Cotton Wood Buds

Late winter is the time when cottonwood buds are ripe and sticky on the trees. It is also the time of cold windy storms that blow Cottonwood branches to the ground. On walks along roadways and stream sides I have been watching and feeling the branches. Looking for large, sticky buds that smell and taste like bitter honey.

I took some moments of my life to harvest the buds off of a huge fallen branch on the side of a quiet street which i live on. I would not of harvested buds close to a highway, or even a busy road. But I am not worried about car pollution when harvesting from a quiet roadside.

After collecting the buds I brought them home and weighed them. Then placed them in a mason jar covered them in 75percent rum. I used a 1:2 ratio. Therefor place 1 part fresh cottonwood buds (grams) in a jar with 2 parts ml of 75%alchohal.

I used a higher percentage alcohol than usual because the buds are very resinous and difficult to break down. Usually I choose to cut up the plants I'm placing in a tincture as finely as possible, but not this time. Because the resin is very sticky and is hard to wash off of knives and cuttingboards. This tincture will last a very long time because of the high alchohal as well as the high resin.

As well as for an excuse to go outside and experience the crispness of winter, I made this tincture to treat a cold. Poplar buds help release soothing mucus, so therefor it is very useful for a painfully soar throat, soar lungs that need an expectorant and the odour of the buds reduce the likelihood of the bugs in your system continuing to thrive and create a second cold.

Enjoy the sweet stickiness of the black cotton wood buds!