The cuttings of just one German Chamomile plant filled the harvesting basket. I am only growing two this year, and enjoyed an early harvest. I hope to see a 2nd, full bloom before the extreme summer temperatures kick in, but after that the flowers are pretty much random. Their scent is so sweet and lovely!
Our neighbors are expecting a baby girl in late June, which gives me just enough time to solar infuse Chamomile, Rosa Rugosa petals and Lavender flower buds in Rice Bran and Meadowfoam Seed oils, both of which are high in fatty acids and known for their gentleness. It is such a pleasure to gift a batch of herbal diaper balm to new mothers.
Garbling Chamomile can be a bit of tedium, but as luck would have it a friend dropped by. We had a good visit and a glass of wine while I snipped the flowers off the stems!
The flowers from both plants filled these three drying baskets. They will be dry in about a week, and fill two quart jars for the pantry, for later use.
By the end of the season, solar herbal infusions will fill my kitchen window sill. =D I infuse herbs in oil by the simpling method, because it allows me to specifically combine or exchange infused oils of equal strength for salves or balms.
The center jar is filled with Cottonwood buds in olive oil, solar infusing since January, and I probably won’t strain them off until the end of June. It takes several months to dissolve the resinous coating of the buds in oil by the solar method. But, I’m not in a hurry and they aren’t an ingredient in my diaper balm recipe. I just enjoy seeing the colorful, healing jars of herbs and oils as I go about my day.
Green Magick 
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