happened, but somehow we're basically already into the last week of May, and I'm just realizing how much stuff I have to do. I'm coming into show season right now, with my first show happening in four weeks, and I've got to do a lot of preparing.
I'm basically completely changing my booth set-up, so right now Ahren is spending a bit of time building some things for me and I've got to start doing some painting and curtain making. But I also have to do an inventory and see where I am with products and start making a whole bunch of stuff (and soap for lots of shows in the future; it needs lots of time to cure) and labeling and on and on and on....
Today I'm doing a bit of inventory and ordering, as well as just trying to get things in order for the next couple of weeks; you know, see where I am with things and all that.
On another note, the sun is now shining and perhaps this is finally the start of the nice weather? I don't think I can handle another cool summer like the one we had last year.
So I've been really getting into a gardening frenzy lately. Our whole front lawn, boulevard and a section of the back yard has been tarped and woodchipped (to kill the grass so we can garden it next spring), I've been cutting things down and woodchipping existing gardens to keep down the weeds, putting in a few plants that I happen to have lying around, and I've been digging up a little spot so I can have a tiny veg garden.
Now, I'm not really into vegetable growing personally. We have a share in a CSA (a program through an organic farm, where we pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season and then pick up a big share of fresh organic vegetables once a week), so growing my own generally leads to much too much excess. However, theres two things I love: snap peas and cherry tomatoes, and I love to have them in the garden so I can snack on them when I'm outside relaxing.
Hence, the veg garden. However, it seems like I picked the worst possible place in the yard to do this. I finally got the sod dug up today, and then proceeded to start loosening the soil in the hopes that I could plant my peas today. Well, a broken shovel handle and bent fork later, I had to come inside and get away from that hellish garden before I broke the fork, too. For reasons beyond my imagination, there are big pieces of concrete about six inches under the soil. Lots of them. I only got through a little less than half the garden before I was ready to scream.
On another note, a mourning dove couple made a nest on a ledge above our front door. We could watch them out there, adding to there nest and sitting on the egg, and yes, there was one. When I came in from my gardening misadventures, though, I noticed that the nest and egg were gone, although the mourning dove was still there. The nest had seemed to be falling off the edge earlier, and while I was outside, it feel right off, the egg along with it. Poor little things. Imagine, putting all that energy into something, only to have it fall apart in front of you. Actually, thats kind of the way I feel about my garden. Oh well...
This past weekend I went to Rondeau Provincial Park, which is on Lake Erie. We went with some good friends and had an absolutely wonderful time. If you ever have a chance to go there, I highly recommend it; sandy beaches, carolinian forests, great biking and birding...definitely a worthwile place to visit.
Upon arriving home on Tuesday night, I saw a big envelope in my mailbox. It was from Fair November, a show here in Guelph. And they wanted to let me know that I got in! Last year, it was the show I did the best in, so I'm very happy to have gotten in again, even though its also the most expensive show.
If you're interested, its happening November 17, 18, 19 and 20. Its a great show, with about 80 high quality artisans showing. Theres tons of beautiful pottery, beeswax candles, clothing, woolens, jewellery and more. Anyways, I know its a bit early for anyone else to be thinking about November, so I'll post this info on my website, along with all the other shows I'm going to be at, soon.
On another note, it seems like we're finally getting the beautiful sunny weather that everyone alsways hopes for. I hope everyone is enjoying it.
Finally, it seems like the beautiful weather has come back, at least for now, and spring is here! Of course, the overcast and rain and cool weather is also very spring, but its not quite as nice to hang out outside in.
I'm very excited for the nice weather this weekend, because I'm going away. Along with Ahren and two other good friends, we'll be spending the weekend in Rondeau Provincial Park, biking and birding. And its supposed to be beautiful!
This morning I was out pumping up the tires on my bike (because its so damn beautiful and I just don't want to be inside) and I ended up banging my hand on the wheel and tearing some skin off, which got me thinking about comfrey ointment, which is something I've been wanting to make for awhile.
Comfrey is an amazing wound healer. Its lating name is Symphytum officianle, and it has also been called knitbone, among other things, because of its amazing ability to help mend bones and heal wounds. It is high in allantoin, which increases cell proliferation and accounts for its rapid healing powers.
There is some controversy surrounding comfrey, mostly surrounding the internal use of it, but I don't feel like getting into that today. Maybe another time. For now, suffice it to say, it is fine to use externally, but if you are concerned, don't use it if you are pregnant or nursing or for babies under the age of one (these people have an increased sensitivity to pyrolizidine alkaloids, which is where the controversy exists). I wouldn't hesitate to use comfrey in any of those situations, at least externally, but we must all make our own choices and take responsibility for our actions, so do your own research. Also, feel free to email me and ask me more about it.
Anyways, when I cut my hand today, I was thinking about comfrey ointment, which I've never made (I do include comfrey in some of my balms, but I've never made one with just comfrey). Apparently, you have to make sure that the cut you put it on is totally clean, because it can cause your skin to heal so fast that it can trap dirt underneath the new skin. Pretty amazing stuff. So I was thinking that I've gotta make some of this stuff, and first I'd need to make and oil. Now, generally I make solar infused oils, but over the winter, the few times I had to make oils I made them in a double boiler, because its faster, and there also wasn't tons of sun (but mostly because its way faster and I needed the oils ASAP). So, when thinking about this comfrey oil, I was thinking of making it on the stove, and then I thought, wait a second. Its beautiful and sunny and warm outside...the perfect time for making solar oils. So thats what I'm going to do, and I thought I'd share how to make solar oils with you.
