COTTONWOOD BUD OIL

Recipes

Apr 13

Written By Kristi Reed

April 13, 2022

A slow infused oil to nourish and revive our skin after a long Winter.

RECIPES

A commitment to slow living, seasonal cooking and mindful consumption.

cottonwood bud oil.

One of the first signs of Spring on Montana are the buds of the cottonwood trees reawakening along the river. The red, sticky resin of cottonwood buds is used as an anti-inflammatory, nerve pain, sore muscles, eczema, and other skin conditions. It makes for a lovely addition to massage oil and a staple in a first aid kit to aid in the healing of burns, bug bites and various wounds. The harvesting of these buds has become an early Spring ritual for our family. There is no better way to reawaken my winter self than to burying my face in the collection of buds and breath in that sweet smell of Spring.

Cottonwood trees stand tall and mighty with many branches, most out of reach for us. We seek out fallen limbs to harvest from and try not to take directly from a standing tree. If you go foraging after a windy day, you’ll be sure to find some nicely fallen branches full of buds ready for picking. As always, take what you need and leave the rest.

Ingredients

3 parts Oil (olive, almond or whatever you have around)
2 parts Cottonwood Buds

how to prepare

Gather cottonwood buds (we usually try for about 1 cup of buds to make an oil to provide for our family)
Place buds in a sterilized jar and cover with oil. Make sure buds are completely covered and screw on the lid.
Put the jar in sunny place and shake once a day with intention for at least 4 weeks (one moon cycle).
When you feel it is ready, you can either strain out all the buds and plant bits to have a convenient, ready to use oil, or just strain small amounts of oil as needed and leave the buds in the jar with the mixture (we do the latter).
Store in cool place and and use throughout the year.