January is a time of doing paperwork for the end of the previous year, before turning attention to the year to come. Of course, I’ve updated my ledgers, and done my tax returns etc, but the thought hit me. I make lots of tinctures for use in the dispensary, but because I’m not beholden to anyone to make a ‘return’ of my activities, I just sigh, maybe ruminate on the year past, and in a couple of months turn my attention to the year ahead.
But not this year. I thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice to sit down and actually look at what I made this year’. So I have done just that. I’ve pumped my batch records into a spreadsheet and had a look at it. It might be interesting for others who make their own tinctures/have a working dispensary to look at this too. The most interesting thing for me is not what I made, but what I didn’t. The second most interesting thing is to look at what didn’t do so well this year that I would have made far more of if I could. I think I’m going to start doing this every year as a thought experiment. So here we have it. A look inside a working dispensary’s tincture-making activities for one year – 2024. With nearly 90 litres of tincture made.
If this kind of post, where I give more insights into how a dispensary that has aspirations of self sufficiency appeals. let me know in the comments and I’ll do more of them!
|
1
|
English name | Latin Name | Spec |
Amount
Made |
Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2
|
Elecampane | Inula helenium | 1:3 25% | 4 | L | Good Year |
|
3
|
Marshmallow Root | Althea officinalis Rad | 1:3 25% | 1 | L | Bad Year |
|
4
|
Arbor vitae | Thuja occidentalis | 1:3 60% | 0.25 | L | Small Batch |
|
5
|
Hawthorn Blossom | Crataegus monogyna Flos. | 1:3 35% | 3 | L | Bad Year |
|
6
|
Dog Violet | Viola riviniana | 1:3 25% | 0.5 | L | First year picked |
|
7
|
Dandelion Flower | Tarax officinale Fol. | 1:3 25% | 0.5 | L | Bad Year |
|
8
|
Dandelion Root | Tarax officinale Rad | 1:3 25% | 3 | L | Great Year |
|
9
|
Elderflower | Sambucus Flos. | 1:3 25% | 2 | L | Ok year |
|
10
|
Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | 1:3 25% | 2 | L | Good year, picked less than normal due to habitat loss locally |
|
11
|
Ribwort Plantain | Plantago lanceolata | 1:3 25% | 1 | L | |
|
12
|
Greater Plantain | Plantago majora | 1:3 25% | 0.65 | L | First year picked |
|
13
|
Herb Robert | Geranium robertianum | 1:2 25% | 2.7 | L | Great year |
|
14
|
Oriental Rose | Rosa rugosa Flos. | 1:3 25% | 1.5 | L | First year picked |
|
15
|
Cramp Bark | Viburnum opulus | 1:3 25% | 1.5 | L | Habitat loss. Less picked than normal |
|
16
|
Lemon Balm | Melissa officinalis | 1:3 45% | 3.5 | L | |
|
17
|
Bay Laurel | Laurus nobilis | 1:3 25% | 1.5 | L | First year picked |
|
18
|
Apothecary Rose | Rosa galica Flos | 1:2 25% | 1.9 | L | Ok ish year |
|
19
|
Lime Flowers | Tilia cordata | 1:3 25% | 1 | L | First year picked |
|
20
|
Sage | Salvia officinalis | 1:3 25% | 2 | L | Good crop |
|
21
|
Frankincense | Boswelia serrata | 1:3 90% | 0.25 | L | Didn’t pick. Gifted resin |
|
22
|
Cleavers | Galium aperine | 1:3 25% | 3 | L | |
|
23
|
Meadowsweet | Filipendula ulmaria | 1:3 25% | 6 | L | Good Year |
|
24
|
St. John’s Wort | Hypericum perforatum | 1:3 45% | 4 | L | Bad crop |
|
25
|
Broard leaved willowherb | Epilobium parviflorum | 1:3 25% | 3.5 | L | Good Crop |
|
26
|
Nettle Root | Urtica dioica Rad. | 1:3 25% | 2.5 | L | |
|
27
|
Figwort | Scrophularia nodosa | 1:3: 25% | 2 | L | |
|
28
|
Vine Leaf | Vitis vinifera | 1:3 45% | 2 | L | First year picked |
|
29
|
Self Heal | Prunella vulgaris | 1:3 25% | 0.3 | L | |
|
30
|
Sneezewort | Achillea ptarmica | 1:3 25% | 1 | L | |
|
31
|
Marshmallow Leaf | Althea officinalis Fol. | 1:3 25% | 2 | L | |
|
32
|
Bladerwrack Seaweed | Fucus vesiculosus | 1:2 25% | 2 | L | Bad crop |
|
33
|
Eyebright | Euphrasia Spp. | 1:3 35% | 1.8 | L | |
|
34
|
Yarrow | Achillea millefolium | 1:3 25% | 3.2 | L | Awful Crop |
|
35
|
Elderberry | Sambucus Fruct | 1:1 25% | 2 | L | Bad Crop |
|
36
|
European Golden Rod | Solidago virgaurea | 1:3 45% | 1 | L | Good Crop |
|
37
|
Dandelion Leaf | Taraxacum officinale Fol. | 1:3 25% | 1 | L | Awful Crop |
|
38
|
Rose Hips | Rosa canina Fruct | 1:1 35% | 3 | L | Good Crop |
|
39
|
Fig Leaf | Ficus carica | 1:3 45% | 0.6 | L | First year made |
|
40
|
St. John’s Wort | Hypericum perforatum | 1:3 45% | 0.45 | L | Last of the year |
|
41
|
Hawthorn Berry | Crataegus monogyna Fruct. | 1:3 25% | 1 | L | Bad Crop |
|
42
|
Skullcap | Scutellaria lateriflora | 1:3 45% | 1 | L | First year made |
|
43
|
Peppermint | Mentha piperita | 1:2 35% | 1.5 | L | |
|
44
|
Hops | Humulus lupulus | 1:3 60% | 1 | L | |
|
45
|
Willow Bark | Salix Spp. | 1:2 25% | 2 | L | |
|
46
|
Angelica | Angelica sylvestris | 1:1 25% | 2.2 | L | |
|
47
|
Canadian Golden Rod | Solidago canadensis | 1:3 45% | 2.1 | L | Ok ish crop |
|
48
|
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|
49
|
Total: | 85.9 | L |
Categories: A Working Dispensary, The Herb Garden, The Wheel of the Year
Tags: 2024, dispensary, tincture-making