Homemade Tincture Press

Medicinal Plants: The $12 Tincture Press

(As featured in the June 2011 issue of Practically Seeking)

When making tinctures and infused oils you want to be sure and get every last drop of goodness from the plant materials you are using. For most of us, the traditional "solution" has been to put your plant material into fabric or cheesecloth and then proceed to squeeze by hand as hard as you can!

While this method does work, it leaves a LOT of your precious liquid behind.

Commercial presses are available, but they cost anywhere from $50 to $500 and for most of us home herbalists this is just not cost effective. Now you can call me cheap if you want to, but after a little pondering and a bit of good ol' southern engineering I created my own press (which works remarkably well) out of a couple of scrap pieces of 2x4, two metal bowls out of the kitchen cupboard, and a couple of nuts and bolts from the hardware store. Total cost to me: $11.34. 
Now that's more like it!

Here's what I did…

Step-by-step Instructions on How to make a Tincture Press:

1. You will need to pull together the following items that can be found in any hardware store:
   — Two pieces of 2x4, each 10 1/2 inches long
   — 2 - 1/2" hex bolts, 10 inches long
   — 4 - 1/2" fender washers
   — 2 hex nuts
   — 1 - 6" x 3/4" hex bolt
   — 2 - 3/4" hex nuts
   — 1 - 3/4" fender washer 
   Now head over to the Plumbing department around the iron pipe fittings and obtain an Iron "1/2 inch flange". (Your looking for a flat metal thing with 4 holes in it.) You will also need two small stainless steel bowls of the same size — inexpensive kitchen bowls or pet dishes work great.


2. Take your 2x4 pieces and measure in 1 inch from the end and mark that point with a line, then measure and mark the center of that line. Do the same thing at the other end so that each piece as two marks on it, one at each end. These are your drill points. Now drill out a 1/2 inch hole all the way through your board on each mark. You should have a total of 4 holes, two on each board, and they should line up when you place one board on top of the other.


3. On one of your 2x4 pieces draw line diagonally from corner to corner in both directions, making an "X". Drill a 3/4 inch hole at the center point of your "X".


4. Place a 1/2" fender washer on to each of your 1/2" bolts and then insert the bolt through the drilled holes in each end of the 2x4 that has only 2 holes in it. Put a hex nut on each bolt and screw it about two inches down the thread.


5. Slide the 2x4 with 3 holes on the bolts on top of the other 2x4, place another fender washer on each bolt on the outside of the piece of wood and screw a hex nut on each bolt. You now have a fender washer on the outside of each piece of wood, and hex nuts holding the top piece in place. You do not need to tighten the hex nuts down at this point.


6. Put your 6" long, 3/4" bolt down through the center hole of your top 2x4. Put on the fender washer and both hex nuts. Tighten the top hex nut up against the bottom side of the 2x4, holding the fender washer in place against the wood.


7. Screw the 1/2" flange onto the 3/4" bolt until the bolt is flush with the bottom of the flange, then tighten the lower hex nut down against the flange.


8. Put your 2 stainless steel bowls under the flange. Place your plant material in your bottom bowl with the second bowl sitting on top. Adjust the center 3/4" bolt as needed to seat the flange and upper bowl firmly down on the material to be pressed.


9. Tighten the nuts on the two OUTER bolts, evenly and a little at a time, causing the flange to press down on the top bowl squeeze down on your plant material. (Use a wrench as necessary.)


10. Continue to slowly tighten down on the two outer bolts and pour off the resulting liquid a little at a time.


11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until you can no longer get the nuts to tighten down any farther. THEN, open the press by loosening the center bolt to raise the flange high enough to remove the bowls, re-bundle the plant material and repeat the process another time or two until you are not extracting any more liquid.


12. By the time you finish your plant material should be virtually dry, and can be tossed in to your compost to help nurture future medicinals. I have successfully used this press to extract an additional half cup to almost a full cup of liquid that would have otherwise been lost — what can be the most potent part of the medicine!


Source:
http://practicalprimitive.com/skillofthemonth/tincturepress.html

Books of interest:

 

4 Wild Teas Every Survivalist Should Know

                                      

