[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A09hygjmKI]
There’s a trail I bike down often lined with red clover. For the first time ever, I mustered up enough courage to pick some for use. If I told you how much I pay for a bag of dry red clover from the health food store, you would ask me why on earth I ever waited so long to harvest it myself!
Red clover is used as a blood purifier and thinner. It contains the phytoestrogens daidzein and genistein, and can help relieve a variety of women issues. It is also naturally high in protective antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. In order to get the full benefits from this herb, I prepare it as a herbal infusion.
In this short video, you’ll see how I harvested the red clover, used my dehydrator to dry it and then conserve it in a mason jar ready to make an infusion. Make sure you harvest only healthy-looking flowers and cut off the stems. I cleaned the red clover by soaking them in water and therapeutic-grade lemon essential oil.
Dehydrators probably vary but I put my at 95 degrees and left the red clover in for 24 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use your oven or I’ve read some people just let it air dry. I then stored it in glass and, once I’m ready to consume, I will add boiling water to it and let it infuse overnight.
I’d love to harvest more of my own herbs for drying, especially nettle and red raspberry leaf. I’ll have to build up my confidence over the winter months and do more research for next summer 🙂
Hope to see you out wild harvesting some day!
M.
