Making Incense has been an interest of mine for quite some time, there are loads of sources of information on it over the WWW but I have to admit, when you finally put your own ingredients that you have picked or foraged for or even paid for on the burning charcoal block it is a very satisfying time.

I have always been very partial to the FIRE incense, I don’t know why as I’m not a fire sign, I have put it down to the fact that there is a lot of fire in my belly and always has been. I have spent numerous weekends at Glastonbury spending £5 on a small tub of incense and it only lasting me a fortnight so I decided to make my own and save a bit of cash, besides like I said, it’s a lot more satisfying when you burn your own.

You can simply go to the local supermarket and raid the herb and spice shelf and turn out some very nice and pleasant incense, but again, mass produced and probably grown with chemicals to accelerate the growth. I however love to go walking and foraging and collecting herbs and spices, but the foundation of any good incense is TREE RESIN. Unfortunately, we do not have that many species of trees that produce large quantities of resin (SAP) so I generally tend to stick to the pine varieties. Find a Pine tree that has had its bark damaged by insects or animals and there will be a significant quantity of sap formed over the injury, this can be simply lifted off with a sharp knife being very careful not to damage the tree further, the tree will simply produce more to replace what you take. VERY IMPORTANT, I am a great believer in the fact that spirits live in trees and they are a life form deserving respect just like any other, ALWAYS, ask permission from the tree before taking the sap, and to give something back, I always pick up a broken twig that is still green and plant it to possibly grow another tree.

Resin can be collected from many trees each having their own scents, but please remember one of the golden rules is to never take more than you leave, any never harvest from a sick looking tree. If you are not confident in collecting your own resin, it can be purchased from many places, including evil bay. The resin does not need to be cleaned or filtered as it is only for burning. It does however need to be dried and hardened so the easiest way to do this is to get hold of some sawdust. Mix equal quantities of the sawdust and the resin together, the resin may have to be heated to make it viscous enough to accept the dust, be careful with this as it is highly flammable. You can also add powdered spices at this time to enhance the smell of the burning resin.

Once the materials have been blended, roll it up in to ping pong sized balls and leave on a tray in the sun to dry for as long as is required until it hardens. When it is hardened it can then be broken up in to small pieces with a mortar and pestle, all that remain to do now, is add some of your favourite smelling dried flowers and herbs to create the incense that is your own. You can leave the balls in their full size and burn them on their own on a rock around the circle like we do, it adds to the ambience. You can also add essential oils to the mix to create stronger smells. Hopefully you can enjoy making your own incense and if you have any questions please PM me.

THE GATHERER

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