Friday 1 July 2011

Herbed Oil Infusions

We have begun our herb oil infusions!
This is an exciting time of our early harvest as we are preparing oil infusions that will sustain us through the cold winter months.  Living in Canada with snow and ice through the winter months can certainly prove challening, however if you prepare in advance you can rest assure that you are prepared!

One of the many things we love about herbs aside from their amazing medicinal properties is that they are for the most part perrenials and require very little care once rooted. 

Basically, spend about $2.50 on a seedling that will last you for a minimum of 3 years, perhaps many years.  You will reap the benefits of these plants for many years ahead. 
***Just remember to harvest no more than 1/3 of the plant at a time to allow for new growth and even a bigger harvest in the following year.

Today, I have started our oil infusions and will continue to add extra strength to the oils in the coming months.
I prepared both a Spearmint Infusion and an Oregano Infusion.  I can hardly believe as to why people would actually buy these herbs at the grocery store and pay a premium price when they grow in your own garden like controlled weeds.  Mint can be especially invasive to other plants.  It seems to pop up out of nowhere and I have found that even my veggies growing close to my mint plant will have an undertone of mint when eaten.  My oregano plant has been growing for 4 seasons and keeps on going, bigger and bigger every year!

This year I dug around my mint and have inserted 2x4 wood to create a boxed off section in order to keep it under control.  You have to insert wood deep enough to prevent mint from sprouting new shoots from underneath the top soil.  I found that 4 inches of wood buried 3 inches under the soil have worked so far.  Lets keep our fingers crossed!

The infusions will keep us going through the cold Candian months that lay ahead and will help us with preventing and treating cold symptoms and other ailments.  My spearmint infusion is made specifically for our homemade toothpaste.

In order to prepare an herb infusion you will need a carrier oil such as Sweet Almond, Olive or Grapeseed oil.  Cut herbs just after the morning dew had dried off of the plants.
  • Wash herbs in cold water to remove any sand or particles.
  • Dry on papertowel and blot excess water with additional papertowel.
  • Pull leaves off of the stems.  Super easy part-just hold herb stem near top and run your fingers down the stem and the leaves will slide off quickly into a bowl.
  • Slightly bruise the leaves with the end of a Wooden Spoon.
  • Pack leaves as tightly as you can into a Mason Jar.
  • Pour carrier oil of choice over top of the leaves, ensuring that you cover all of the leaves in order to prevent bacterial growth.
Put jar in a cool dark place for a period of 3-6 weeks.  (We are putting ours away for a 4 week intervals before replacing the herbs)
After 3-6 weeks, strain the oil into a new jar, discarding the used herbal contents and replace with new herbs while keeping the same oil.  Keep doing this until you achieve the strength that you desire.
On our homestead, we will be repeating this process for the next several months to ensure that we have the maximum strength of oil required in our salves and balms.
This method of infusion can be done with any type of herbs, Lavender, Oregano, Thyme, Spearmint, Peppermint, Wild Rose, Feverfew,

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