Note: dedicate an previous cooking pot to those tasks — you received’t wish to cook dinner in it once more, until you just like the style of pine.
Pine resin masking salve
Dad had many makes use of for this pitchy-smelling salve. He plastered it on cuts, sores, and blisters to stop infections and velocity therapeutic. He rubbed it on sore muscle tissue after a sporting day on the path, used it as insect repellent, and slathered it on searching boots to cowl smells and waterproof the leather-based, making our previous boots look pretty much as good as new.
How to make it:
- Put about 1/4 cup pine resin and three/4 cup lard (like Dad, I exploit bear lard) right into a small cast-iron pot or a tin can.
- Sit the pot (or can) in a kettle of boiling water and maintain the water simmering till the contents have melted.
- Add 3 tablespoons of chopped beeswax and simmer to soften.
- Remove from range, pressure by way of a sieve right into a heatproof dish and permit to harden.
- Spoon the salve right into a lidded container.
Dad’s scent-killer spray
When the late-season hunt was on, my dad would brew up a batch of his potent scent-killer spray, which he assured would maintain you smelling winter contemporary.
How to make it:
- Gather a bucketful of inexperienced pine needles and stems lower into small items.
- Put into a big pot, add a quart of water, and convey it to a boil.
- Simmer for an hour or till liquid is lowered by about half.
- Remove from warmth, cool.
- Pack the cooked pine needles (discard the sticks) tightly right into a jar and canopy with the liquid they have been boiled in.
- Add the key ingredient — 1 or 2 drops of wintergreen extract (get it wherever important oils are offered). Let it sit a number of days.
- Strain the concentrated liquid and funnel right into a plastic spray bottle. Leftover liquid might be poured again over the needles and saved for one more day.
Originally printed within the Fall 2021 challenge of Ontario OUT of DOORS journal.