Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Tincture Time ~ Bilberry Vinegar

(sorry for the blurry picture)

I strained the two tinctures I made recently - mullein, and bilberry.    Now I'm ready to make one that I feel will be good for varicose veins.  

It includes:

Barberry Bark
Bilberry leaf
Bilberries

However, after I got my herbs out, I started wondering if an infused oil (to make a rub) would be better?


Well, I'm experimenting anyway.  I may just infuse the oil and make a lotion/rub too.


I'm thinking of making an oil infusion with chamomile as well.  This will be utilized for headache and anxiety.  I have one daughter who comes home from school with headaches often.

I am making a bilberry vinegar for salads too.  Just to get more bilberry nutrition.  I'll be soaking the bilberries in apple cider vinegar for 30 days, straining it and enjoying it. More on that later....

I am so durn busy with tomatoes, that I decided to leave the peppermint extract sit in my closet.   It can wait.  Tomatoes can't.  I already took yesterday off.  Literally.  I brought in tomatoes and green peppers, but had to make a run to the "big city."  I needed cat food, chicken food, toilet paper....just a lot of necessities.  The family actually got dinner too - baked mac n' cheese and home grown green beans.

9 comments:

Kim said...

I wanna hear more about the bilberry.
Tomatoes have a way of taking over our lives in August/September!

Sam I Am...... said...

Bilberry? Did I miss a post? What is it and where does it come from and what is it used for? It's still hot here 90 today but there is rain coming that will cool off into the 80's hopefully. I have Fall chores to do outside like painting and caulking and I refuse to go out when it's 90 some degrees. I hope you can keep up with your harvest! You're doing great so far! I hope you get lots done today and can rest on your porch a bit.
P.S. Walmart is carrying organic again....not sure why that store clerk told me they were stopping. I got all kinds of organic canned veggies and soups. Starting to stock the cupboard for winter and power outages. LOL!

Sam I Am...... said...

I had to write another comment and congratulate you on your weight loss! That's amazing! All that from sitting on the back of a Harley? LOL! But truly, congrats and how did you do it?

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, I hope to have an update soon on the bilberry stuff I'm making.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I Am, thank you for that compliment. I too am trying to stock up anything that I don't grow or raise.

Mama Pea said...

I don't know how you keep all your natural tinctures, oils and lotions straight! (Obviously, with a better mind than mine.) I'm sure you're going to end up writing a book someday and I'll be first in line to purchase it. All of it is so much better than the pharmaceuticals so readily handed out these days!

Don't let those tomatoes get you down . . . you're tougher than they are! ;o}

Being prepared for winter is more important than at any other time of year, I think. Certain sources are saying this is going to be a rough one in more ways than one.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama pea, I read a few updates about having a rough winter too. We haven't even gotten back to splitting wood, but we may be this weekend.

RB said...

Sounds very interesting. The dinner sounds good too. Mac & Cheese and Green Beans are two of my very favorites. Often after work, I'll be dog tired and will heat a frozen Mac & Cheese Dinner while eating Green Beans cold straight out of the can. It's not fancy, but it hits the spot quickly and easily.
We're awaiting the remnants of a hurricane from the south here in Central NC while dealing with a "cold" front from the northwest. With a little prayer, they both won't hit us at once, raising cane right above our heads.
Prayers everyone has a great, safe weekend.
God bless.
RB
<><

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

RB, it's turning cooler here too, but I still have tomatoes on the plants. I'm hoping for a few more tomatoes yet.