Harmony Dybala

I oiled seven wooden kitchen utensils with walnut oil! I used paper towels because waste oil is better as a fire starter than on a rag in the laundry.

Dave Burton wrote:This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in Nest.

In this Badge Bit, you will deep clean and polish a stainless steel sink.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
   - only natural and nontoxic cleaners and polishes

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must provide proof of the following with pictures (or a video < 2 mins long):
   - before, during, and after of deep cleaning and polishing a stainless steel sink
   - show and describe what you cleaned and polished the stainless steel sink with
   - demonstrate it meets the above stated requirements

I used warm water, baking soda, homemade cleaner (water, vodka, white vinegar, peppermint and tea tree essential oils.) I also used a rag, a couple of paper towels, an old toothbrush, and a loofah.

I gave the exterior of my sister’s oven a pretty good cleaning!
I used water, baking soda, homemade cleaning spray (water, vinegar, vodka, essential oils), a loofah, rags, and a few paper towels for the worst gunk I didn’t want to have to wash out of rags. There were some crevices I couldn’t quite get, but overall I am pleased with my results, especially with the glass of the door cleaned with baking soda paste and elbow grease.

I made a decoction of dandelion root!

The Octave of Christmas this year has been damp and mild. The chickens are starting to lay again as the days wax in length, and the dandelions are enjoying a shy pseudo-Spring before the really hard winter hits. I dug up a couple of dandelion plants on Monday, taking the time to check that the stems were hollow and milky, the leaves hairless and spineless, and generally showing no signs of being a lookalike. I washed the roots and set them aside to dry, (sautéing the greens with fennel for supper.)

Wednesday afternoon and New Year’s Day, after the Octave Day Mass, I chopped up the roots (a heaping tablespoon) and brought them to a boil in a cup of water. I simmered them for about 30 minutes, crushing them with a wooden spoon halfway through. Strained, and drank hot without anything added. It tasted complex, earthy-mineraly, and remarkably like roasted chestnuts!


Additional resources:
Making a decoction: https://rumble.com/vdw0qt-lesson-5-how-to-make-a-decoction-of-oak-bark.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp
Foraging dandelions in Texas: https://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/09/dandelion.html?m=1

Whey is sometimes fermented and distilled into neutral spirits (ethanol) for inclusion in beverages. Shanky’s Whip is an Irish liqueur that used to be advertised as whey-spirit based, for one. Apparently K. marxianus can break down lactose.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kluyveromyces_marxianus

https://modernfarmer.com/2020/03/the-rise-of-milk-vodka/

I made oregano tincture! I harvested fresh oregano from my garden, washed it, chopped it finely with scissors, and left it to steep in a jar of 80 proof rye vodka for about 5 weeks in a dark cupboard, shaking occasionally. I used parchment paper under the lid to prevent corrosion. I strained it and bottled it in dropper bottles. I was surprised by the dark color and pleasantly intense aroma of the finished tincture.

P.S:
My mother has a cold coming on with sore throat, so I gave her a dropper of this in water to gargle and swallow. She says it tastes very good, fresh and herbal.

I just wanted to share a painting I found online that used olive oil in the paint. The artist says that the paint smelled like olives, which sounds nice!

Olive
by Michal Plis
Medium: Oil on canvas board & olive oil.
Date: 1997

https://cara.app/post/5fd232b0-5792-4f79-b665-69a21bbfaa51

I made Comfrey-leaf-infused Olive Oil!

Minimum requirements:
  - Make an infused oil using plant material you harvested
  - Use comfrey leaf

To document completion of the BB, provide proof of the following as pictures or a video (< 2 minutes):
 - Harvested plant material (either being harvested or just harvested)
 - Making the infusion (plant material in oil) with a description of the oil and any other ingredients you used
 - Finished (strained) infused oil in its labeled jar

I harvested comfrey from my dear neighbor’s garden. The plant was already in bloom, but I made sure to harvest the younger, more tender leaves. I don’t know if it was the comfrey itself or another plant nearby, but I smelt a pleasant cucumber-melon scent as I picked the leaves. The washed leaves stuck to my drying towel like Velcro. I dried the leaves in the air-purifier hammock like I did my blackberry leaves, and set the dried leaves to infuse in a jar of olive oil in the pantry for five weeks, shaking occasionally. The leaves took up more volume than I expected, so I needed a larger jar and more olive oil than originally planned to keep them submerged and still had to leave some out. Then, I strained the oil, bottled, and labeled it. I am keeping the dropper bottles to use as they are, and may use the oil in the large bottle to make a salve.