HERB - Recipe: Herbal Beads

[Gaylin Walli]

Melandra asked:

>Have anyone made beads with any other flower or herb?  If so, what were
>they, how did you do it, and how did they turn out?

Here's a recipe I came up with a long time ago that works with flower
petals and plant material, including herbs, of many many types. Feel
free to share this recipe with your friends. And if anyone wants to
use this for their newsletter, again, feel free.
     -- Jasmine, gwalli at infoengine.com



Jasmine's Herbal Beads

Equipment

 tapestry or carpet thread (smooth, not fuzzy)
 a darning needle
 a button
 a small knife
 dental floss (for the finished beads)
 a food processor or spice mill (optional)


Ingredients

 1/2 cup flowers or herb leaves, fresh or dried
 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 water
 10-15 drops essential oil (complimentary to your herbs)


Instructions

If you're using fresh flowers (or fresh scented geranium leaves),
take petals and discard the hard parts like stems and such. Try
to use only the parts that are aromatic. Process the herbs until
they are pureed or very finely chopped. The easiest way to do
this is in a food processor. If you are using dried herbs, process
them the same way or rub them through a sieve to make a powder.

Once you've pureed or finely chopped your plant material, begin
adding the all-purpose flour. The amount listed is approximate.
You will need more flour if your puree is soupy or your chopped
herbs are very moist. You may need less if your plant material
is drier or if you use powdered herbs.

If you use powdered plant material or if your plants are dry,
you may need to add water. Start with 1 tablespoon and begin
mixing the plant/flour mixture.

The dough should be about right when it looks like craft clay
for kids (e.g. Playdough). Add a little more flour to the mix
if it seems too soft or a teeny bit of water if it seems too
stiff. The dough will definitely be too soft if you pull on it
and it easily stretches like kneaded bread dough. I do most
of my dough mixing right in the food processor, periodically
playing with the dough to see if it feels workable.

When the dough seems right, begin by pinching off chunks and
shaping them into beads. You'll notice that chopped plant
material will cause your beads to look course at this point.
They're still quite attractive this way! Another way to make
the beads is to roll a chunk into a long tube or snake and then
chop off bead-sized bits with a knife.

The dough remains workable for quite some time, but if it
starts to feel very dry to the touch, it's starting to harden.
Making the amount specified above should keep them from
beginning to harden before you're done. If they start, try
moistening the surface of the dough very lightly and working
the moisture in quickly.

Once the beads are shaped, you can add essential oil to them
if you like. Adding the oil sooner usually results in poorer
quality beads because the oil evaporates quickly when you
mix everything together.

Once your beads are shaped, knot the end of the thread and string
it through the bottom of the button. Use enough thread to string
your beads with room between them for moving around as they dry.
String the beads carefully, being sure they have their holes where
you want them (some people may not want the hole to go right
through the middle). The beads will shrink slightly as they
dry.

Hang the beads in a warm, dry place with plenty of circulation
and away from lights. It should take about 3 or 4 days
to dry fully. The size of your beads and the weather will make
a difference. Be sure to slide the beads on the string every so
often to keep them from sticking together or to the string.

When the beads are dry, store them in an airtight container until
you're ready to string them together. I've found that dental floss
(not tape!) works best for stringing the beads together.


Other Hints and Tips

Fresh, red rose petals from my neighbor's garden turned a lovely
bright purple when I mixed the dough and faded to a dark lavender
when the dough dried.

Dried, scented geranium leaves held their scent throughout the
dough drying process and required absolutely no essential oil.

Don't hang the string without the button over your cats' water
dish. They think it's a treat, the beads might slide off, and
you could end up cleaning far more of the house than just the
litter box. :)

Enjoy!
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