Garlic Oil

As part of one of the courses in herbology that I am doing I needed to make an herbal oil.
I decided to give garlic oil a try using a method that I have not utilized before.

What I did was break apart three heads of garlic. I suppose it wouldn't have hurt anything to leave the skin on but I peeled and sliced each in half
I put them in the bottom of my pot and just covered them with grape seed oil
I then set my propane oven as low as it could go. This involved getting on my hands and knees to find the point at which the pilot light lit the flame so I could leave it there. I left the pot in the oven for about three hours and then shut it off to let it cool.

I strained the oil from the cloves, mashing it with a fork to get as much oil as as possible.
Using a funnel I filled my containers. They both are labeled with the date and that it is garlic in grape seed oil in the container.

Take a teaspoon every hour against cold and flu and infections

Use it for earaches by putting one or two warmed drops into the affected ear.

And, the first way I plan to try it out.... on "on aches and strains". I think my elbow is in that category
Also for use in minor skin disorders so I will try it out on the sweat rash that I get under my tummy.

I spent some of the day moving more boughs into a pile, hopefully a warm home for a bunny or two next winter, by the time I am done.

I included a picture of Mortimer, my rooster. After I peeled the veggies for this evenings meal, I took the lot down the the chickens. I tossed a turnip peel towards Mortimer and it landed right on his rump!!

I like it when I can see what I have done

Again, not too much on the go. Spent a few hours today picking up chunks of wood with my sled and hauling them up to the wood shed. Feels good to see it getting filled up once again.

The temperature is starting to warm up.
I don't know what it is about early spring but I never seem to be able to get warm. I have been fine all winter but now that we are looking towards spring; my blood is cold. I get like that every year. Though it seems to feel more drastic to me as I get older.

I thought about it but didn't do it as I was picking up the birch logs. Next batch of birch that comes down I am going to take some bark and put it in apple cider vinegar for use on summer salads.
I will cover that when I do it.

I have gotten in the habit of letting the chickens out of the coop when I am outside. They are starting to get braver and venture a little further each day. Today they discovered the spruce boughs that are on the ground and spent some time scratching around in those.
I was worried at first that I would have problems getting them to go back in their coop. I was worrying for nothing.

Back at it

2012 was a dud year for numerous reasons. Back at it. I blog mainly as a record for myself.

It's a nice bright but cool February afternoon. I worked until three.

A couple weeks ago I had stuck trail tape on trees in this section of the property in hopes of cheating a bit and having my husband take them down with the chainsaw. I have been plucking away at them over several years, with the bow saw, while we were working on other areas
So he is at it a bit for me this afternoon.
He's cutting and I am hauling the wood up to the shed in my sled.
I must add here that this is a Pelican brand sled from Canadian Tire. Second winter with the same sled. I am very impressed, very impressed Its used daily when the snow is down to haul wood from the she to the house I use it to haul stuff all over It's a very rugged product(you would think that instead of planned obsolescence that companies would make durable products and generate business by positive word of mouth!!)

This is the first stage of this clearing. I want to reassess after these trees are gone.
This summer a greenhouse is hopefully being built behind the chicken coop.
I want to add some hazelnut trees apple trees and blackberry and honey berry and sea buckthorn bushes in this area.

The anticipation of spring is getting under my skin!!

Now to see how this publishes so that next entry, hopefully I can put a description beside the pictures.