Herbs, by definition, are any plant that is used for food, flavoring, perfumes or medicine.
Here at the farm, we use a variety of herbs to do a majority
of different things.
These plants are completely organic, mentioning the fact
that we grow them with NO CHEMICALS, and they are completely ANIMAL FRIENDLY.
Drying Fresh Herbs
Hang your fresh herbs to dry in order to preserve them or
make teas.
Another drying method is rolling them in newspaper and
letting them sit until dry.
Drying your own herbs is easy and will save you money!
Freezing Fresh Herbs
If your house is anything like mine, you already have a ton
of dried herbs and spices in your cabinets in which you use everyday.
Change it up a bit by freezing your herbs in ice trays with
olive oil.
This is will preserve them and make cooking dinner easier on
you!
Just throw a cube in the skillet and instantly have oil and
spices!
How convenient!
You could include rosemary, cilantro, parsley, bay
leaves...anything really!
Of course we use herbs in the kitchen when preparing our own
meals, but how else can they be used?
Hair Rinse
This herbal hair rinse makes your hair super soft and shiny!
Replace your shampoo with it at least three times per week.
Ingredients:
- Water (4 cups)
- Dried lavender (1/2 cup)
- Dried Rosemary (1/2 cup)
- Apple cider vinegar (3 tbsp.)
Utensils:
- Pitcher
- Pot
- Strainer
Instructions:
- Boil the water
- Turn off heat and add dried spices. Let the water cool. (The longer the herbs are in the water, the more intense the smell is.
- Strain.
- Pour solution, without herbs, into pitcher and use as shampoo. (I like to pour it on my hair over a bowl so that I can reuse it multiple times.)
What a great way to make your hair healthy without
chemicals!
Herbal Washes, Scrubs, and Soaps
By now, you should already know that I fully support the
whole organic, natural ways stuff. Knowing this, you shouldn't be surprised
that I make my own washes and scrubs.
I use my very own blueberry lemonade scrub as face wash (the
acidity of the lemons help with blemishes and oily skin and the blueberries
give it a great smell) every morning and I have many different kinds of soap:
- Almond
- Blueberry lemonade
- Coconut
- Cupcake
- Eucalyptus
- Green tea
- Peppermint
- Vanilla
All including herbs to not only preserve, but to benefit
your skin.
Mason Jars are $10 per jar.
There are plenty more ways to use herbs indoors, but lets move outdoors!
Herbs are very handy when you are dealing with animals. From
feeding to cleaning, herbs help with everything!
Coop Freshener
Sprinkle the following herbs around the chicken coop and the
run.
- Lavender (Insecticide, strong aroma, stress reliever.)
- Mint (Rodent and insect repellent, disease prevention, parasite control.)
- Oregano (Antifungal, antibiotic.)
- Spearmint (Antiseptic, eases nerves.)
- Yarrow (Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, stress reliever.)
Sprinkle the following in the nesting boxes to keep them
smelling great and clean!
- Lemongrass (Insecticide.)
- Marjoram (Laying Stimulant.)
- Mint (")
- Nasturtium (Laying Stimulant, antibiotic, antiseptic.)
- Nettles (Laying Stimulant, health booster.)
- Parsley (Laying stimulant, feather growth.)
- Spearmint (")
In addition to sprinkling fresh plants in the chicken coop
and run, I make my own herbal air freshener.
Ingredients:
- Water
- Vinegar
- Peppermint oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Fresh mint
- Fresh oregano
Add all ingredients in a spray bottle until you get
your preferred scent. I made mine super strong to make sure it lasted a while.
It smells nice and fresh!
I spray it on the walls of my buildings 1-2 times a day and
the wood soaks it right up. Each time I walk in, it smells better and better.
Animal Food
Pretty much all herbs are good for the animals to eat, but
here are some I highly recommend adding in to their feed!
- Basil
- Bee Balm
- Cilantro
- Comfrey
- Dandelion
- Marjoram
- Nasturtium
- Nettles
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Sage
- Spearmint
- Tarragon
- Thyme
Chick Feed
- Basil
- Bay Leaves
- Chervil
- Cilantro
- Comfrey
- Coriander
- Dandelion
- Dill
- Fennel
- Marjoram
- Mint
- Nettles
- Parsley
- Spearmint
Chicken/Duck Water
Adding herbs to your animals water could be very beneficial!
- Basil (Antibacterial, rejuvenating.)
- Dandelion (High in antioxidants, make yellow yolks.)
- Oregano (Antifungal, antibiotic.)
- Parsley (Laying stimulant, feather growth.)
Chicken Dust Baths
People add herbs to their animals' sand and dust baths for a
number of reasons...
- Anise ( Parasite control.)
- Fennel (Disease prevention, parasite control.)
- Ginger (Parasite control, stress reliever.)
- Lavender (Aromatic, insecticide.)
- Yarrow (Antibacterial, Stress reliever.)
This is exactly why I believe the natural way is the best way. There is so much you can do with fresh plants and it saves you money. There is no need to worry about animals getting sick from it, because it's good for them!
Once again, these are some things I highly recommend doing
with your herbs!
I am selling scrubs, washes, and soaps, and hope to be
selling bath bombs, bath jellies, and bath salts very soon!
Come back for our next post here on Farming with Cianna!
No comments:
Post a Comment