A few months ago there was a steemian who would post every Monday about herbs and medicinal plants and flowers she grew in her garden and share how to use them in every day life for ailments and better health. I'm not sure what happened to her, or her consistent posting, but I sure do miss the posts and information she supplied me with.

So in her honor, and for my general curiosity to gain knowledge, I have decided to start posting at least once a week about the different herbs, flowers and plants I either have in my gardens, on my property or ones that I have foraged and how I plan on using them on my homestead for a healthier lifestyle as I continue to steer away from commercial medications and healthy and beauty aids.

Right now my gardens, my greenhouses and wild flowers and plants all around me are in bloom and I have an endless supply of horticulture at my fingertips; so I figure let's take advantage of all that Mother Nature has to offer at this time of year.

I'll be sharing my recipes, how-to's and ideas for health and beauty products that you can make at home instead of buying those expensive items at the store(s). These are all natural products from soaps to salves and tinctures to cleaning products.

Red Clover Salve

I made a red clover infused oil last month and this has brewed long enough to be able to make a salve now.
For the infused oil, I took some red clover flowers I had foraged (away from any roads, chemicals and cleaned with a light spray of white vinegar) and put them into a glass jar with enough carrier oil (I used an EVOO in this recipe) and sealed the jar up with a lid and left it in a dark cupboard for four weeks; remembering to gently shake the jar every day to disperse the oil all over all the flowers and petals.

Starting the process of using red clover infused oil to make a salve

After I had strained the oil into a bowl, I squeezed the cheesecloth making sure ALL the oil and red clover flowers goodness were being taken out.

Then I used the infused oil to make a salve. (See Dtube video below)

Recipe For Salve

Every salve has the same recipe ratio when it comes to the oils and beeswax.
1:5 - one part beeswax to five parts chosen oil

In my recipe I had 15-tablespoons of infused oil so I added 3-tablespoons of beeswax. Use less beeswax if you'd prefer a creamier texture salve (maybe a 1:6 ratio). I like mine a little more solid so I do the 1:5 ratio.

Some uses for red clover salve include: