Newsletter #39
When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same:
If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.
~Paul Hawken~
Hello Friends!
Welcome to all new subscribers and thank you to each and everyone of you paid subscribers. So far, this summer has been nuts in my neck of the woods in the Hudson Valley. Spring unfolded with a drought, right at the time when tender shoots are coming up. Then a late frost zapped all the blossoms and fruit from my fruits trees, followed by an epic invasion of aphids, then masses of flower eating caterpillars, Japanese beetles, sugar snap pea & soy bean stem biting voles, a multitude of rabbits (never had them before) which ate their way through parts of my medicinal garden and crazy wind and rainstorms. We had fewer than usual fireflies due to the drought conditions and smoky days. I did manage to save a few that found their way into my house, flashing their way through the living room.
And we are only halfway through summer!
A climate resilient garden has to be able to withstand whatever comes at it and overall, my River’s Edge Farm is doing well. In this issue, I share one of the joys of my garden, which is growing my own calendula, and making something wonderful with it. I’m also giving you a challenge, a small one at that, but an important one, which I gave in my Gamechanger.Earth Workshop a few years ago. You will also learn about Fabscraps and Hoola One, two awesome and innovative companies that I am really excited about. Don’t miss watching the short film I recommended. Praying for no typos in this intro. Onwards!
#1- Make Your Own Calendula Oil
Calendula oil is oil that has been infused with dry calendula flowers. The flowers are steeped in a “carrier oil” such as olive or jojoba oil for several weeks. Whole dry flower heads or just the petals can be used, but it is important that they’re fully dry. While steeping, the natural active resins within the calendula flowers are extracted and drawn into the oil.
Calendula is gentle in its work. Topically, calendula can ease, heal, or otherwise treat an array of skin conditions from rashes, sunburn, eczema, acne, stings, wounds, burns, scrapes, chicken pox, and cold sores. Calendula oil is very soothing after shaving, to prevent or treat razor burn and can be used as a salve on babies to safely soothe cradle cap, diaper rash, or other skin irritations.
Carrier Oil Options for Making Calendula Oil
The following is a recommended list of seven different oil options for creating your calendula oil. Use a high-quality, certified organic, unrefined, and cold-pressed oil, as the goal is to create a healing medicinal oil. All of these oils contain a high amount of essential omega fatty acids, which help rejuvenate, nourish, and hydrate skin.
1- Jojoba Oil is lightweight, non-greasy, and absorbs very easily because it has a similar chemical structure as our skin’s natural oils. Jojoba oil works to break down and reduce excess sebum – making it a great option for oily or combination skin. Some people experience an initial “purge” (small breakouts) when they first begin to use jojoba oil, only because it is excellent at unclogging pores and removing impurities. Studies show it is anti-inflammatory and promotes wound healing. An added perk is its very long shelf life of up to 5 years. Note that jojoba oil is not edible.
2- Sweet Almond Oil is a slightly stronger moisturizer than jojoba and grapeseed and a good choice for dry and sensitive skin, including baby skin. It works to reduce excess sebum, inflammation, scars, dryness, eczema, and acne. Sweet Almond Oil can also lighten skin tone, dark circles, and support an even complexion. It is edible, and retains the most nutritional value when consumed raw.
3- Rosehip Seed Oil is high in essential fatty acids, Vitamin E and Vitamin A that increase cell turnover. It helps to heal scars and decrease discoloration and fine lines. Rosehip Seed Oil is lightweight, and absorbs easily. It is not recommended for internal use, and has a shorter shelf life of only 6 months.
4- Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil (EVOO) is extremely hydrating and nourishing for dry skin, and is a bit thicker than some other drier oils on the list. Because it is edible, it is a good choice for a multi-use calendula oil. It can occasionally cause break-outs for those with acne-prone skin if applied too heavily. EVOO contains a rare antioxidant called hydroxytyrosol which protects against free radical damage to the skin and is considered an anti-aging compound.
5- Avocado Oil is quite thick and oily, but does a great job at providing deep moisture. Avo oil can also aid in reducing scars, inflammation and age spots while significantly softening skin and is edible.
6- Hemp Seed Oil is a very light, “dry” oil and highly absorbable due its closely similar amino acid and fat profile as our natural skin oils. Hemp oil is a great choice for any skin type, reduces inflammation, fine lines and acne – and is edible.
7- Argan Oil (also known as Moroccan oil), is as gentle as it is highly moisturizing. Argan can prevent sun damage, reduce fine lines and excess oil production, soften skin, and potentially even treat stretch marks. Choose the cosmetic-only types of argan oil.
How to make calendula oil
1- Either use your own homegrown dried flowers or purchase some. Calendula oil can be made with fresh flowers. However, the risk of mold growing as the calendula infuses in oil is greater with fresh flowers because they contain so much moisture. This is why using dried flowers is suggested. (Definitely only use dried petals. I did try with fresh ones, and they developed mold).
2- Fill a clean glass container at least ¾ full of dried calendula flower heads, or about half full of loose dry petals. A glass mason jar works perfectly. I used small jars, as I picked and dried the flowers every few days. It really depends on how many flowers you have.
3- Pour your choice of oil over the dried calendula flowers or/and petals, until the flowers are completely submerged.
4- Place a lid on the container, and store it in a sunny, warm location to enhance infusion. A bright windowsill is a popular choice. Allow the oil and flowers to infuse for at least 6 weeks. I added a label to each jar, with the date when it’s meant to be ready. (Reusable jar, reusable rubber bands and reusable label made w/ scrap paper).
My calendula oil on sunny spot on the kitchen sill, by the eggshells I’m drying in a small dish I made (eggshells be used in the garden).
