I harvested my Aloe Vera plant, put it in a small Mason Jar, and stored it in the refrigerator.
It was well overdue!
Aloe has so many uses internally and externally. This Healing Plant is 1 of my favorites to use, especially on my skin, hair, and scalp!
How To Harvest A Aloe Vera Plant
There are four basic parts of your aloe vera plant. Starting from the outside you have the skin, or “rind”. Just under the skin, is the “latex” (also called “aloin”or “sap”), and is yellow in color, and should be avoided as it is mostly used as a laxative and should not be taken internally unless you’ve spoken to your doctor.(more on that later)
Next are the two parts of the aloe vera plant most important for beauty and first aid purposes, and they are the mucilage, and the gel… the transparent, thin, gel-like substance from the innermost portion of the leaves.
Commonly, a piece of the aloe vera leaf is cut, with the aloe gel squeezed onto minor burns, etc. This is perfectly fine for a quick fix, but wastes a lot of the gel.
What you need to do, is “fillet” the aloe vera leaves, to get the most gel. If properly done, you can refrigerate any excess gel for later use.
If not using the aloe vera right away, you can store it in a food safe container and keep it in the fridge. Eventually it will turn brown, so to prevent the discoloration you can add a drop of grapefruit seed extract and a drop of Vitamin E. If you need to keep it all pure aloe, then use it as soon as you can so you’ve no need to add anything.
Unless you’re using it for reasons a doctor recommended, discard the latex (sap) drained at the beginning of the process.
It was well overdue!
Aloe has so many uses internally and externally. This Healing Plant is 1 of my favorites to use, especially on my skin, hair, and scalp!
How To Harvest A Aloe Vera Plant
There are four basic parts of your aloe vera plant. Starting from the outside you have the skin, or “rind”. Just under the skin, is the “latex” (also called “aloin”or “sap”), and is yellow in color, and should be avoided as it is mostly used as a laxative and should not be taken internally unless you’ve spoken to your doctor.(more on that later)
Next are the two parts of the aloe vera plant most important for beauty and first aid purposes, and they are the mucilage, and the gel… the transparent, thin, gel-like substance from the innermost portion of the leaves.
Commonly, a piece of the aloe vera leaf is cut, with the aloe gel squeezed onto minor burns, etc. This is perfectly fine for a quick fix, but wastes a lot of the gel.
What you need to do, is “fillet” the aloe vera leaves, to get the most gel. If properly done, you can refrigerate any excess gel for later use.
- To do this, start by choosing one of the outermost leaves, closest to the soil of the plant. If none are close to the soil and are all sticking upward, the plant my not yet be mature enough for harvesting. The thicker and greener, the better. If you have your mature aloe leaf chosen, cut it off at a slight angle close to the base.
- Stand your aloe leaf up at a tilt in a container for about 15 minutes to allow the latex (sap) to drain out. It’s possible you won’t see any latex draining out if it’s a smaller leaf. Don’t worry, the gel will stay inside, and not seep out!
- Set your aloe leaf on a cutting board after draining the sap. With a sharp knife, cut off the tip of the leaf, and then cut along the serrated edges all the way down each side.
- Slice the inside of the leaf in half, lengthwise so that you are able to separate the front and back.
- Using a butter knife or spoon, scoop out all the mucilage and gel (the gooey and the clear stuff in there) by pressing down lightly and firmly. Don’t press too hard, or you’ll end up with the latex, which you don’t want.
If not using the aloe vera right away, you can store it in a food safe container and keep it in the fridge. Eventually it will turn brown, so to prevent the discoloration you can add a drop of grapefruit seed extract and a drop of Vitamin E. If you need to keep it all pure aloe, then use it as soon as you can so you’ve no need to add anything.
Unless you’re using it for reasons a doctor recommended, discard the latex (sap) drained at the beginning of the process.
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