Rain Country Homestead

Infusing oils is a very easy process though it does take time and patience for a well infused oil.  There are so many different blends and types of oils one can make and they have a good amount of uses. Some may infuse oils for culinary purposes, which I have tried for fun myself.  Others will do so for medicinal and skin care reasons, which is mainly what I do. I make a cayenne and peppermint infused oil for using in both my homemade muscle and joint rub and also in my special scalp and hair blend I use to help stimulate hair growth.  These are recipes I do plan on sharing here in the near future but first want to go over the oil infusions so you can get them started right away if you think that is something you would be interested in. The other most common oil infusion I do is my calendula, pansy, and marshmallow blend (sometimes with rose petals) that I use in my homemade skin cream and lip balms. My lip balm recipe I will also share down the road bu...

To call it a "Latte" is a bit of a stretch since I rarely make up my own cup with milk, though the homemade coconut or almond milk is really good in it. Mr. likes his with some raw goat milk.  It all started in trying to come up with both a coffee replacement and a way to get more healing spices and roots into my daily diet to help with our thyroid since I had made the choice to take us both off our prescription thyroid medications.  The main focus in this  was both the Maca  root and Ashwagandha root.  These roots are adaptogens, meaning they help the body cope with stress of any kind, and both are very beneficial to thyroid and adrenal function.   Here is a snippet from an article on ashwagandha by Dr. Josh Axe:  Animal studies reveal ashwagandha has a thyroid hormone balancing effect.  In a 20 days study mice were give ashwagandha and their T3 and T4 levels were analyzed along with lipid peroxidation (anti-oxidant ...

Pansies have a wealth of health and medicinal benefits that many people who grow them for their beauty alone may have never heard of. All aerial parts of the plants are edible and medicinal. I love the slight wintergreen taste the leaves and flowers (when the whole flower is eaten) have. The petals alone are rather bland but add an amazing pop of color to salads. Here is a brief list of some of the medicinal benefits of the Pansy (Also known as Heartease): It is an anti allergen and its mucilaginous properties mean it is very helpful for colds and flus as it soothes coughs and sore throats and is also helpful in treating fevers. It is also good for treating asthma, bronchitis, and even whooping cough. Consuming fresh pansies or drinking infusions on a regular basis can help to lower blood pressure and prevent heart failure. Its vulnerary actions make it great for skin with its anti aging properties and helps with disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and ...

I am big into medicinal herbs and growing my own.  I try to add a new one to my garden each year.  Growing our own medicines like this is one of the big ways we got ourselves off ALL pharmaceuticals, including prescription thyroid medication.  I will be doing more posts specifically on that in the future but right now I want to focus on the benefits of catnip ( Nepeta Cataria) and why you may want to add it to your garden next year. The main reason I grow it is for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.  It seems to be just as effective as the feverfew that I grow but without the strong bitter flavor.  Catnip has many other medicinal benefits  such as being a good a sleep aid. Unlike being a stimulant for cats, in dogs and humans, catnip is sedative and I have used it in my nightly teas, especially when feeling stressed or anxious. I have also used it in a special calming, pain and anti-inflammatory medicine I have made for our dogs...

  Years ago I used to take a handful of store bought supplements every day.  Boy was that expensive! Then I started to learn that such supplements were not only a waste of money but often times could be quite counter productive.  Many vitamins and minerals need to be consumed together to get the full benefits.  Examples would be D should be taken with K and Calcium with Magnesium.  Then you have the fact that many of the store bought supplements are made with synthetic ingredients that are toxic to the body. So what is the point spending all that money on that garbage when it is more harm than help? The best way to get your vitamins and minerals are in their whole food form but sometimes that is not always feasible year round.  Today the conventional store bought produce is severely lacking in nutrients and homegrown organic produce is not available to us year round.  Enter the multi vitamin and mineral extract! Making extracts and tincture...

Making your own face make up powder is super easy and inexpensive.  Plus it is healthy and not full of chemicals that can be harmful to your skin and health like most store bought make up. This recipe only takes three ingredients: * Cacoa Powder * Tapioca Starch or Arrow Root Powder * French Green Clay  Start with very small and equal amounts of the cacao and the arrow root or tapioca starch (a Tablespoon of each is a good place to start) and 1;4 to 1/2 tsp of the green clay. Mix these together well then start adding more of either to suit the color of your skin.  For darker skin, use more cacao, for redder skin, use more green clay, and so on.  In the video below, I demonstrate how to blend these ingredients and to tailor to your needs. Hope you enjoyed this post and video and that it is helpful to you in becoming more frugal, healthy, and self sufficient! ~Heidi