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Monday, May 16, 2011

Cinnamon: Tinctures and Oatcakes. Natural DIY perfume good enough to eat.

Cinnamon sticks in tincture (L); filtered tincture (R).
I’ve been in the mood for oatcakes recently, after reading an engrossing adventure story about Anglo Saxons.  They feasted on old world dishes like flummery (pudding), roasted sheep head, and oatcakes drenched in honey.  While I'll pass on the sheep head, I found a Scottish recipe for oatcakes that seemed remarkably simple and easy, using only five ingredients (flour, oats, butter or shortening, baking powder and salt).  Of course, back in the day, things weren’t so quick when you had to do everything by hand (grind the oats, knead the fat in).  Note, there’s no sugar in this recipe, as they are meant to be drizzled with honey, or eaten as a savory side dish.

I decided to added cinnamon and raisins to my second batch.  Cinnamon, in addition to adding a delicate spiciness, is a proven anti-inflammatory and helps to regulate blood sugar, as well as discourage yeast infections.

As I waited for my oatcakes to finish baking, the buttery cinnamony smell filling my kitchen, I realized cinnamon would be a great spice to tincture.  I pulled out my glass jam bottles and filled them a quarter way with broken cinnamon sticks and pre-ground cinnamon, which was what I had on hand. I think the ideal cinnamon would be fresh ground using a spice grinder, but I hadn’t replaced my broken one yet.  Last, I poured in organic alcohol, then sealed tightly.

After a week of shaking my cinnamon tincture, I strained it through a coffee filter.  The color was a deep red amber, the smell was all cinnamon.  Aromatherapists use cinnamon to address sexual disorders.  I can see this tincture blending well with many of the oils used to address sacral chakra imbalances, such as ylang ylang, jasmine, patchouli and myrrh.

For those who’d rather eat their cinnamon than tincture it, here is the Scottish Oat Cake recipe (I added the cinnamon and raisins, for a total of 7 ingredients):

Preheat oven to 375.
Pulse in food processor:
1 c. flour
1 c. oats
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick butter (1/2 c), cubed, or shortening

Slowly add cold water, 1 T at a time until dough comes together.  It usually takes me 1-2 T max.  

Mix in by hand ½ c. raisins, or just add to food processor at the end to mix in and pulse in.  Do not overprocess dough or you will have tough dough.  Less is more.

Pat dough into a flat round shape about 8 inches in diameter, cut into 8 wedges and bake for about 15 minutes.  Let cool, then drizzle with honey.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Honeysuckle, Chrysanthemum, Green Tea and Cardamon Tinctures for Natural Perfumes

It's amazing what you can find at the Asian grocery store.  On my last trip, I found a slew of dried things to tincture.  When I got home, I filled empty jam jars with dried honeysuckle, white chrysanthemum, green tea, and my favorite, cardamon (ground to a powder).  Then I filled each jar to the top with organic ethanol. 

My sisters and I used to pull off pinkish feathery honeysuckle blossoms off the bush and sip at the  ends for the sweet nectar.   Dried honeysuckle is missing the sugary sweetness of the fresh flowers.  The dried blossoms are used in tea for cooling the body of too much yang heat.  The aroma is haylike, grassy.  

Tinctured honeysuckle buds.
Chinese people use the flowers of chrysantheum to treat a variety of health conditions, including blood pressure, heart problems, headaches, colds, and dizziness.  It’s high in beta carotene and vitamin B.  Whenever my kids have nose bleeds, my mother in law brews them a cup of chrysanthemum tea to cool the body of excess heat.  The taste and smell are lightly floral, and remind me of chamomile and calendula.

Green tea and cardamon are more well recognized aromatics.  Green tea's antioxidant properties are legendary; I drink a cup every day.  The tea has a fresh, grassy, and bitter scent.  Cardamon is used to flavor food and is a popular ingredient for chai tea.  It’s hard to describe the scent/taste of cardamon, but it’s a cross between nutmeg, mace, oranges, cinnamon, and pepper.
Honeysuckle tincture takes on an emerald green hue.

I let the honeysuckle and chrysanthemum tinctures sit for four days.  Their respective plant material is somewhat delicate and tend to disintegrate if left too long.  The honeysuckle developed a beautiful green tint while the chrysanthemum had a golden hue.  I could recharge the tinctures with new plant material, but I’m happy with their faint odors.  


White chrysanthemum buds after tincturing and straining through a filter leave a golden hued liquid.
I could see these two blending well with florals, serving to dry out sweeter aromas or mellowing more pungent aromatics like kewda.  






White chrysanthemum buds are used in tea.




Bottled tinctures!

Monday, May 2, 2011

DIY Meyer Lemon Tincture for Natural Perfume - and Lemon Bars Recipe



Shaved lemons, microplaner, and grated peel
My Meyer lemon tree is bursting with fruit.  Meyer lemon trees give you a big bang for your buck.  Mine reaches three feet, max.  I just pulled fourteen lemons off it.    They’re thought to be a cross between a lemon and an orange or mandarin.  Compared to true lemons, Meyer lemons are juicier and sweeter with a peel that is thinner and less pithy.   The peel smells just like the juice tastes – tangy, less sour than true lemon with a roundness like bergamot. 


The fastest way to dry the peel is to use a microplaner.   Simply grate off the skin, being careful not to go too deeply into the bitter pith.  Some sites recommend using your oven or microwave to dry, but I think this destroys some of the essential oils in the peel.  Plus, with the warmer weather we’ve been having, it’s simple just to leave the peel on the counter to dry.  It took a full day for mine to air dry.


You can use the resulting dried peel for cooking, and of course, perfume!  I added the dried peel of fourteen lemons into about 8 oz. of 200 proof organic ethanol.  I’m going to leave it in a cool dark place to tincture, taking out to shake every day. 

Meyer Lemon Bars
Now my only problem is what to do with the bald lemons.  I made lemon bars with two of them.  The others will just have to wait until I get feeling back into my wrist (did I mention there were 14 lemons?).  


Meyer Lemon Bars Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  •  
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 Meyer lemons, juiced, (about 1/3 cup)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
  3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
  4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool.