Sweet Revenge (Dewberry Farm Mysteries Book 7), page 17
Infused Herbal Oil
Ingredients
Almond, olive, or grapeseed oil
Clean, dry 1-quart jar
Dried herbs or flowers, in enough quantity to fill jar 2/3 full
Directions
NOTE: Serafine recommends using only dried herbs in your infusions, as the lack of moisture content in the plant material can keep spoilage at bay.
Place dried herbs or flowers in a clean, dry quart jar, leaving at least 1 to 3 inches of open space above the plant material.
Fill the jar with your oil of choice, making sure to cover herbs by at least 1 inch or more. If the herbs emerge above the surface of the oil at any point while infusing, pour more oil on top to ensure the herbs remain covered.
Cap the jar tightly and shake well.
Place jar in a sunny, warm windowsill and shake once or more per day. Covering the oil with a paper bag can help prevent UV light-induced degradation.
After 2 to 3 weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth or a mesh strainer, using pressure to squeeze out as much of the oil as possible.
Pour oil into clean glass bottles or jars, and label with date and type of herb.
Store in a cool, dark place. The oil may keep for up to a year.
Salve
Ingredients
1 oz. beeswax bar or pellets
4 oz. herbal infused oil(s)
10-20 drops essential oil for fragrance (optional)
Small, clean jars or tins
Directions
If using bar beeswax, wrap bar in an old tea towel. On a cutting board or counter, use a mallet to break the bar up into small chunks.
Place the beeswax in a double boiler and warm over low heat until the beeswax melts.
Once beeswax has melted, add herbal oils and stir over low heat until well-mixed.
Remove from heat and swirl in the essential oil (if using).
Quickly pour warm mixture into tins or jars and allow to cool completely, then put on lids.
Note: Use less beeswax for a softer salve and more beeswax if you’d like it harder; to test the consistency, put a spoon in the freezer, then pour a little salve onto the cold spoons and put it back into the freezer for 1 to 2 minutes. This will give you a feel for what the final consistency will be like. Once the salve has cooled, if you need to, you can make adjustments by adding more oil to soften it or more beeswax to harden it.
Other Salve Ideas
Arnica flowers (to help with bruising… in Texas you can find these packaged in Mexican markets)
Burdock root (used by the Amish for wound healing)
Calendula flowers (this is what Serafine uses for bee stings and ant bites)
Cayenne powder (for arthritis)
Chamomile flowers (soothing… can be mixed with calendula… also available at most Mexican markets)
Ginger root (for sore muscles)
Yarrow leaves and flowers (for wound healing)
About the Author
Karen MacInerney is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple mystery series, and her victims number well into the double digits. She lives in quaint Georgetown, Texas with her sassy family, Tristan, Little Bit, and a new arrival, a Chihuahua rescue named Iggy (a.k.a. Dog #1, Dog #2, and Dog #3).
Feel free to visit Karen's web site at www.karenmacinerney.com, where you can download a free book and sign up for her Readers’ Circle to receive subscriber-only short stories, deleted scenes, recipes and other bonus material. You can also find her on Facebook (she spends an inordinate amount of time there), where Karen loves getting to know her readers, answering questions, and offering quirky, behind-the-scenes looks at the writing process (and life in general).
P. S. Don’t forget to follow Karen on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
www.karenmacinerney.com
karen@karenmacinerney.com
Karen MacInerney, Sweet Revenge (Dewberry Farm Mysteries Book 7)
