New Year Resolutions for Herbalists
Follow me this month while I try to clear out my own chaos and get a few tips on how to get your herb cabinet and/or business back in order! January is a perfect time for reflection and planning, but also, we have time for getting things done since the rush of garden season is still a few months away, the snow keeps us at home a bit more....as does the promise of a warm house and hot cup of tea. Each day, I am going to tackle something that needs constant care or attention, but that is often left to become dysfunctional as the year goes on. Will this be the year, I actually keep on top of things? Who knows...but if not, I will repost next year!
January 14 ~
Today is the Day.........
Do you remember how you got overwhelmed and disorganized in the first place? I do!!
A typical herbalists day is pretty varied and there are always ongoing things like--oils, tinctures, beers, herbed honey...... that are brewing. Sometimes they go on brewing, maybe too long because we don't have a schedule in spite of good intentions. I know I let certain preparations sit for 6 weeks--through an entire moon cycle and some for good measure. Tinctures can sit indefinitely, but some things are better attended to in a timely manner and it is NEVER pleasant to come across an unopend and forgotten jar full of unrecognizable plant material from 10 years ago, that has been pushed back into a dark corner. Don't let this happen to you!!
So today, had been scheduled (as of last month) as DECANT Tinctures day. Back when I cleaned out and reorganized my cupboards, I took out all the undecanted tinctures and sat them on my pantry floor--where they remain. Today, I get some space back!
The Decanting process is straight forward, but requires a few things: clean containers, cheesecloth, funnels and a small home wine press or really strong hands.... and preferably, a compost pile. Decanting is simply removing your marc (plant material) from it's menstrum (liquid), thus making it ready to be used for medicines or beauty products. I pour it into a jar, fitted with afunnel covered with 3-4 layers of cheesecloth. After all the plant material is in the cheesecloth, I continue to squeeze the excess liquids into the jar. I now have a clear, plant particle free preparation. In any event--this jar is smaller than the one I started with, because the marc has been removed. If I want, the tinctures can remain this way indefinitely as well--or if I am really on a roll, I can now use a smaller funnel and more cheesecloth to do the final decant into smaller, remedy ready bottles. Whichever I am going to do, I label EACH jar clearly as to what is inside and what year it was made, how long it brewed and it's decant date--quality control.
Now I am prepared if someone needs a preparation instead of having to rush around and decant quickly in an emergency. And.....I have even more space in my cupboards!!
Decanting honey or oils is the same process, but takes much longer because the menstrum viscosity is thicker, so draining through cheesecloth takes a lot longer and it is way messier...so I set aside separate days for decanting different brews. The winter months are perfect decanting time. Summer is when most harvests are prepared, so in winter we should finish the process so we are ready and have room for next year's harvest. Regular decanting allows me to keep an eye on what is being used, how much/little to make next year and reminds me what I actually have on hand.
My calendar is marked for a few days each month to finish off all the ongoing projects that come with practicing herbalism. Now, first on my agenda is decanting a beautiful jar of hawthorn tincture, which was made---fresh from the tree of my aunt..........