5-When it’s ready, strain the flowers through a paper coffee filter or cheesecloth, over a new jar. Then, squeeze the filter or cheesecloth sack of flowers to extract every last bit of oil that I can. (When using a paper filter, you lose less oil).
Calendula Oil Storage & Shelf Life
After straining your calendula oil, store it in one or several glass jars, in a cool, dry location. Read the information on your carrier oil bottle to determine the recommended shelf life of your calendula oil. The addition of calendula will not change the carrier oil’s typical storage life. Some oils are more prone to becoming rancid than others; most have an average shelf life of 1 to 2 years. You can also store your calendula oil in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life.
How to use Calendula Oil
It’s wonderful as a healing facial moisturizer. Use only a few drops, to avoid a thick oily sheen and spread it evenly across your skin, and lightly massage in. In addition to using it on your face, you can also use it on other parts of your body as a general moisturizer, and apply it directly to areas that need soothing attention.
I love using it to remove eye-makeup. However, do some research on the recommendations for the carrier oil you chose before using calendula oil as a makeup remover near your eyes.
Source
Calendula oil making petals, jars, and oils are available in my Amazon store
#2- Gamechanger.Earth 2023
In the spring of 2017, I gave several workshops at the Alan Locke High School in south central Los Angeles. Those workshops were called Gamechanger.Earth. It was a fantastic experience!
I called the workshop Gamechanger.Earth because…a GameChanger causes change, that effects a significant shift in the current manner of doing or thinking about something. The smallest act, the smallest change, can start a chain reaction that eventually impacts the world.
Gamechanger.Earth was an in-school workshop that I initially created for high school students, however it was their moms who signed up for it instead! That was actually perfect. I told the parents how I had spent a day driving around a 5-block radius from the high school so that I could understand what toxin-free products were available in their neighborhood. I went to every 7-eleven, bodega, and market in their community. Do you know what were the 2 things I found that were safe for families to have in their homes?
*Find out at the end of this newsletter.
Through Gamechanger.Earth, I taught the parents what were the healthiest choices at the store or market, and how to read labels on products and learn to recognize what ingredients are harmful to their health. I taught them healthier ways to clean their homes, make their own cleaning products, and healthier ways to store food as well all the while reducing food waste. I showed them some easy to do and healthy lifestyle choices they could incorporate into their lives and how a Gamechanger shares those positive and empowering choices with their loved ones.
At the end of the first workshop, I gave a challenge to each of the participants, which they needed to fulfill by the time we would meet for the second workshop a month later. Each challenge was written on a piece of paper, folded and added to a large glass jar, then randomly selected by each person.
Let’s pretend that you are one of the participants.
I’m giving you one of those challenges.
Look up these three words, learn their meaning and which products they are in:
Benzophenone-2
Obesogens
Phthalates
I would love to hear from you about your search into these! Did you learn something new?
Be a Gamechanger too by using your money as a powerful tool for positive change by choosing the healthiest products at the store or market. Understand that the “market” is driven by our choices. Be invested in your health and well-being by learning how to read labels on products and recognize what ingredients are harmful to your health.
P.S. A few years ago, it was such an honor to have met a Major Gamechanger and the author of the opening quote of this Newsletter, Paul Hawken. He is such a lovely man.
#3- Fabscraps
-A brief but spectacular take on textile waste and fashion sustainability-
Here is someone who is making a positive difference in the world of textile waste.
Camille Tagle is co-founder and creative director of FABSCRAP, which is a textile recycling nonprofit.
Since textiles generate 21 billion pounds of waste that goes into landfills every year, FABSCRAP works to divert that waste, either by downcycling or giving the fabric new life.
Tagle shares her “brief but spectacular take on textile waste and fashion sustainability”. Watch here
One day, I’m going to pay Fabscrap a visit, as they are located in Brooklyn, NY!
#4- HOOLA ONE
Students from the University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada, developed Hoola One, a system that removes microplastics from beaches and rugged terrains.
This is amazing! Such exciting news! I am horrified by the existence of micro plastics, a scourge on our beautiful planet.
The team at HO has developed an innovative vaccum and sieve that removes micro and macroplastics on the surface of a beach. The Hoola One is helping to restore ecosystems affected by plastic pollution to their natural state.
The prototype was first tested in Kamilo Point, Big Island, Hawaii, and collected 230 pounds (104 kilograms) of microplastics in two weeks. The machine uses the principle of buoyancy. All the materials - plastics, sands, wood, and debris - are vacuumed into a container full of water. The microplastic will float; the sand will sink and rest at the bottom.
The commercial Hoola One model was finalized in November 2020. It is smaller, can be easily transported either by hand, truck, or boat, and features three different modules, allowing users to access remote areas that are not served by roads.
Wishing them massive success!
#5- Recommended Short Movie: Kinabuhi
Kinabuhi is an Award Winning Documentary about Filipino Coconut Farmers struggling to survive a Way-of-Life exploited by industrial agriculture and crippled by disasters like Typhoon Haiyan. Over 60% of Coconut farmers in the Philippines live in extreme poverty, despite the ubiquitous resource which is the country's top commodity.
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*The two I found were baking soda and white vinegar, which can be used to make a multitude of home cleaning products.
There are a few spaces left in my August 26th and September 23rd Workshops at River’s Edge Farm in the Hudson Valley in Upstate New York. In the workshops, I’ll be talking about my climate resilient zero waste carbon neutral organic mini farm, where I grow my own food and medicine, compost all my kitchen and garden waste, capture rainwater in a water barrel for irrigation purposes, plant native plants to support biodiversity and much more, and let me not forget to mention that I will be sharing my seed saving techniques. Email me at pwstorestudio@gmail.com for information and to book a space. I have posted information as well in my online store, click here
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I’ll be taking the rest of August off and will see you back in September!
Wishing you a beautiful month of August!
Priscilla