TheMerryRoseGeneralStore: March 2020

Vinegar of the Four Thieves: To Purchase or To Make at Home?
Mrs. Dashwood at The Merry Rose Makes at Home Sunday, March 8, 2020

Vinegar of the Four Thieves: To Purchase or To Make at Home?
Mrs. Dashwood at The Merry Rose Makes at Home Sunday, March 8, 2020

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Four Thieves Vinegar in Times of Worry about Corona Virus

Here at the Merry Rose General Store, Mrs. Dashwood loves to keep ingredients on hand to make Vinegar of the Four Thieves. This legendary recipe was credited with protecting people against the plague. Today, with corona virus affecting people, the economy, and daily life--whether or not the level of response is correct--the stores are running out of hand sanitizer and face masks.

Alternatives if Stores Run Out of Hand Sanitizers and Face Masks

Mrs. Dashwood found that if hand sanitizers and face masks are out of stock, that there is one alternative offered: Mixing alcohol and aloe vera gel for a homemade hand sanitizer.

Mrs. Dashwood went to her favorite grocery store, and saw that the store had run out of alcohol, but had aloe vera gel for sunburns. This sparked another question, as to whether the sunburn aloe vera gel was ok to use.

How to Make Gel Alcohol Hand Sanitizer via WikiHow

According to Wikihow, use the purest aloe vera gel available. Also use rubbing alcohol that 90%.
Mrs. Dashwood's isopropyl alcohol was only 70%, but she will continue to search the stores.
Here's the recipe:
2/3 cup isopropyl alcohol
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
Mix, and pour into a glass bottle or a spray bottle.
This should last for six months, if stored away from direct sunlight.

How to Make Four Thieves Vinegar Hand Sanitizer and Disinfectant

With Four Thieves Vinegar credited with protecting folks from the plague, and with vinegar acknowledged by science to kill flu virus, it seems logical to apply this concoction in hopes that it might help protect against corona virus.

Here's Mrs. Dashwood's Recipe for Vinegar of the Four Thieves

NOTE: Mrs. Dashwood and the Merry Rose Home, Garden, and Farm want to note is the cautious approach to wormwood. Leave this out for recipes that will be consumed.

Mrs. Dashwood’s Basic Recipefor Vinegar of the Four Thieves

Begin with a clean and dry glass container. Mrs. Dashwood loves to use canning jars with screw-on lids, and uses a clean, dry freezer bag to put between the top of the jar and the lid, to keep the vinegar from reacting with the metal of the lid.

Then, Mrs. Dashwood fills the canning jar about 4/5 full of vinegar. While organic apple cider vinegar is always preferred, regular apple cider vinegar will work. So will apple cider-flavored or white vinegar, if that’s all that’s available.

Then, Mrs. Dashwood adds several cloves of garlic, the main ingredient. It’s up whoever is making this vinegar whether to add the garlic cloves whole, to press them in a garlic press, press with a knife, chop, or do whatever works.

Now it’s time for Mrs. Dashwood to choose what herbs to add to the vinegar and garlic. Mrs. Dashwood is lucky enough to have planted sage, thyme, and lavender in her garden here at the Merry Rose. Fresh herbs are the best for this vinegar. However, dried herbs, though less effective, work fine too.

Here is a list of herbs for Four Thieves Vinegar:

Sage

Thyme, Lemon Thyme

Lavender

Marjoram

Dill

Mint, Spearmint, Peppermint

Rosemary

Cloves

Let the Four Thieves Vinegar set for a while.

Some people say to keep it in a dark area. Others say anywhere is fine.