Whitnall Park Craft Fair

Had a great time at the Whitnall Park Craft Fair on March 16th. Over 100 booths of homemade items were set up and we had great traffic. I sold soaps, healing salves, drawing salves, body butters, lip balms and paracord bracelets. I want to thank everyone from my classes who stopped by to say hi and to purchase some items. I have just created new classes for the city of Milwaukee and Greenfield Rec Departments to teach how to make all of these items. I'll post the upcoming schedule soon on my blog and website!

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Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal has been coming into my life so many ways that it's hard to believe that there was a time that I knew nothing of it at all. Activated charcoal is profoundly powerful and useful in so many ways. First off, let me explain what it is. Most people would probably know what charcoal is. The charred portion of wood after a fire is what is referred to as charcoal. This alone has some great qualities just to a lesser degree than its more powerful cousin, activated charcoal. In short, activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with oxygen. The treatment process results in creating multitudes of tiny pores on the surface of the charcoal. It can actively absorb impurities and contaminants including chlorine, odors, and other toxins such as poisons in insects. Because we don't absorb activated charcoal in our systems, we can take take it orally and it will help draw out toxins in our body. Hospitals give out activated charcoal in cases of poisoning. You can find the same product in many health food stores.

You can clean water with activated charcoal because it will attract and absorb water contaminants such as bacteria, herbicides, and other chemicals. Recent studies of the wrecks of Phoenician trading ships from around 450 B.C. suggest that drinking water was stored in charred wooden barrels. This practice was still in use in the 18th Century for extending the use of potable water on long sea voyages. Wood-staved barrels were scorched to preserve them, and the water or other items stored in them. How ingenious it was, a completely natural, organic, and environmentally friendly preservative!

You can even use activated charcoal as a poultice (activated charcoal mixed with water) and apply it to a beesting to pull out the poison and speed up the healing of the wound. In fact any time you have pus, it is a sign that there is an infection. Sometimes that is caused by something foreign getting past the first barrier your body has - the skin. Activated charcoal can help draw out the foreign object and again start your body on the path to healing faster.

Activated charcoal is a great thing to have on hand in the house. You can buy it on line or pick some up at any pet store in the aquatic section. You can learn how to use it to make an emergency water purifier at an upcoming class at Riverside High School. To find out more and sign up, go to resiliencytraining.net.

Soap Making Class

The next Herbal Soap Making Class will be April 10th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Greenfield Community Center. We will be making a basic moisturizing goat's milk soap and learning how to add natural products to dye and add scent to your final product. Participants will be able to choose from a variety of herbs and essential oils to their batch of soap and take some samples home.

Go to resiliencytraining.net to learn more and sign up for the class!

Herbal First Aid

I am in the middle of an eight week course on herbal first aid medicine and I want to share some of the information that I've learned. The course is taught by a man by the name of 7Song who runs the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in New York. He has practiced herbal medicine for over twenty years all over the US as well as abroad.

I have enjoyed working with plants in a survival situation for food and shelter but just recently started to delve into the wonderful properties that have to heal your body. A lot of the the plants that I am learning about can be found in your yard or just a short walk away. I've looked at plants such as plantain and yarrow as weeds but they are some of the most powerful and useful herbal medicine plants that can be found and they have been used for centuries. The powerful chemicals in these plants can be harnessed in olive oil infusions and made into healing salves or applied directly to wounds.

Today I'm going to talk about Yarrow. Yarrow is a plant that grows where there is mildly disturbed areas of grasslands and open fields. I've seen them flourish alongside roads, train tracks and bike trails. When you collect this plant, keep in mind that the plant will take in the toxins in the air around it, so you'll want to gather it from a low traffic area. Now the properties of yarrow are amazing. You'll find a lot of information about yarrow on the internet but I only take information I've learned from 7Song as he has actually practiced this medicine on literally hundreds of patients. So how can you use this plant? If you have a cut or scrape, you will want to stop bacteria from growing in the wound as that will cause infection. Applying yarrow will stop infections because it contains chemicals that inhibit the growth of fungus, protozoans, bacteria and viruses. It will also help reduce the inflammation often caused by an infection. How do you prepare it? Yarrow can be placed in a container and have hot water poured over it. Cover the tea as the vapors also contain those healing qualities so you want to keep them inside the container. Soak a clean cloth in the mixture and apply to the wound. The heat will open the pores and help the herb get deeper inside the wound.

If you want to have this amazing plant on hand at all times, you can infuse the properties in an oil such as olive, almond or sunflower. You will want to dry the plant first as fresh plants have water in them which can cause your oil to grow mold. Put this infusion in the sun for 3-6 weeks and the chemicals will seep from the plant into the oil. Then strain the plant material with cheese cloth so all you have in the oil. Combine this infused oil with beeswax which is also antibacterial and will harden the mixture. The ratio is 1 cup of oil to one ounce of beeswax. Heat the beeswax and infused oil over medium heat until the beeswax melts. Take off the burner and add four drops of vitamin e to help preserve it. Put into a container and its ready to use any time! I have used it on cuts and scrapes and always have one in my first aid kit.

Quick Release Paracord Bracelet

Have you ever wanted to learn what is all the excitement over paracord bracelets? Paracord has been used for decades by survival experts for a variety of functions. Paracord is a lightweight nylon rope that is highly durable and strong. It was originally used by the military for parachute deployment. It can be used for a replacement shoe lace, fishing line, wilderness camp set up and so much more! Learn how to make this cool, quick release paracord bracelet at the upcoming Outdoor Survival Course being held Saturday, February 23rd at Konkel Park in Greenfield. The class is $20 for residents of Greenfield and will be from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The class will include lunch and refreshments. This bracelet holds over ten feet of paracord in a functional yet cool looking accessory. During class we will use our paracord bracelets to make a tripod and shelter. When the class is over, you will learn how to weave your bracelet back again into a fashion accessory and take it home with you!

To learn more about this upcoming class and others, go to resiliencytraining.net.

Winter Survival Class

Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you had to stay overnight outside in the middle of winter? Do you know how to build a fire using cold and sometimes frozen materials? Do you have the confidence to build a shelter that would keep you warm throughout the night? If you are looking to learn these things, you'll have the chance Saturday, February 23rd. Resiliency Training LLC will be doing a winter survival class from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Konkel Park located on Layton Avenue. The cost is only $20 and includes lunch and refreshments. To learn more about the class and to sign up, go to resiliencytraining.net.