Crafting a Wild Holiday

This month's gathering was a smash! There were many new faces and regulars too.

We started the morning with a quick plant walk around our house. We met and learned about Oregon Grape Root whose root we discovered can be used for a digestive aid, a health tonic for liver and kidney function, immune booster, can be used for urinary tract infections, and topically as an antiseptic.

We found several different mint plants (however we used peppermint in our preparations) and learned that a quick whiff of its menthol powers can either calm or energize a person. A simple infusion of mint leaves can calm an upset digestive system, or be inhaled for one intense sinus clearing experience. Rubbed into skin a mint salve can have the soothing, cooling effect of a fresh blast of cool winter air.

We also visited with Yarrow. It is one of our most powerful healing herbs. Ironically this is an alien species from Europe that we gladly welcome to this ecosystem. Yarrow's healing powers are legendary. The plant was famously used to treat the Greek heroes in the battle fields of the Trojan War - that is where it gets its Latin genus Achillea, from treating Achilles. As a first aid plant, Yarrow can stop bleeding in seconds and can speed healing of almost any wound while disinfecting. The root can be chewed to soothe a toothache. And Yarrow has long history of use for treating colds and flu - particularly for helping to break a mild fever.

After taking off soggy shoes and drying the dog we came back in to start pine needle baskets in order to wait for more folks to show. We used Pine Needles that had been dried for four or five months then moistened for pliability, regular old raffia from the craft store, tapestry needles, and patience. These coiled baskets are very easy to learn, fun to do, and make wonderful smelling gifts. Here is a link for fairly good instructions:

http://www.nativetech.org/basketry/coilinstr.html

Once we got people squared away with making their baskets we finally had enough people to start the tincture and salve making. We started with the salve preparations by first making an infused oil of the herbs that we had chosen. There are two methods for making an herb infused oil. In the interest of time we chose to use a method that calls for alcohol as an intermediate solvent. First we filled a jar with the dry herbs and then added enough grain alcohol to moisten them. This was allowed to sit for several hours after which we added the whole mess to a blender and covered it in olive oil. Any oil can be used for this purpose but olive oil helps resist rancidity.

After blending the herbs with the oil for a few minutes we strained the green goo through a cloth and were left with a yarrow-mint infused oil that reeked of alcohol. This oil can be kept and used on its own but it is much more convenient to use as a salve. To make a salve we heated the infused oil in a double boiler and melted small pieces of beeswax into it. This heating also allowed the alcohol to boil off which eliminated the odor. There are many recipes that will tell you the best ratio of oil to beeswax but we prefer to just add a little at a time and test for the right consistency.

The way to test the final hardness of your salve is to take a chilled plate or dish and put a few drops of the warm salve on it and then let it harden. When at first you are doing this the mixture will cool to a pasty, oily goo but as you add more wax it will begin to cool harder and harder until you reach your desired consistency. Go slowly as it is easy to add too much wax and impossible to take the wax out once it has melted in.

We had volunteers helping out squeezing out the oil, cutting chunks off the wax and eventually filling containers with the liquid salve. We ended up with a huge batch of salve. It was easily enough for everyone to take some home and we still have a lot left over. This stuff is great and it turned out with a beautiful green color. It makes a great and easy gift to create at home.

Finally we moved on to the tincture making. This is an incredibly easy herbal preparation that will usually stay stable and effective for a year or two. With the group together we began a batch of tincture. The hardest part about making a tincture is getting the right ratio of herbs to alcohol. We recommend finding a reliable book on herbs to provide some guidance. For the Oregon Grape root we wanted to make a 1:5 tincture which means 1 part herb to 5 parts alcohol (100 proof) by weight. These measurements don't have to be exactly precise and since our scale is broken we just eyeballed it.

The rest of the process is unbelievably simple. We just combine the herbs and the alcohol in a mason jar, seal it up and put it in a place away from light for a couple of weeks taking it out to shake it everyday. At the end of this time you just strain out the herb, squeeze every drop of liquid you can get out of it and bottle it. That's all there is to it. We had prepared a batch of tincture a couple of weeks earlier so that it would be ready to be bottled for the group and everyone was able to go home with a bottle of tincture as well.

We had an excellent time on Sunday with you all weaving and making medicine. Thanks to everyone that participated. We are really looking forward to seeing you again next month. We are tentatively planning next month's club to be an opportunity for all of you to bring your ideas and passions to the group as well as learn some cool new skill. Rewild Eugene belongs to all of us and you are all essential to its success.