Cedar Salve
Last summer on our homestead, we worked at carpentry projects with cedar, a conifer used often in building for weatherproofing. We replaced the old trapdoor above the well and the small platform the old hand-pump sits atop. Of course, cedar doesn’t need any weather-coating, so it’s perfect for areas that receive a lot of moisture.

Cedar also possesses medicinal qualities. I use Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) for making salves in winter. I use the outermost twig growth from the previous spring, pruning a little of that cleanly off the tree and then clipping away the needles or leaves.

Cut up your pieces of twig with garden shears and infuse them over very low heat in extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil for 20 minutes. Cover, then remove the saucepan from heat and let sit for an hour or two, still covered. Strain out the vegetable matter; then return the olive oil infusion to the pan. Add grated beeswax and melt over a low flame (140F). (A good consistency is 1 part beeswax to 3 or 4 parts infused olive oil.) Remove mixture from heat. Add vitamin E as a preservative —one 400-IU capsule per 8 oz of infused olive oil/beeswax mixture. (I add a little more, as the liquid sticks to the inside of the gelcap, yielding slightly less than the desired amount.) Then add a few drops of pine needle essential oil. Stir this mixture, pour into readied, clean jars, and let sit to cool and congeal before capping and labeling. With anti-bacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal qualities, this salve treats all kinds of rashes, lacerations, cooking burns, warts, yeast infections, and toenail fungi. (How exotic to be making fresh salves in the “dead” of winter!)

Spruce-Herb Bath Oil
Birch Hill Happenings in Barnum, Minnesota, suggests combining the following essential oils: 4 drops of spruce (Picea spp.), 4 drops of geranium, 4 drops of spearmint, 2 drops of (Continue on Next Page)