Crafty Kitchen Witch

Herbal Infused Oil - Quick Method 2-3 oz dried herbs or 3-4 oz. fresh 1 1/4 cups oil (preferably sunflower or olive) A heatproof container with a tight-fitting lid (jam jars?). Chop the herb and put it in the container with all the oil. Put the container in a pan filled with water to within 1 inch of the top of the container of oil. Simmer slowly for two hours. After 2 hours, allow the oil to cool, and strain well. Discard the spent herbs (makes lovely compost). Refill the canister with the remaining herbs and return to the water bath (remember to replace the lid). Simmer for another 2 hours Be sure to check the water level occasionally so as to not burn the oil. When the oil has cooled enough to work with, pour it through a jelly bag or sieve lined with cheesecloth. If using fresh herbs, there may be a water liquid at the bottom of the oil. This must be separated and discarded, or else it will spoil the oil over time. This oil can be used as a base for ointments, creams,

Base Oils: A base oil is something which will "carry" the chosen essential oil through the skin and into the bloodstream. Mineral Oils such as "baby oils" are useless. Although the essential oils will dissolve in it, mineral oils have a very low penetration property so it reduces the essential oils ability to pass through the skin. Certain vegetable oils are ideal. These oils should ideally be cold pressed. Cold pressed oils are mechanically pressed from the seeds at low temperature, usually below 80 degrees C. The oil is then filtered and bottled. This is the only method of preserving the original goodness of the oils. Massage=application to skin Now to the oils Almond, Sweet: excellent moisturising properties. A light polyunsaturated oil excellent for all passage purposes - absorption rate approx 15 mins Apricot kernel: a light textured oil ideal for massage and cosmetic purposes. It makes a good base for the treatment of dry, mature, sensitive

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO HERBALISM Advice to the Beginning Herbalist Student: Herbalist, like midwifery skills, is one of the oldest parts of teaching within the craft, but is also one where we have lost a huge amount of information and where science has yet to catch up. Every pagan culture has utilized the herbal-ism of its particular region, and I have found no one source or teacher who could possibly know about every herb that grows on the Earth. Yet today we have the opportunity to perhaps achieve this within a lifespan or two, using the electronic communications at our fingertips. Science is now slowly beginning to learn the importance of the natural herbs in healing, but they will take centuries to figure it all out because of the way they go about things, unless nudged. The first step in herbal-ism is to gather the tools you will need, and that is the main point of this first message. I have found the following useful and in many cases vital to learn

Growing Herbs in Pots Some of you may not have room at all for herbs unless they are in pots. Never fear, you can have a pot garden! Many of the herbs will grow fine in pots when they have plenty of sun and are watered on a regular basis. Even if you are in an apartment with a patio or balcony you can do this. Chances are you have a sunny space, and the herbs will love the heat! First, lets talk again about the soil for pots. Use a good potting soil- if it doesn't have limestone added-then add 1 tsp. per 6 inch pot--2 tsp. for 12 inch etc. It doesn't have to be exact. Don't use garden soil--it's too heavy for pots and won't work as well. The smallest pot you should use for herbs is 6 inches (across). This size works well for outside shelving or windowsills. The 8, 10 and 12 inch work great. All your pots don't need to be the same size. Use what you have! The ultimate are the half whiskey type barrels. You can get a lot of herbs in one of those! BUT, it ca

Peach Dumplings I like the smell of fresh baked goods in my kitchen and these make the house smell amazing taste good too 2 whole large peaches 2 8 oz cans crescent rolls 2 sticks butter 1-1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla cinnamon, to taste 1 12 oz can Mountain Dew Peel and pit peaches. Cut both peaches into 8 slices. Roll each peach slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over peaches. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top!

Freeze & Preserve Fresh Herbs in Olive Oil! I either have too many herbs or not enough when I have to much this is a really good idea. 1. Choose fresh herbs from the market or your own garden. 2. You can chop them well, or leave on branches. In the photo, the herbs are finely chopped. 3. Place in trays for ice cubes (about 2/3 full of herbs). 4. You can mix herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary). 5. Place extra virgin olive oil or unsalted melted butter over the herbs. 6. Cover with plastic and freeze. 7. Remove frozen cubes and store in small containers or bags for long term freeze. 8. Do not forget to label each container or bag with the type of herbs (and oil) inside!

