Dandelion Tincture (Part 1) and Today’s Harvest

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Tincture

1. wash leaves and roots
2. chop
3. put in jar with its menstruum or solvent, 100 proof alcohol (for the record, I had only 80 proof available, but that should be do)
4. blend to expose more surface are to the solvent
5. wipe ridge of jar, put wax paper over top (as a gasket), close tightly with lid
6. shake, shake, shake
7. label (name of herb, part used, date fourteen days from now)
8. shake 2 to 3 times a day for 14 days
9. TBC: after 14 days, line a strainer with muslin over a stainless steel container, strain and squeeze, separating tincture extract from marc (depleted plant material)
10. pour into bottles
11. store in cool, dark location.

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The harvest today is mainly lots of basil, for pesto this evening, with the remainder going into the freezer. The small red berries are cowberries or lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea). There are still peppers in all stages of development, and basil, all in the hoop house, which will get its doors this evening – right in the nick of time, I should say!

I cut the last flowers. And the first, I should clarify.

I was never a flower person, but I’d love to have more flowers next year, edibles like nasturtiums, violets, and marigolds, and medicinal ones like chamomile and calendula.