Craft:

With summer sun comes summer weeds, and one of the most ubiquitous is the humble dandelion. When life gives you dandelions, make dandelion tincture! This week's flashback comes from the pages of CRAFT Volume 07. According to Wikipedia, "Dandelion leaves contain abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, C, and K, and are good sources of calcium, potassium, and fair amounts of iron and manganese, higher than similar leafy greens such as spinach." Who knew? And dandelion "flowers, roots, and leaves have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine & medicinal teas, most notably for liver detoxification, as a natural diuretic, and inflammation reduction."

Author Brookelynn Morris teaches us how to make 3 different kinds of dandelion tinctures: alcohol, glycerin, and vinegar. She shares detailed instructions from digging up the whole dandelion plant to bottling and labeling. I love that she starts off the article by writing, "Herbalists are some of the original DIYers." True that!

Here's the full article for you in our Digital Edition so you can get started blending your own folk medicines.

You can still pick up a back issue of CRAFT Volume 07 over in the Maker Shed!