Pioneer Woman at Heart

  A few tulips are starting to bloom.   Tulips are not the only spring life coming to life right now.  Although most people would yank these and toss them (as weeds), I see cleavers, purple dead nettle and some chickweed.  The spring herbs and flowers are working my creative mind.  I've been dehydrating, infusing and such.  I'm also doing more reading (herbal books).  There is much to learn yet.  I am learning of two new salves I may make and try, and have been learning more with creative herbal seasoning mixes. I keep forgetting to get a photo of the purple shell blanket progress, but it's the slowest going project yet. The photo is an earlier photo of the beginning of the blanket. It's not time consuming because of the stitch, but because the weather outside is nicer (so much we can do now, and jobs to work on), and I am spending a lot less time with the crochet hook.   The yarn was in the mass amount of yarn given to me last year...

                                                  In 2024 I made our first yarrow salve, after learning more about the herb.  I have a lot of it growing here, and have used it many ways.  I'd have to go look into my notes, but I believe I used olive oil, or sweet almond oil. I have, in the past, pulled off some fresh leaves and rubbed it on my arms in a quick pinch to ward off the mosquitos while gardening (will be added to our homemade bug spray), and I have used it many times for a bloody nose (who knew?).  I read, sometime about 2 years ago, that one can simply put the fresh leaves in their nose to stop a nose bleed (have not tired that, but read it somewhere on an herbal blog or book). I infused oil, and whipped up some salve in 2024, and the most use over the last two years, has been for a bloody nose brought on by dry heat indoors over wi...

  I've been using a sample size of horsetail salve, to see if it will help with the very dry cracked skin on my hands (joys of gardening).  I did a bit of reading (like a tiny bit), and it apparently is good to help brittle fingernails too.  I do not make the salve.  I, honestly, never heard of it, until we bought some earlier this year.  So far, it's helping restore my hands and heal the very dry cracks.   Garden planting is still on-going.  The rain has now moved later into the week, so watering newly planted seeds and plants is happening.  I obtained a few packets of organic collard seeds, and have a new plan for them this year.  I read that if they are planted next to thyme, they thrive better (we'll soon find out). Our garlic is starting to grow scapes, and the radish plants have not even sprouted due to late planting.  The two together, make the most delicious dip.  I don't need to cut the scapes just yet, but I read they...

April 9th - rain and snow mix, morning temperature was 21°F! April 10th - 38°, high of 44°F, rain April 11th - 30°, low chance of rain, partly sunny We should be picking asparagus, wild violets and wild dead nettle right now, but the weather is delaying it.  I surely hope we still get them all.  Time will tell. Despite freezing cold weather that is freezing my chickens water at night, my potted comfrey is already coming to life again.  The weather is to warm up again thankfully. I need help with deterring rabbits. Does anyone have any tried and true (non toxic) ways to deter rabbits from your flower beds and herb garden?  I read coffee grounds deter them, but they are not good for my herb garden.  I had motion sensor noise gadgets, but they did not work for the rabbits last year. A tree of some sort is growing in the edging (between the landscaping stone and chives of all places) of the herb garden, and it has thorns.  It needs to be dug out thanks to the b...

  I have resurrected a blog post draft from 2018!  Crazy how some of these drafts slipped through my days. I have been using nettle as a nutritional tea, allergy tea, and medicinal tea for years.  According to my research, stinging nettle is a powerhouse of goodness.  You can read about it in many free books from the library (or trusted/reliable sources online). I have started a nettle (stinging nettle) infused oil to eventually use.  We will be using it to make salad dressings and drizzling on vegetables. It can also be used for sore muscles/sore joints, and it can be used to make a nettle cream.  Lots of possibilities with nettle oil.  I made ours with organic olive oil, as we use that for our summer salads. Nettle Infused Oil   ©  March 2025 by  Kristina  at  Pioneer  Woman at Heart

                        (old photo of picked plantain, but I used both broad leaf and narrow-leafed plantain for the salve)   I completely forgot to share our newest addition to the medicine cabinet  - plantain salve.  It's a homemade drawing salve.  Plantain  (a weed that grows wild) is what saved me when I had a very nasty spider bite years ago.  I asked my husband to go outside and pick it, macerate it, and make a poultice.  I used it until I found a decent doctor (which was hard to do at the time). I used 1/2 cup infused oil (used grapeseed oil to infuse it), and 2 Tbsp. of beeswax.  Heat together until the beeswax is melted, pour into jars and cool completely.  You can add essential oils too, but add them after you take the melted oil/beeswax off the heat. By the way, before this was made, and I needed a drawing salve, I used a mix of homemade calendula oil, some store purchased...

  Back in the June fo 2024, I waited patiently for my yarrow to spring forth flowers, so I could brew up a tincture.  In the end, I ended up putting both catnip and yarrow in one tincture, for a experimental mix for bug repellant spray (for us). I strained it and used it to make the every changing recipe that Mountain rose herbs keeps changing (on their website). You can read about the bug/mosquito repellant here on my blog.  Original post is here, but their link no longer works. (dried yarrow on a screen) We have added powdered yarrow to our "medicine chest" of remedies.   We learn something new every year.   We have already used macerated yarrow for a bleeding cut, and it is said to be great for wound healing.  If you haven't read up on yarrow, you really need to.  According to Learning  Herbs,  yarrow is also great for treating a fever.  In the past, we have grown and dried feverfew, but we now dry yarrow.  Yarrow salve...

  You may get a laugh out of this discovery, but it's a reminder to get your recipes out before you do early prep work.  I started a catnip infused oil earlier in May, thinking it was what I needed for my homemade bug spray.  It was not.   I then thought I used catnip oil for homemade tick repellent, and that was not it either. Having said that, I started a catnip tincture .  Good grief.  I started making the bug spray way back around 2015.   It works to repel bug bites, but if it's very hot out, you do need to re-apply it during your time outdoors. (photos from September of 2015, when I first made the bug repellent spray) The link for the online recipe no longer works, but the original recipe was from Mountain Rose Herbs.  They have changed the recipe and the title over three times since then.  It was first called Bug-Away Spray, then a Skeeter spray, and again changed after that.   I went searching for the link to share,...

We are to heat up to the 80's today.  They sky is looking strange this morning.  One direction looks like a storm brewing, and the other, the sun rising with very dark clouds above it.  We had very bad wind yesterday. Once again, you are being entertained with a blog draft from J une of 2017 .  To be honest, I don't remember buying the book.  I think a blog follower sent me her copy, but anyway, a very old draft to entertain you with.  It does have me thinking about other herbs now.  I have, as of last year, started to harvest our wild growing goldenrod.  I had to laugh reading this draft, because I do not remember growing Gotu Kola seeds indoors either. We are blessed with a lot of wild growing herbs and weeds, but you do have to know what you are picking as well.  Stinging nettle requires some very thick gloves, or your hands will be pricked by the stinging part of the nettle.   When we had barn cats, I never had a problem finding...

  Have you ever made homemade lavender syrup?  Have you purchased this syrup and used it?   I was curious, as I thought it would be good in an evening cup of tea.  I was also intrigued with it as a lemonade, but  wasn't so sure about the floral flavor bit. Note:  I now put a canning label on things I make, and write the expiration date on it vs. the date I made it.  It makes it so much easier to check at a glance than looking over the calender. I chose to use honey, but the recipe states you can use other options if you prefer.  The recipe and instructions are found online with Detoxinista . I also did a bit more research, and you can even make the syrup sugar-free, by using monk fruit in place of the honey/sugar/maple syrup. I also found more recipes with different amounts of honey or suggestions for adding things like vanilla extract.  I will be trying more recipes to find the one we like the best. If you have tried Traditonal Medicina...

  In the beginning of February (2024), I made homemade hair detangler ( recipe is online with Mommypotamus ).  I was quite impressed when I brewed the tea for this on the first batch.  It uses marshmallow root for the tea making part, and it creates a wonderful "conditioner" spray for the hair (mucilage properties). My review?  It takes about as much effort to comb out my hair with homemade detangler vs. store bought (chemical free/no preservatives). I have new hair growth underneath the back hair, and very slightly around the brow area.  It is said that the marshmallow root can repair damaged hair and encourage new, healthy hair growth. I absolutely love my hair after using it, and I letting it dry as much as possible without a hair dryer.  My hair is softer, feels better, and looks so much better.  My scalp feels better as well. The only draw back I see, is that by storing it in the refrigerator, the oils (jojoba and any essential oils if y...