Its very simple. All you need is a mason jar, herbs, and your oil of choice. For medicinal oils, I like extra virgin olive oil, because its a very healing oil in its own right. For more cosmetic oils and/or massage balms, I like sweet almond oil, because its lighter, absorbs easily into your skin, and has a fairly long shelf life (about six months to a year if stored properly, the same as olive oil). You can use other oils, like grapeseed or apricot kernal, but they either have a shorter shelf life (grapeseed) or are more expensive (apricot kernal).
You can also use whatever herbs you want. A great healing combo is calendula, st. john's wort and comfrey. Calendula on its own is great, too. Chickweed, marshmallow root, rosemary, chamomile, hops and peppermint are all great as well. Do some research and experiment! One key thing is, always know why you're putting certain herbs into a formula. So get a herbal and research the herbs you're interested in using. Are you using chamomile because its relaxing, marshmallow root because its emollient, peppermint because its refreshing? You should be able to explain why each herb is in your formula. I recommend using dry herbs in herbal oils. If you use fresh herbs, the extra water in the herbs can cause bacteria to grow in the oil and make it go off. If you want to use fresh herbs, wilt them first: put them in the shade outside on a hot day for an afternoon (as long as its not raining) and let some of the water evaporate out of them.
So how you make a solar infused oil goes like this. Take your mason jar and fill it with herb. Fill it pretty full, so theres only about two or three inches of space above it. Then pour in enough oil to completely cover the herb and fill that two or three inches of space. Then cap and put in the sun. You can either put it outside in direct sunlight or leave it on a sunny windowsill. If you have it outside, make sure that your lid is on tight; if it rains, you don't want any water getting into your jar. Leave it in the sun for four to six weeks. If you want to put some extra energy and magic in it, you can shake it every day, which is also just good to get some movement in the herb and oil. After the times up, strain it well through muslin, bottle and label. You can either use it as an oil or make it into a balm, following the same steps as the lip balm recipe I gave a few days ago. One important thing to keep in mind: make sure that your jar is just big enough to fit everything. You don't want a bunch of air space in the jar to degrade the oil. If you only have enough to fill a 500 ml jar, use that. Don't put it all in a 1L jar.
You might think that the oils would go rancid sitting in the sun for all that time, but for some reason they don't. Once your oil is strained and bottled, store it in a cool, dark place. A fridge is great but not necessary, and if your oil is olive oil based, a fridge will solidify it. Now, I know these instructions aren't very scientific. This is the traditional, folkloric way of making oils, and I'm nothing if not a folkloric herbalist. Relax, and enjoy what you're making. If you really want a more scientific way of making oils, there are books out there that can help you. But I can't.
Well, I'm feeling slightly bummed at the moment. Right now is the time of year where craftspeople start hearing back from shows that they've applied to vend at. Now, last year was my first year doing big shows. I initially applied to six, got in to three, and then applied to a bunch more. The second batch of shows were sort of sketchy. All ended up being bad; I either just broke even, or lost money. The only shows I reapplied to this year from the ones I did last year were the initial three. I also applied for four others, that came recommended from other craftspeople. So far I've found out about five of them. I got into four, and the reason I'm bummed is because I just found out about the fifth a few minutes ago, and I was really hoping to get in. Its a celtic festival, and its free to vend! This is highly unusual and amazing, and I thought it'd be great, which I'm sure it is, for those who get in. Oh well, maybe next year.
But in case anyones wondering, heres the shows I do know about so far:
I wanted to pass on the first lip balm recipe I every made. Lip balm is really easy to make, and once you know how to make lip balm, you have the basic principles of other salves and balms as well.
1 cup apricot oil 1/4 cup beeswax 1 tsp honey essential oil
Combine the oil and beeswax in a pot on the stove on low heat, until the wax is melted. When its ready, take a spoonful or two of the mixture, put it in a small bowl and put it in the fridge. Once its hardened, check the consistency. If its too hard, add more oil to the mix, if its too soft, add more wax. I find lots of salves and balms on the market to be quite soft, and I personally like things a bit harder. But make it how you like it. If you're going to put it in a push up container, it will need to be harder.
Once you've got the consistency, add the honey and oil, and again test it for smell. Every oil is different; for this much mix, I would add between 1-2 tsp essential oil. Make sure you start small and test! And don't add more honey; it can separate out.
Pour it into small containers and let cool. This recipe makes a lot of balm, so you might want to cut it down. When I first started making lip balm, I used 15 ml amber glass jars from the pharmacy, so you might want to try there for containers.
You can add and embellish to your hearts desire. My lip balm is different now, but it has the same basic principles. You can use different oils and butters, and of course the different essential oils will make very different balms. Peppermint is a classic, and orange and grapefruit are great too. I no longer use honey, as I find it separates out easily, but it worked the first time I made it, so feel free to try it. Just make sure you don't use more than the recipe calls for.