The value of a warm beverage in a survival scenario is nothing to laugh at. What could be dismissed as a luxury is actually a valuable asset. The drink provides you with vital hydration in any climate or situation. In cold weather, the warm drink can bolster you against hypothermia. And if there is a medicinal or nutritional element to the tea, that’s even better. Any survivalist worth his or her salt should be able to identify and brew up these prospective panaceas. Get ready for tea time.
Pine Needle Tea (Pinus spp.)
This tea is a Vitamin C powerhouse. Positively identify pine, chop up a tablespoon of needles, and soak them in scalding hot water for 10 minutes to get 4-5 times your daily requirement of C. Just make sure you skip the loblolly and ponderosa pines, as their needles may be a little toxic, according to recent research. And don’t consume pine needle tea if you are pregnant, as it may cause premature birth.
Mint Tea (Mentha spp.)
There are few better remedies for digestive troubles than a cool glass of mint tea. It can certainly be drunk while hot, but a cool beverage seems to be as soothing as a slug of pink Pepto. It’s good for indigestion, colic, and hangover. Mint is also used in aromatherapy to allegedly improve your concentration and diminish depression. There’s just one problem with this elixir. Pregnant or nursing women aren’t supposed to consume strong, fresh mint food or drink; and anyone with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may find their condition temporarily worsened as the valve at the top of the stomach can be relaxed by menthol (the oily compound in mint).
Black Willow Tea (Salix nigra)
Bark from several species in the willow family, including the black willow, has been used since 400 B.C. to treat inflammation and pain. Black willow bark contains salicin, a predecessor to aspirin. It was once common for people to chew directly on the shaved bark for pain and fever relief, but a better effect is gained through the tea. Steep a tablespoon of twig bark shavings in a cup of water for 15 minutes, and drink until your headache is gone. Not all willows can be used in the same ways, so consult a local plant expert to find out what your local willows can provide.
Slippery Elm Tea (Ulmus rubra)
The bark shavings of twigs from slippery elm can be steeped just like the black willow, but instead of curing a headache, this tea cures a cough. The natural mucilage in the slimy bark will coat and relax your dry cough, and it is much safer than other natural cough remedies (like colt’s foot, which can be toxic to the liver).
If you’re not sure about all this plant eating and foraging, don’t let a few bad plants scare you away from gathering wild foods. Take a respectable field guide with you, and use it.  My top recommendation is "Peterson’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants." Although it is advertised as an eastern plant book, it works well on the west coast, too. In fact, many of the plants in this book are non-native to America, and are scattered around the globe.
Do you have a favorite wild tea? Tell us about it in the comments. Good luck and safe foraging.

Source:
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/2014/03/survival-skills-4-wild-teas-every-survivalist-should-know

Books of interest:
 

12 Tips for Hunting Morel Mushrooms

Are they elongated walnuts? Wee, tiny brains on a stalk? Nope, neither. These strange-looking but delicious-tasting wild mushrooms are called morels. They grow across most of the United States. But, while they grow plentifully, they’re so popular that hunting spots are kept as well-guarded family secrets. Use these 12 hunting tips to score a few of your own.

1. Hunt in the spring. The best time is during the two months that are the height of spring in your area. Morel mushroom season begins as early as February in southern states and as late as April in the midwest. It lasts through May in most of the U.S., and into June in the northwest and Canada. 
2. Take your kids along. Morel hunting is a great family activity. And, since kids are lower to the ground, they often have a better chance of spotting the morels.
3. Hunt after a warm, spring rain. If morels are in season in your area and you have a warm rain followed by sunny days, morels will crop up quickly.
4. Take cues from the habitat. Morels thrive in forests, particularly in burn sites and other disturbed areas. Downed trees, river banks and flood planes are potential morel grounds. Loamy soil and certain trees (including ash, tulip, apple, aspen and elm) also attract morels.
5. Sweep and then focus your search. Spread out your search initially. Once you find morels, slow down and search thoroughly in that area. Then search in similar habitats nearby.
6. If you don’t find morels early in the season, look again. It takes years for a morel spore to establish itself in the forest. Yet the fruits of the morels grow quickly. While you might find zilch one day, you could find dozens in the same area mere days later.
7. Keep the plant intact. Cut the fruit of the mushroom off with a knife, leaving the root of the plant undisturbed. If you do, the plant can produce another morel.
8. Use a mesh bag for collection. An onion or orange sack works best since it allows you to redistribute morel spores through the forest while you hunt. Paper sacks are OK, too, since they’re breathable. Air circulation is important. Never use plastic or sealed bags.
9. Don’t crush your ‘shrooms. If you find the morel mother-load, keep your collection sack relatively small (a 10-pound onion sack is about right). Too much weight on the morels at the bottom of the sack will crush them.
10. Properly identify your morels. False morels and other look-alikes can make you ill or even kill you. So, be sure you know how to identify morels as true morels before you eat them. False morels are mushrooms with dense, cottony insides. If you aren’t sure, cut the fruit open to ensure it is a hollow true morel.
11. Soak morels in water. Since morels are hollow, the mushrooms tend to collect sand, bugs and debris. To clean, soak the morels in water for a few hours. If you hunted in a particularly sandy area—like a creek bed or riverbank—you may want to slice the morels in half lengthwise before soaking. 
12. Cook them simply. Once your morels are ready, try them sauteed in butter or battered lightly with cornmeal to bring out the morel’s naturally rich, meaty taste and texture. 

For more information, on mushroom hunting see our guide on foraging for mushrooms.
Follow Kristi on Twitter @VeggieConverter

Image: freewine
Sources:
http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/survival/food/2009/05/beginner%E2%80%99s-guide-hunting-morel-mushrooms
http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/morel-mushroom-hunting-tips.html
http://webpages.charter.net/woodsman/mushtip.htm
http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/tips-for-hunting-morel-mushrooms.html

Books Of Interest: