Aloe Vera

How to harvest fresh Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera has a number of healing benefits, as you do not commonly find it in your local green grocers it is not a plant widely used in the UK. When I see it in the greengrocers I bulk buy it, the leaves stay fresh for months, but as I know how great it is for my body, it doesn’t normally last that long.

Here are just a few of the Healing benefits of Aloe Vera

1. Aids in the elimination of constipation
2. Aids in digestion and helps with stomach ache and heartburn
3. Helps regulate blood sugars
4. Detoxifies the body and colon
5. Helps with weight loss by increasing metabolic rate to burn calories
6. Improves circulation
7. Aids in healing damage in internal tissues
8. Regulates blood pressure
9. Strengthens immune system
10. Helps to reduce inflammation

How to harvest Aloe Vera gel

To fillet the aloe Vera leaf, start with a thick leaf on a chopping board. Use a sharp chef’s knife or fish knife with a bit of flexibility in the blade. Aloe Vera is a natural antiseptic, so while harvesting the gel, you are coating your cutting board with a layer of antibacterial gel.

First, cut away the two side pieces of the aloe Vera leaf. This is done by holding the knife at approximately a 45-degree angle to the cutting board, and using a sawing cutting action to move along the length of the leaf, removing one side of the leaf skin at a time. Then slice off the top skin layer of the leaf. Start from the thick end of the aloe Vera leaf and work your way to the thin end. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board, and try not to cut off too much of the aloe Vera gel.

Next hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and gently slice away the gel from the bottom layer of skin, feel your way around the gel as you peel from the leaf, it will be concave, so press down lightly on top of the gel to flatten on to the chopping board.

The gel resembles a large piece of gelatine. This is what you want to eat.  The taste is slightly bitter, so is best to add to sweet fruit smoothies.

Store your aloe juice in the refrigerator. Use a glass or food-safe plastic container. Brown or dark green glass is best to block out excess light. A medium size leaf provides me with enough jelly for one week; I would not keep it in the fridge much longer than that as the jelly does begin to discolor and turn brown.

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