With the Comfrey plants
almost reaching tree like proportions, it is well past time for me to
be harvesting it. Usually before now I have been harvesting the first
cut for making comfrey infusion for the greenhouse but I have been a
little lax this year so now I have a huge first harvest instead.
Most of the leaves
harvested will be used to make comfrey infusion, which basically
involved steeping the leaves in a huge bucket of water to make a
horrid smelly liquid which the tomatoes love. But comfrey ointment
for this years stock will be made with some of the leaves first.
Comfrey has long been
used traditionally as a healing plant, and scientific studies show
that the plant contains a small molecule called 'allantion' which
repairs cells and decreases inflammation making it excellent for skin
wounds.
Making comfrey ointment
is really easy and one of the quickest I find to make.
How to Make Comfrey Ointment
Ingredients:
Fresh picked comfrey
leaves
Either.... Olive oil
(or another preferred oil such as almond/sunflower etc) and Beeswax
OR …... Coconut oil
Labelled jars or pots
to store
* Roughly chop comfrey
leaves and place in a saucepan
* Cover with oil (if you
are using coconut oil you may need to melt it first)
* Heat very very gently
just so that you are getting the oil not quite hot, you do not want
to Fry your comfrey (although I have been know to accidentally do
this myself).
* Turn off the heat and
allow to comfrey to infuse in the warm oil for around an hour in a
warm place.
* Strain your oil through
a sieve into a measuring jug squeezing the leaves with the back of a
spoon to keep as much of the oil as you can, then allow to stand for
another hour in a warm place.
* If you are using
coconut you are now finished and can carefully pour your ointment
into jars or pots leaving any sediment behind in the jug and store in a cool place.
* If you are using
beeswax you need to measure how much oil you have before carefully
pouring back into your wiped out comfrey pan leaving the sediment
behind in the jug.
* Add beeswax to your pan
using roughly 10grams (½ oz) of beeswax for every 100ml (3 ½ fl oz)
of oil, heat gently to melt and mix, then pour into pots or jars.
And that's it, easy
done in a morning.
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There may be signs of spring around the garden, and there may be warmth in that sunlight beaming down, but the wind is still cold here at the cottage. I wonder if had we still lived in Derbyshire would I be pottering in the garden more often? Sometimes imagine what is must be like to live in Arizona like 
The daffodils are putting on a fine display, usually they flower sporadically, but I think the mild weather we have had this year has had something to do with it, causing them to burst into bloom together.
Another sign of spring in these parts is lambs in the paddock behind us. I may or may not have a wee squealy moment every year when I spy the first lambs of the season, they are just so tiny.
Today had been a day for new life, the first three lambs of the year appeared around lunch time, as did my ex husband and his wife's new son who was also born around lunch time.
