Functional Friday no. 33 {What to do with all that citrus?! edition}

Here in Phoenix, we've got a lot of citrus showing up at our farmer's markets and in my own back yard.  Since I've been a little preoccupied with pregnancy and my daughter, my life has been documented solely through instragram.  {The new DSLR only makes it way out for special events}  Anyway, here's what I've been doing with all our citrus!

I got 10 lemons from the farmer's market on Saturday and juiced them all by hand with this $3.99 juicer from target.  It's plastic on top which I dislike and was worried about even lasting one juice, but the bottom is glass and it actually was very sturdy for it's first run!

my Lemonade Recipe is sort of go with the flow...
I used all 10 lemons, 2 LARGE spoonfuls of Organic Raw Honey, and added water to taste {maybe 1/2 gallon water?} I would have added rosemary or lavender but I didn't have any fresh herbs.  I'm still trying to decide if I should mush up some strawberries and add it to the mix... just some variations to think about.



All these {above} oranges are from our little tree in our backyard and I've been enjoying one a day.  That's a lot of peels to compost.  So instead, I grabbed a ball jar filled it half way with vinegar and instead of throwing away the peels or composting, I add them to the vinegar.  When my sister-in-law mops the house this week, she'll use the citrus vinegar instead of the regular stuff and if pinterest isn't lying to me; our house will smell like oranges instead of the usual vinegar...

And, that's what I'm doing with all our citrus.  Do you have any functional uses for citrus?  Link in the comments!

-Jenn

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Creosote Harvesting and Oil Making; A Medicinal Plant and How We Use It!

Last Sunday,we headed out into the mountain by our house with dogs and baby in tow.  Our goal was to collect some Creosote, also known as Chaparral, leaves in order to create an oil extract to use medicinally.  

Our dogs and the plant{s}. 

Once the plant is identified {not hard here, once you know what it looks like} we remove new growth branches from various bushes and give thanks {usually this means a little extra water for the giving plant}. 

Even the Cupcake is interested in the process... 

Here you can see one of the pieces Hubs gathered. 

The plant is one of the most bountiful by our home, and wouldn't you know it treats almost EVERYTHING I'd been complaining about over the past year.  It's actually an active ingredient in one of the medications I was taking for yeast.  It's a mild sun screen when infused in oil like I'm doing {about spf 8}.  And it is great for helping clear up skin, reduce scarring and overall general skin care when used in the oil mixture I'm making.  There are liver risks with this plant and should be a low ratio when ingested internally as tea.  I'm interested in taking it orally in tincture form {plant mixed with 100 proof alcohol and used as dropper into juice}, once we gather another round and purchase some vodka.  Until then I'll be using it topically.

Here's what I do with the plant when I bring it home:

Most plants' leaves should be dried, but because of the anti-fungal and antiseptic properties of this plant I didn't dry before making the oil, if you're more comfortable with dried leaves wait a few days and then use dried leaves in the mixture.

Fill the jar about 2/3 full with leaves. branches are fine, but it's the leaves I'm using as the medicine. 

Once filled and compressed to desired amount, add organic olive oil. 

Fill until covering leaves with about an inch or two of oil on top.

The oil on top keep the leaves from contacting the air. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT PREVENTS MOLD FROM GROWING ON THE LEAVES. Again, this plant prevents mold, but don't take chances with your medicine!

Cover with lid, place in room temperature but dark space for 6 weeks.  Then, strain through cheese cloth and collect oil.  

Use the oil {rub onto skin} as needed for skin regeneration {prevent or heal scarring}, to treat yeast infections {I'd check with naturopath, N.D., before treating an infant's thrush though!}, as mild sun screen, to treat ring worm, and since oil pulling is great for treating tooth aches temporarily {for instance a pregnant mom who can't have fillings done, or someone in between dentists}, I think this would be an even better oil to use.

I know you can also use the raw leaves if you have a tooth ache, chew the plant and spit it out as temporary treatment.

To make a tea with this plant, dry the leaves, then using a tea infuser use 1/8 leaves to 1 part water ratio {1 part leaves 8 parts water}.  The tea is safest at about 10% creosote, strong enough to cure, but weak enough for your body to process the toxins of the plant. Drink, but don't necessarily repeat frequently.  If you experience nausea, that's your body telling you to stop.  Also, pregnant women should not drink the tea as it is listed as an abortifacient.

I'll be making a tincture eventually and I'll share that too.  but if you're in the desert and looking for natural treatments, I suggest starting with this one, as long as your liver and kidneys are fine, it's so abundant and treats almost everything!

More information about the Creosote (or Chaparral) plant is available here. and more medicinal uses here.

**Remember I'm a blogger not a doctor, this is how I am treating my family and myself naturally.  If you have questions check with your N.D. or N.M.D., an M.D. will have no idea what you're talking about!

D.I.Y. Orange Extract

You may have seen my numerous posts on extract recently.  And many people have been asking how I make them... So, I thought I should share my recipes here, even though google has shown me tons of recipes! 

I made some orange extract recently for my favorite cookie recipe but you could make anything with it; cupcakes, pancakes, crepes, dessert breads, anything your bake!

What you'll need:

thin peel of one or more orange {carefully peeled no pith (the white part)}

1/2 cup 80 proof vodka {per orange}

This image contains the peel of 2 oranges so there's twice as much vodka.

I tried the recipe I link below {sort of} and decided that my peel in vodka for about a week was a better recipe, it smelled more like oranges and was exactly what I wanted.  You can dilute the extract after a week with a 1/4 cup water if you desire, but I think I'll leave mine alone.

After you've allowed the orange peel and vodka to sit for about a week {or longer if you want} pour into smaller dark amber Boston round viles, mine are 2oz purchased in bulk from here.

There's a more involved recipe here, but I modified it to the one I describe. 

 Experiment!  That's how YOU make it D.I.Y{ourself}

Happy Extracting

D.I.Y. Brandy and Apple Concoction.

Lately, I've been extracting; Vanilla Extract, Orange Extract and now an Apple into Brandy Extract!

My dad had this at his house last week and I thought it would be great to make on New Year's Day since it takes a year to complete, I'll be serving it at my house New Year's Eve 2012!

Here's what you need:

1.75 Liters of E&J Brandy

8 ORGANIC Apples or ORGANIC Pears {cut and quartered}

1 Cinnamon Stick

4 Cups ORGANIC Sugar

Large Glass Container for storing.

The Organic Apples are kind of a big deal because they are technically a member of the dirty dozen family and the harsh pesticides will extract into your drink, creating some pretty toxic stuff, SO BUY ORGANIC FOR THIS!

Remove core and cut into bite size pieces.

Combine ingredients into a LARGE GLASS container, make sure you can shake the container without anything spilling.

Set on counter top and shake a few times a day for the first 2 weeks,

 then store in a cool dark place for one year.

I bought the 1 liter size of the E&J {that's all they had at the store] so my recipe is slightly smaller, but I think it will be plenty for my needs.  

Good Luck and Happy Home Brewing!