While the horsetail desiccates, I acquire brandy, glass jars, scale, filters, funnel and…

With my heart racing I begin to clear the harvested horsetail off all the poor little dead spiders and Daddy Longlegs. Only one survives the transport and I watch him scurry off into the grass.

Somehow when the spiders are gone, the spindly leaves of the horsetail resemble insect legs more than anything. Only after I tie the stems into bundles, the plant becomes its monikers: the horsetail and the witch’s broom. I hang the bundles in the attic (an ideal place to dry herbs) and let the darkness, and circulation of warm dry air to do the work. It takes several days for the plant to dry. (I left my harvest in the attic for 12 days or 2 weeks if you harvest your horsetail on Saturday).

There were still few supplies I needed to acquire. I had a good stone mortar, a large glass jar, and a smaller vial of dark glass (brown glass is ideal) that the recipe called for but I was still missing scales, brandy, funnels, unbleached filters, and heat-resistant ceramic pot (needed for calcinations). The last item turned up to be impossible to find. I am told that the ceramic pot will crack if used over opened fire without water.