healing salve, redux

(eucalyptus) image via GrainnePhotography


Toddlers + summer = exposed skin = boo boos. This topical salve is perfect for diaper rash, scrapes, cuts, burns, bites & stings to speed healing & prevent infection. More creamy than sleepy balm, the amount of tea tree oil makes it smell somewhat medicinal so avoid close contact with mucous membranes on sensitive little ones.

To address the symptom of itch & save a little cash, I've started infusing olive oil with three herbs at once: plantain leaf, calendula & comfrey. To do this, a crock pot comes in handy. To store the salve, I have switched from using half pint mason jars (not ideal for the changing table) to these squeeze tubes that are small enough to pack in a carry-on bag without confiscation & can suction cup to whatever surface allows it!

Infused Oil

• .5 cups (app. 3 Tbsp each) dried herbs
• 1.5 cups olive oil

Prep

• Tie herbs loosely in cheesecloth (for ease squeezing oil from herbs at the end). Submerge cheesecloth in oil in a pint sized mason jar & secure lid. 
• Place a washcloth at the bottom of the crock pot to ensure your oil jar doesn't break while heating. Lay oil jar on the cloth & fill crock pot halfway with tepid water. Put lid on crock, set to "low" for initial warming, but switch to "warm" for 2-3 days. 100 F in pretty much ideal.
• Once the infusion is done, strain out plant matter by gently squeezing the cheesecloth until it stops dripping with oil & discard solids. Take infused oil & use immediately or store in with an airtight lid.

Salve

• 1.5 cups infused oil
• 6 tsp beeswax
• 30 drops tea tree oil
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil
• 15 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Prep

• In small saucepan over low heat or in a double boiler, combine oil with wax & gently warm until wax has just melted. 
• Remove from heat, allow to cool 5 min & add essential oils. Stir to blend.
• Pour into storage container(s). Allow to cool 20 min, stir edges to keep wax from separating from oil while cooling, then cap containers.
• No refrigeration required, but freshest when used within 6 months.

Apply
Smear as needed. If you leave it in a warm car, it may re-liquify.
Avoid mucous membranes. Not a lip balm; do not ingest. 

rhubarb curd

chopped rhubarb via Flickr

Last night I made something intended to be both dessert & breakfast. I try to encourage egg-based breakfast most mornings, varying as much as is reasonable for minimal prep time. Lately yogurt is a more refreshing temperature & tart/sweet combo, so I chilled the following curd recipe. It was lovely, filling & well-received by youngsters.

Rhubarb Curd (adapted from Lara Ferroni's recipe)

Ingredients

15 stalks rhubarb

.25 cup raw sugar

handful of strawberry chunks (add optional sweetness)

8 egg yolks

.5 cup raw sugar  

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

3 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks

Prep

Wash and chop rhubarb into .5 inch chunks. Stir with .25 cup of sugar together & let sit 10 min or so. Place in a medium pot with .25 cup water & cook over low heat until you can no longer see whole pieces. Turn off heat & let cool to room temperature. Blend to a smooth puree. 


In a double boiler (or a bowl over boiling water), whisk the egg yolks, remaining sugar & salt. Whisk until well combined & warm. Add stewed rhubarb one cup at a time & the lemon zest, while stirring, until you get the desired flavor and color. Keep stirring until the mixture is warm again. Remove from heat and stir in the butter chunks. 


If you are not using the curd immediately, let it cool to room temperature and then store refrigerated for up to a week.

Lord have mercy on my rough & rowdy ways

Nic sent me this for Mother's Day, & I couldn't resist sharing. Thank you, sweetie. I love our life together & don't want a vacation from it!

a healthy appetite

image mine, time for this cake recipe to re-appear


I think about food. A lot. According to Martha yesterday, if our home were a government bureaucracy, Mama would be the "Minister of Gastronomical Intelligence & Immunological Defense." Which certainly gives appropriate meaning to the days when nourishing each of us 3-4x is all I can accomplish. This week, with Daddy in LA on business, has been filled with such days. While the boys are young (& I'm home with them), it is my self-appointed full time job to research, source, prepare & enforce the consumption of organic, whole foods. Unprofessionally. Haphazardly. Not an "urban homestead" by a long-shot.

Part of my aim in writing here is to share the knowledge/resources that help me work smarter. Farmer's markets require more time/money than we have accessible. We want the flexibility of a weekly/monthly food budget rather than putting down cash at the beginning of each growing season. So I'm becoming a drop site/delivery girl for our CSA, Horse & Buggy Produce. There are several sizes of produce shares, you can add A La Carte items or additional shares (meat, cheese, eggs, etc) online & they're added to your box each week. For extra flexibility, you can put your share on hold while out of town & can cancel anytime with no penalty.

If anyone who lives or works East End/Downtown RVA wants to join our drop site, sign up online for the normal JCC drop site, choose a share size & put my name in the notes section so they'll know to switch your pickup location when it's all official next week. Because the boys are still small, we make do with a "Basic Weekly" share & will also begin a weekly fruit share in July. Delivery day is Thursday, late afternoon (4.30-6.30.) I'm excited to support both local agriculture & our beloved community's health!

Traditional fats: ghee

After finding 3lbs of Homestead Creamery butter on manager's special, I attempted homemade ghee (clarified butter) via Our Nourishing Roots. Minimal active time; three pints of ghee for $6 instead of  .5 pint for the same price! Heating & straining out the milk solids allows you to fry foods at a higher temperature without burning the butter. Try & enjoy.

food cart derby

"I want to go to there."
- LL

We are in the middle of our first true detox/cleanse. Using the Garden of Life kit, which is herb based, & sticking to a diet that is free of flour/gluten, sugar, caffeine & alcohol. Actually I think sweetie is cheating right now (a beer). All I can think about is eating out, drinking for leisure, baking desserts. Very much looking forward to the Food Cart Derby downtown.

birthday picnic

Os just turned one year on Easter Sunday. I am in shock, denial & wonder. We especially E, still call him Beeboo. He only has four teeth. As a celebratory "dessert," Mama warmed up coconut oil, stirred in some almond butter & raw honey, refrigerated the mixture & rolled it into balls he could pick up. We all love it.

Also, Happy Birthday Ms. Ashley & Will. You are recited among E's list of "people we love."

Arts in the Alley

   

Vernacular

Richmond Doulas

Client: Richmond Doulas (new site not live yet; just the logo is done)
Tagline: Supporting & honoring families through birth.
Concept: egg shape (community of women) surrounding & supporting both mum & baby.