Blackberry Cobbler Delicious Blackberries, you can substitute other berries for this if you can't find blackberries or don't like them 4 cups fresh Blackberries 3/4 cups Sugar 3 Tablespoons Flour 1 1/2 cups Water 1 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons melted Butter Pastry: 1 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour 2 Tablespoons Sugar 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1/4 cup Shortening 6 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping cream 6 Tablespoons Buttermilk Preheat oven to 350 degrees Place fresh berries in a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Combine sugar and flour; add water and lemon juice, mixing well. Pour this mixture over berries; bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes while preparing the pastry. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Pastry: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in whipping cream and buttermilk. Knead dough 4 or 5 times; roll to about 1/4" thickness on a lightly

Apricot Wine 1 pound Dried Apricots 4 quarts Warm Water 6 1/2 cups Sugar 2 1/4 cups Brown Sugar 1 1/2 cups Raisins 1 Tablespoon Ginger, minced 2 each Lemons, thinly sliced 2 each Oranges, thinly sliced 1/2 cup Yeast Wash the apricots in several batches of water and then dry them and cut in halves. Place in a large crock and pour on the warm water, reserving 1/2 cup of it in which to dissolve the yeast cake. Stir in the sugars, fruit, raisins and ginger. Then add the dissolved yeast and mix well. Cover with top of the crock and let stand for thirty days, stirring the mixture every other day. After thirty days strain the mixture and bottle.

Lammas Raisin Bread Source: Unknown Makes 4 loaves. 2 cup rolled oats 5 cup water 1/3 cup honey 1 Tb salt 2 TB cinnamon(I like a lot) 2/3 cup wheat germ 2 package (2 Tbs) dry yeast 6 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup raisins 2 cup white flour Cook the oats in 4 cups boiling water until they are just soft (5-10 min). Stir in honey, salt, and wheat germ. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water and stir into oats with 3 cup of the flour. Beat this sponge with a wooden spoon for a few minutes. Cover bowl with tea towel. Let rise in warm, draft-free place for about one hour or until doubled volume. Stir down sponge. Stir in raisins & remaining 3 cup flour. Sprinkle 1 cup white flour over a flat wooden or marble surface and turn the dough out onto it. Sprinkle the second cup of white flour on top of the dough and carefully begin kneading.  Knead for about 10 min or until smooth and elastic. Form into ball.  Put in large, buttered bowl. Turn so it

Balancing And Clarifying Your Chakras Here are some chakra color treatments to put you back in balance. For the following, visualize each specific color penetrating and cleansing that chakra. This is a good way to balance yourself in the morning before getting up and starting your day. Root Chakra: A very bright shade of red. Sexual Chakra: A clear shade of orange. Solar Plexus Chakra: A bright and sunny yellow. Heart Chakra: You can visualize a bright green or a bright pink. Both are seen as the color of this chakra. Throat Chakra: A light shade of blue. Third Eye Chakra: A transparent indigo. Crown Chakra: Violet or white are both seen as the color of this chakra. Full Moon Cleansing Rite Submitted and Written by: Gella Myers Tools needed: Tub of water  1 part Sea Salt  3 parts Water Perform basic altar devotion Cast the circle from the East welcoming all the elements Invocation of the God: "Welcome Horned one, consort to the Lady" I a

CHAKRAS-flower essences While the four subtle bodies are a sort of library or storehouse for each human body, the chakras are the vehicle by which light or life force energy from our Creator gets distributed throughout our whole energy systems. When light from God pours into each of us, it moves through seven main chakras or energy transformers into our energy systems.  The chakras are not physical in nature, but are part of our energy body. Each chakra resonates to certain spiritual issues. The degree to which we have worked through the issues of a chakra is the degree to which the chakra is open and spins in health and balance, allowing for the smooth flow of energy through our system. If we are working on spiritual learning lessons related to the issues of a chakra, this chakra may be partially closed, wobbly, and weak, with less light moving though it than through our other chakras. Our physical system is impacted negatively by blockages in our chakras. A blockage in a chakra