Cathy Fleischmann

While I agree with the soaking in alcohol first before adding herbs to oil, I don't believe that alone will change the colour of the salve. I follow Kami's technique and it is the blending of the herbs that pulls out the chlorophyll from the plants. The final result changes the colour of salves and oils greatly. This can be a good or bag thing. For instance, when I use Kami's technique to make my calendula infused jojoba oil, I get a very orange face oil, that is not attractive in the least. I have also given my very green salve to someone, who didn't like the green because it stained clothes. So, while I believe Kami's technique results in a superior product, it is not for all.

Thank you all for your responses to my post. You've given me some things to consider. We already have raised beds, but it looks like a lot more are in our future.

I have moved to a new property this year (97 acres of mostly forest) and was told by the most recent owners that an old overgrown area was a garden several years ago by the original owners of the property. I wrongly assumed that the soil must be good or workable in this area. Our property is on lots of rock. Most places you put a shovel in, you hit rock a few inches down. It really is a wonder when I see the amount of brush and trees on the property that seem to flourish in such conditions.
We attempted to start hand clearing this old garden in the summer, but were overcome with ticks and bugs, so put off clearing it until the fall. We hired someone to come in and bush hog this area. This "old garden" is in a low-lying area somewhat close to the house and is starts 30-35' from the top of an artificially raised septic field. The lids for the septic tank are maybe 50' away from the start of the gardens (and it goes back another 50').
The septic field gently slops down into the old garden area. We have also discovered that even after a light rainfall, there is lots of sitting water. The water table is very high in parts of this area - so much so that a 2' hole fills up with water and doesn't drain after days.

Am I crazy to attempt to garden in such close proximity to a septic field?  The more workable area appears to be the closest to the septic field.

We have considered raised hügelkultur mounds or raised beds constructed from wood or steel but even then we may not be able to access these gardens during wet periods if the area around them is sopping wet.
The idea of raising and amending this land (60 x 100?) over a period of years seems daunting and I am feeling very beaten by my environment.
Am I missing anything in my assessment of this area? Should I just give up and look for other areas? It sure seems like we are stuck with raised beds due to the heavy rock on our land. Is there any way of planting a fruit tree in a raised bed?