FUN IN THE FOREST

I admit it. I'm not a nature girl. When my husband drags me off hiking our conversation goes something like this.
Me: Are we there yet?
Gerhardt: Ten more minutes.
Me: Are we there yet?
Gerhardt: Ten more minutes.
Yes, I am a whiner. But I can have fun in the woods when we're with friends and we're looking for goodies. Which is just what we did last time we were out. My friend Rick is an herbalist and he introduced me to all kinds of cool secrets of the woods. Like plantain. (Something I always considered no more than a big, leafy weed.) Well, guess what. If you make a salve out of it, it's good for all kinds of skin problems, like eczema and age spots.
 So we picked some and came home and made some salve. And if you want to try and make this special salve, here's how I made mine. Fill a medium sized colander with the plantain. (Yes, I know, I should have measured more accurately, but what can I say? The main idea is to stuff your pot full of the herb, so I stuffed) Rinse it well then dry thoroughly. Melt a container of Vaseline in a pot on your stove top. (Don't get the heat too high and don't leave the stove - you don't want to burn your house down.) After the Vaseline melts add the plantain. It will foam up. Continue cooking until the plant is done foaming. Rick told me it would do this for about twenty minutes. My batch was still foaming after half an hour (I don't think I dried it thoroughly enough). When it's done foaming, remove the plant and let your salve in the pot cool until it's lukewarm and you can put your finger in it without burning it. Then pour it back into the Vaseline jar and let it set. And there you have it, Dr. Sheila's Herbal Skin Care Salve. Rick said it may take several months to work, so I'm giving it a try on my poor, sun damaged skin. We shall see!

---

---

---