Red Hawk Ridge

So, it’s amazing how productive I can be one week and then not so much the next. However, the 2024 Planner went live on Monday! Yay!

I’ve been working in my Apothecary getting stuff ready as it came in for next year’s products. So far, I’ve got all the bags of herbs into jars, and the main herbs I wanted to make tinctures and experiment with are in alcohol! They should be ready by January 18, and then I will portion them out, get some products ready for sale, and then experiment with others for a side project a friend put me up to, which I won’t be discussing further, so don’t ask. Just know I got stuff going on.

In a week or so, I plan on getting more alcohol to get more tinctures going for more blends that I have rolling around in my head. I don’t live in a town that sells liquor, so it’s a road trip for me. I would have gotten two bottles if I had realized how many things I wanted to do, but we live and learn.

I will say that I love 100-proof vodka for tinctures (and I reference it in almost all my tincture posts), but I did have to use Everclear (grain alcohol) this time, as the store I went to only had one bottle of 100-proof Vodka…and Smirnoff is good, but not cost-effective for tinctures. However, to use 190-proof alcohol effectively, it needs to be diluted with water, so I actually came out with more for less. (Don’t judge me if I become the ‘use Everclear’ girl. People take that out of context. You can’t use it straight and get a good full-spectrum tincture.)

Use what you have, but know how to use it.

I’m not sure where my head is, so I’m unsure what project I will be working on next week. I should work on my Anthology short story, but at this point, I’m not sure if it’s something I’m supposed to do. I still have until December 31 to submit it, so maybe that will change. We will see.

If you are into my herbal posts, follow Red Hawk Ridge Apothecary on Facebook, and if you like my books, grab a copy of the newly released ‘2024 Planner‘ or my debut novel (Released September 2022), ‘Blood for Honor.’ (‘Blood for Honor’ is also available in paperback and ebook on most major online bookstores if you don’t like supporting Amazon. Barnes and Noble is always a good choice!)

Many blessings and Merry Christmas!
Emma Lee Joy