COTTONWOOD BUDS

(sharing our natural approach to ranch living)
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     Cottonwood bud oil aids against a wide range of ailments- rashes, cuts, damaged cuticles, as well as many of life's bumps and bruises. Also called Balm Of Gilead.
  1. Collect buds from a cottonwood or from a poplar tree right before they are ready to turn to leaves.  In Montana this is April, but I start checking in March just to make sure I don't miss it.  Snip them off the stem with a heavy pair or scissors or pruning clippers.  The sap is very sticky and can be cleaning up with rubbing alcohol.  I collect them in the glass jar that I plan to keep them in until the oil is ready to harvest.  If you don't want to do that, the bucket or container you collect it in will be so sticky you may have to toss it away and you may loose some of your sap that gets stuck to the side of the container.
  2. Fill half a jar with the buds.
  3. Pour olive oil to the top.
  4. Screw on the lid tightly.
  5. Set in the window sill.  You might want to put a paper towel or cardboard to protect your sill from oil leakage.  Shake them periodically making sure that all the buds stay wet with oil.  I turn the jars and put them on their lids and go back and forth every other week. 
  6. In 6 weeks or more (the longer the better) you can strain off the oil with cheese cloth or a fine strainer.
  7. Store you finished Balm of Gilead in easy to dispense bottles or containers out of the sunlight.  I use amber colored jars and bottles.

    I am making at least a gallons of this stuff this year.  Last year I made only this little jar and I wanted to share with others when I found out how incredible it was.
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