Foodie Friday: Sore Nose Salve

Today, I will deviate from the usual comfort food recipes and share a homeopathic recipe I have been making for almost a decade. My favorite girl suffers from seasonal allergies. When she was small, her little nose would become sore, red, and painful from over-wiping and constant blowing. It would get so bad that she would cry when she blew her cute little nose. I tried several over-the-counter creams and ointments that her pediatrician recommended, but most of them were petroleum-based and gave very little relief.

Feeling frustrated and powerless, I turned to homeopathic remedies. I began by researching essential oils, leading me down the rabbit hole of making homemade herbal-infused salves. After much research and trial and error, I created a sore nose salve and cold sore treatment that I have shared with friends and family. Making all-natural, herb-infused salves is surprisingly easy. All you need is a double boiler, a stove, sterilized utensils, a sterilized glass container or small containers for storage, and about an hour of uninterrupted time.

I enjoy infusing oils with herbs and plants for therapeutic purposes. I often infuse olive oil with jewelweed to make our anti-poison ivy jewelweed soap. Infusing oils is very easy. I have a crockpot I use for the sole purpose of infusing oils. I pour a gallon of olive oil or any other oil that stands up to low heat for an extended period of time into a crockpot, fill it with fresh plants and herbs, and allow it to cook on low for six to eight hours. There are many ways to infuse oils with plants and herbs, but I find this is the most timely and effective way for me.

Once the oil has been infused, I allow it to cool and strain it into a sterilized glass measuring bowl. I then pour it back into sterilized glass bottles (preferably amber bottles) and store it in a cool, dark place for up to three weeks. For the sore nose salve recipe, I infuse olive oil with lemon balm, calendula, comfrey, and yarrow. If you don't grow these herbs in an herb garden, you can buy them dried and in bulk at Back to Nature on Warren Road in Indiana or almost any health food store in your area. I like to have a variety of dried medicinal herbs on hand for salve-making.

This balm can be used for sore noses, overly chapped lips, cold sores or fever blisters, and overly chapped skin. It can be applied to the affected area multiple times a day. I find this salve helps aid healing time, softens and conditions skin, and comforts sore, inflamed skin. It is gentle, moisturizing, and all-natural. With the fast-approaching allergy season, this simple recipe gives you an all-natural option to soothe sore noses and chapped lips.

Sore Nose Salve

Ingredients:

Herbal Infusion For Oil

1 Cup Olive Oil Infused With :

1 TBLS. Comfrey Leaf

1 TBLS. Lemon Balm

1 TSP. Calendula Flowers

1 TSP. Yarrow Flowers

Sore Nose Salve Ingredients:

1 TBLS. Herb Infused Oil

1 TBLS. Shea Butter

1 TSP. Beeswax Pellets

Directions:

In a double boiler, combine the above ingredients and melt over low heat.

Stir well until all the solids are melted. Note: Don't allow the shea butter to overheat, or it will become grainy.

Pour the warm mixture into a sterilized glass jar or individual lip balm containers.

Using clean hands or a small sterilized spoon, scoop a small amount of slave and apply it to the affected skin.

This recipe will fill two 1/2-ounce round tins or a one-ounce tin.

Note: This salve will melt if left in hot cars, in direct sunlight, or in your purse in a non-temperature-controlled setting.

I hope you find this easy-to-make, all-natural salve helpful. It has offered my family and friends relief from sore noses and chapped lips for years. On this lovely, sunny day, stay safe, be smart, try your hand at making all-natural home remedies, and keep washing your hands.

Save The Date For Springtime At The Farm

Happy Thursday, dear reader. It is time to begin discussing our upcoming Spring At The Farm gathering. We have set the date for Saturday, May 4th, from 9-1. Our event is the first weekend in May, the weekend before we celebrate Mother's Day. Our events at the farm are by far my favorite events. We gather our favorite people, spend the day showcasing their talents, and celebrate everything they bring to our local communities and our maker community. We get to see you, our wonderful soap family. It is a day we thoroughly enjoy and look forward to. We also invite you to our farm, where you can see firsthand our herd of goats, the farm I love, and where my stories take place.

We have a line-up of new vendors and our returning favorites this spring. I won't go into much detail today, but I will give you a running list highlighting what to expect. First, let us talk about food. Our local food truck spotlight will shine on Frank's Red Rocket. I am already looking forward to a Rocket Burger. My dear friend, Julia, will be here with her amazing Aunt Julia's Donuts. Julia is one to keep an eye on. This innovative, savvy business owner has some fantastic plans in the works. I can't wait to see what she will bring to our community. With donuts, one has to have coffee. My friend and former student, Amanda Snell, owner of My Wellness in Brookville, will be here with her healthfully inspired coffee, loaded energy drinks, protein parfaits, and scratch-made bagels. I am so proud of this young woman and all she has accomplished. I have a habit of calling my former students "my kids." After having them in class from grades 7-11, I think of them as my kids. Seeing them grow, thrive, and boost them when I can brings joy to my heart. My dear friends, the Simpsons from Lone Oak Farm will be here with their impressive handmade selection of local cheeses, baked goods, perhaps flowers, and their warm and friendly personalities. I love these "kids," what they do, and how they are willing to go out of their way to support us. Fingers crossed, my sweet friend Sharon, aka Mrs. Nut Roll, will be here. Her delectable creations of nut, apricot, and poppy seed rolls are drool-worthy. Pat and Sherry from Broken Locust will be here with their hand-blended herbal teas. I'm so excited for them. They will be selling their packaged tea blends, hot, ready-to-go teas, as well as their adorable baby bonnets and, hopefully, herb plants.

We will also welcome our creator friends. This spring, Lauren with LuLu Lux Jewelry will join us. Lauren is a seriously talented artist who creates the most adorable earrings and jewelry. My sweet friend, Carlene, aka PrAIRy Girl, will be here with her high-quality fiber wares. Katie Molinengo will showcase her beautiful candle creations. Katie is also one of my kids from Brookville. Buds to Blooms will join us with their locally grown CBD products. Pamela Jean will be here with her gorgeous hand-woven creations. Seriously, you need at least one of her shawls, wraps, or scarves in your life. They make unique gifts, and they are of the highest quality. I have a small wardrobe of them. Hmm, paired with LuLu Lux earrings, you've got an original, practical, luxurious Mother's Day gift. Sweet Home Vanilla and the sweet Amanda will also join us. My dearest friend, Tricia Brown, who owns Canine Confections, will join us with her delicious, nutritious, and adorable pet treats. The Braughler Sisters, who are Color To Dye For, will showcase their artful and high-quality creations. The talented Ashely Bowman will also join us for our springtime event. This young woman is a true artist, and we are excited to welcome her to our farm. I await confirmation from some friends, but this is the confirmed list.

Save the date: Saturday, May 4th, 9-1, 493 Tonkin Road, Indiana, PA 15701. We are greatly looking forward to seeing everyone. Please send out good vibes for good weather and sunshine. We can't wait for you to meet the new baby goats. Everyone will have their bounce on by May. We hope you can join us.

On this lovely, spring-like day, stay safe, be smart, save the date, please plan to join us, and keep washing your hands.

Ace, You're Not The Father

Well, dear reader, baby season is officially underway here on the farm. Little Aggie was born last week. Brown-Brown (I know, such an original name) gave birth to two spotted black and white little girls over the weekend. Cocoa-Loco gave birth to two mostly solid black twins yesterday. I must admit, I am quite smitten with little Aggie. She is very friendly and outgoing for a single, non-bottle baby. Of course, all the babies are adorable and special in their own way. Thus far, we have not had a baby born to our new Nubian billy goat, Ace.

We were hoping Cindy Crawford had a successful rendezvous with Ace. However, poor little Acers seemed quite befuddled about what his job description actually entailed. After ten minutes or so of humping all the wrong parts of Cindy Crawford, he leaped over the stall and hid behind me in fear. If he could have spoken, I'm certain he would have said, "Mom, please don't make me go back in there!"

Cindy Crawford created a lot of trouble and drama during mating season. Several little boys were so flustered that they broke through the electric fence. We had three or four horny little devils running up and down the driveway, trying to figure out how to get in with Cindy. Finally, we gave up and took Cindy over to the boy's side to keep the peace and keep everyone safe. For three days, a love fest was happening in the pasture across the driveway, making Woodstock seem like a children's carnival. Sigh. Only two of our boys can do anything about their romantic feelings. Ace and Ollie received Cindy's affection, and we kept our fingers crossed that Ace would be the baby daddy.

Last week, the mystery was solved. When Cindy Crawford delivered little Aggie, it was apparent Ace was not the baby daddy. Full-blooded Nubian babies are long, lanky, and lean. Nubian-Boer cross babies are chunky little meatballs. Cute little Aggie is a chunky little meatball. Ollie obviously has the more robust, agile "swimmers" between the two bucks. Although we were disappointed not to have a full-blooded Nubian baby from Cindy, we are quite pleased with our dear little chunky meatball, Aggie.

The Bibbed Wonder finally got to make the birth announcement. He has been practicing in his best Maury Povich voice for months. When my innocent little Ace stuck his curious little head over the stall door, The Bibbed Wonder announced, "Ace, in the case of two-hour-old Aggie, you are not the father!" Sigh, there are a lot of shenanigans that go on here. Seriously, the man is exhausting.

To date, aside from Cindy Crawford, only the Boer girls have given birth. The Boer girls all spent their time with Ollie, our Boer buck. Later this week, Tiger Lilly is scheduled to deliver. She will be the first Nubian doe to spend her time exclusively with Ace. I am excited to see what my sweet little buck's offspring will look like. Baby season is better than Christmas! It's full of happy surprises and gifts that keep giving. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you will be the first to see the new baby pictures.

On this foggy Wednesday morning, stay safe and be smart. We'll keep you updated about all the new babies, send out good vibes for a healthy and successful kidding season, and keep washing your hands.