I just purchased a half pound of comfrey all dried. An thinking about some stinging nettles. Anyone know how exactly I can go about making a botanical tea with it?
The powder and/or the leaves should both work well. I think MIW uses the powder in his teas........I'll see if I can find a link to his recipe. I haven't seen him around for a while. If you're using the powder, you'll need less material to make your tea. Chunk
Give this link a try: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1021757-comfrey-alfalfa-tea.html#post14187693
Comfrey, Kelp, nettles, alfalfa - magical plants. I still am amazed at the way that we can use these totally natural plants, and simply by soaking them in water make our own powerful fertilizers that work SO well! It makes you smile and feel good gardening so naturally, and the results are amazing! I'm heading home right now to topdress my no-till pots with a couple inches of my own gorgeous homemade compost for both my plants and the worms that live in my pots sakes and then I'm going to plant som crimson clover into this topdressing. What a "feel good" hobby! Jerry.
Yeah, yeah!! Bah!!! That damn 'crimson clover' got Tommy James' "Crimson and Clover" stuck in my head. "Mony Mony" would have been cool, but Crimson and clover ????????? Wet
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpGEeneO-t0"]Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells - YouTube[/ame]
No chit! Of all the really stupid songs to get stuck in your head. Just saw those two words and it stuck. Jeez, what was that? 1968, 69? Funny thing is, first time I heard it (straight), thought it would be really cool high. Heard it while stoned and went "this sucks". Ya never know. Wet
gotta love the dramatic degree of change our perception makes from a sobering moment to an "enlightened" one...lol yeah, one of those two years.....
BTW, I have read a few times here on GC that these Botanical teas don't go bad. However, I just opened ahen i jar of dandelion /comfrey/ yarrow/ nettle tea and it seemed as though it had gone horribly wrong. I ferment it this 1 for about a month before straining it and have now been storing it for over a month. I did use citric acid. For the last month it has kept the exact same smell, which is nasty, And has worked wonderfully on all of my girls. This time when i unscrew the lid, it burnt my nostrils. It also had a new layer of mold on top of it. It has definitely changed. I'm going to try and use it on 1 of my mother plants that I don't really need. See what happens.
Man did this thread take a left turn somewhere? Chunk: I don't know whether to laugh or curse at you for that vid. My wife walked in, saw it, and pronounced it "one of the worst songs ever". I guess she was ~15-16 when it came out. The funny thing is, the first time I heard "Let it Bleed" by the Stones, straight, I wasn't all that impressed. Some time later, with some really excellent Ja'can, a good sound system and no distractions, it became one of my top 3 albums. Weird how that works. My 'newest' music is somewhere in the mid 80's or so. We now take you back to nettles and comfrey.......... (Just comfrey&dandelions for me, nettles give me a rash) Wet
Wet, I hadn't even seen your's and Sam's post when I posted that vid. I had just finished reading Jerry's post and the exact same thing came to mind......great minds think alike Chunk
Lowflyer, I personally just take a cup or so of dried plant material and soak it in water (I use these fat Arizona iced tea jugs) for a couple weeks. I do the same with any of the Dynamic Accumulator plants - dandelion, kelp, alfalfa, etc. Make sure you leave the cap slightly cracked for gas to escape. Shake vigorously whever you get the chance. When I fill my 5 gallon watering bucket I just grab one of these jugs and pour a couple of cups worth in. I think its too strong straight - altho I've never tried it straight. It just looks and smells too strong, but maybe it isn't? Can anyone else comment on that? I do know that botanical teas work very well! J
Jerry Someone up your way, certified organic and all kinds of cover crops besides the obvious is The Maine Potato Lady. I've bought Alliums from her in the past and still get catalogs. Was just looking at one and noticed she has crimson clover among others. Wet
I must confess that I realized I was humming it earlier as I worked outside. Internet anonymity is a fantastic thing, confession being good for the soul and all.
That made me laugh! That damn song will probably stay stuck till Fall, unless my wife starts with "Last train to Clarksville" or something equally stupid. Funny thing is I have a live version of Mony Mony on my iTunes. The ONLY TJ&S I have. Wet