A Mullein-filled Sunday

It’s been a Mullein-filled Sunday. I went out this morning to do my daily harvest of Mullein flowers, as well as other botanicals, and decided it was time to remove some of the flower stalks. Several are pretty much done flowering, and the plants are starting to wilt from the repeated over 100° days (ugh!). So after cutting numerous stalks, I also ended up gathering a bunch more of the 1st year leaves before those start to wilt. That forced me to move the already dried leaves into a pile to make room for the new ones to dry. Whew, there went my morning!

Now that I’ve got a pile of dried mullein leaves, it’s time to start processing them into mini sticks, chopped dried leaves, and more infusions/extracts. I also need to hang the stalks to dry and get another round of flower oil started.

Here’s how I process my Mullein mini sticks with a couple of pics below:

1. First, I select the leaves for this specific purpose as I am harvesting. I give them all a gentle wiping with a damp cloth (there’s a lot of dust & pollen near the plants). I lay the leaves on a screen to dry for a few days, no longer than a week. Then, it’s time to start the sticks.
2. I do mine in steps. After the leaves have done that quick dry, I start by doing a trimming on each leaf. I snip the bottoms of any that are too narrow, and then cut up through the central vein to help it dry faster. I never go more than 2/3 up to the leaf tip!
3. Next and because I use 2 leaves in each mini-stick, I pair up the leaves, one outer and one inner (the outer leaf is larger). I lay a pair down with the outer on the bottom, stem closes to me. and inner leaf on the top. I also turn the inner leaf upside down with the top of the leaf closer to me. If it’s quite a bit smaller, I position it just below the center, vertically. Then, I start rolling, fairly tightly, from the bottom to the top. I secure it with a piece of natural hemp twine.
4. Easy-peasy. I’ve done about 30 so far. Oklahoma is under another heat warning today (this week), so this is a nice project to do inside the a/c…while sipping a glass of chilled white wine! LOL. After they’ve been rolled, I place the Mullein Mini Sticks on a screen, in a dark and cool room, and allow to dry for several weeks.
5. Finally, I place them into a dehydrator for a few hours and afterwards, let them cool down to room-temp. Once the sticks have cooled, they get packed into clear glass jars, with a reusable silicon packet, and sealed shut…just waiting.

Well, Mullein wasn’t my plan for the bulk of the day, but it was a good and productive day nonetheless. I can’t wait until the flower stalks are dry enough to process them into torches! With My Mighty Mullein producing so many smaller stalks, they are the perfect size for torches without having to be cut down. Stay cool out there, everyone!

~ Ang ✌️♥️