Now that winter is around the corner, you'll want to get ready. Using comfrey, you can make a comforting oil that softens skin and helps heal a gardener's chapped, reddened hands. Finely chop enough leaf material to fill a one-cup measure (packed). Place in a jar and add two cups olive or almond oil. Cap the jar and set on a sunny windowsill for two weeks, shaking it gently every now and again. Strain out the leaf material and store the oil in a dark glass container--marked "External Use Only"--in the fridge. Cold storage keeps the oil from becoming rancid. Comfrey contains allantoin, a hormone-like substance that stimulates cell division. External use is safe, but due to low concentrations of a plant alkaloid thought to cause liver damage, internal use is no longer recommended.