  The water hoses (and I tell you, there are a lot) were all drained and put in storage, the camper winterized, and the last rosemary plant dug up and brought inside.  We had our first hard freeze now. It also snowed yesterday evening here. I got one more jar of sage tincture started.  The tincture has come in handy for sore throats, and other uses.  Anyway, I was happy to have enough sage to use, prior to the hard freeze. The most recent pumpkin recipe tried, was one using Einkorn flour.  If we make these again, I plan to cut the butter/sugar in half and try it that way too.  The recipe is on Jovial's site online I believe.

  I  have been saving egg shells for the garden(s), and even when I shelled eggs for egg salad. Lilacs are in bloom, and it smells wonderful outside.  I cut a few to bring indoors. I love snail mail like this!  A Mother's Day card from a blog follower.  Thank you! Rain is moving in.  We need it, but I wish the evenings were warmer to get this garden planted.  Spring time is always a battle of weather for planting.  I got basil, parsley and cilantro seeds soaked and planted before the rain.  Last year I had to buy plants for some reason or another. Any medicinal herb gardeners here?  Wondering what the best use is for yarrow?  I have grown it for two years, and failed to harvest it.  I read it's good for IBS, ulcers, and other digestive issues, but wondered what your go-to is to make with it (if you grow it)?

As hard as I try to put balance in my day, I find myself in the kitchen for hours.  First, breakfast prep, then dinner prep, then snack prep, then dishes...just seems endless.  Some days I love it, other days not so much. I sliced up some carrots and bell peppers for my husband's lunch/snack, and realized he may want a dip.  Then I found myself making hummus, and more dishes to wash. During our weekend shopping trip, we could not find borax.  We had to go to two stores to find ground pork.  It's beginning to look like more shortages or lack of product (or lack of employees to get the product on the shelf?). While we were at Wal-mart to get supplies, I walked down the yarn aisle to look for Caron Simply Soft yarn.  They have completely taken all name brand yarn out (other than some redheart), and replaced it with generic brands.  Frustrating.  It seems the only place to get a good selection is JoAnn Fabrics anymore (higher prices though). We called...

  Homemade lip balm has been made.  I originally made it with calendula infused oil, but now make it with lemon balm infused oil, plus essential oils. Instead of buying the holder to hold up the tubes, I just wrap a few with rubber bands, and it works great.  I save the rubber bands from any mail delivery.  I also use a can, washed and dried (from chickpeas/beans etc.).  I bend a "spout" for easy pouring. I did not write down the source for my recipe, but there is one on Mountain Rose Herbs online, and many other recipes to use online.  Trust me, it took some work to get the binder out of my office, ha ha!  I'm just glad this is done.  I use the lip balm all the time. I try to keep notes on my recipes.  I had written this makes 10, but I got 9 tubes.  I guess it will depend on tube size.  Anyway, the benefits of growing medicinal herbs.  

  Yesterday started out with a lot of fog.  The weather warmed up to the 60's and felt so great.  Today it's dropping down again with wind and rain.  We are now in the mixed up time of year where we can get snow, rain, fog, nice days, ugly days....just typical for us. I had high hopes to hang laundry on the line, but the wind was pretty nasty out. I needed more wood on the porch, but someone left the garden cart out by the coop (full of dirty straw that needed dumped).  Wasn't me. I finally got my homemade face lotion made.  I use the recipe in Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs book (A beginner's guide).  I will need to make more oil this summer for the next batch.  I store the extra lotion in the refrigerator until I need it. Signs of spring are showing up in the flower beds now.  Some areas are a bit over crowded, so I may be digging and splitting them up after they are done blooming.   Update on the general store and consignmen...

Finally!  After 2 1/2 months, my pressure canner has arrived.  We are still waiting on about 3-4 more orders from months ago. I accidentally made the first batch Calendula (because I was reading my recipe.  I re-wrote it now, so I reads "Lemon Balm Oil" as well.  I have to put the lemon balm in tubes, so I can take them on motorcycle rides.  The slide trays work at home though.  Not sure where I got my recipe. \ Red bellied woodpecker? My feverfew bloomed for the first time ever! We got a 10 minute rain storm late evening.  Thankful for the rain.  However, all day they kept saying an all night threatening storm.  I stripped my porch, took hanging pots down etc.  Now I have to put it all back.  All for 10 minutes of rain.  No 70mph winds they kept saying we'd have.  Oh, and no tornadoes.