Simple Home Remedies ~ Elderberry Honey

This herbal home remedy or tonic is one that I make frequently, especially during cold and flu season.
Elderberry Honey is so simple to make, all you need are 3 ingredients:

Elderberries-1 cup fresh, or 1/2 cup dried (I used dried)
Water- 3 cups
Honey- 1 cup

Place elderberries and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 30-45 minutes. Strain warm juice into a quart jar. Pour in honey and stir well. Done!

Store the Elderberry Honey in the refrigerator where it should stay fresh for 2-3 months.

I take one tablespoonful daily as a tonic to help build immunity and keep colds at bay before and during cold and flu season.
When a cold or flu does sneak up on me, I take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

As a bonus, Elderberry Honey tastes great!  I sometimes add a spoonful to my cup of tea in place of plain honey just because I enjoy it.  

* I'm not a doctor, please use your own common sense when using herbs or other home remedies, etc., etc.!!! 


I buy my elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs, my favorite place for buying all things herbal. They also sell Elder Berry Syrup if you'd rather not make it yourself.

End of the Year Inventory

Tomorrow I will finish up my End of the Year Inventory and continue working on my annual Herb Order.  At the beginning of the year I like to order a supply of dried herbs and supplies to restock the still room herb pantry.  I have some staple herbs that I always like to have on hand, such as:

Peppermint
Spearmint
Lemon Verbena
Rosemary
Thyme
Elderberries
Yarrow
Echinacea
Calendula
Lavender
Ginger
Arnica
Comfrey
Nettle
(this list is rather off the top of my head and in no particular order)
 
These are herbs that I use often and want to always have at my disposal.  I do grow many of these in the garden, but like Calendula oddly enough, some hate my Texas climate and refuse to cooperate and produce an adequate supply.
And sometimes dried is better than fresh, and it's certainly more convenient to open the pantry rather than trudge out to the herb garden when you need something such as a cup of peppermint/ginger tea in the middle of the night!

Other non-herb items in the still room pantry are:
press-n-seal tea bags
beeswax
honey
apple cider vinegar
cheese cloth
olive oil
sunflower oil
grapeseed oil
sweet almond oil
rosewater
glycerin
etc.

And of course a variety of jars, tins, and other containers for storing my herbal concoctions.  And labels.  Labels are very important items.  You won't remember what that salve in the little tins that are tucked away in the back of the drawer contain ... trust me, I know.  Label and date.  Always.

So, what's on your herbal to do list as this year ends?  
How about your goals and plans for 2012?
My first goal is to reorganize and faithfully add new material to my Still Room Book.
My second is to share more of that information here.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll come up with some pretty printables for you to use in your own still room book.
And then there is planting the herb garden ...

But right now I'm going to make myself another cup of tea and peruse the still room shelves, list in hand!

Herbal Blessings,
Catherine

The Herbal Pantry

The photo above shows what is serving as my still room and herbal pantry at present.   Though I dream of a 'real' still room some day, I am a firm believer in making the best of what you have at the moment, rather than waiting for the someday that may never come.  These items, tucked into a corner of the kitchen, serve my purposes well for now-

a rather funky scavenged shelf that needs a back on it

a great old hutch that we got for a very good price at a benefit sale

the little spice rack turned essential oil cabinet that my husband gave me many Christmases ago (Yes, we do celebrate Christmas ... just for those who might be told otherwise ... oh, and if you don't have a clue why I put that little tidbit in there, just ignore it ;) ... you know we herb people often get the strangest labels attached to us).

the very used, much loved oak dining table that my aunt gave me years ago (You can just see the corner of it in the photo, right next to the salvaged windows that I have great, artsy-crafty plans for.). 

The open shelves house jars of dried herbs.  I tried tucking them inside the hutch but it was a pain to get them out, so back on the shelves they went.  The shelf is in a very low-light area, so I don't worry about the light harming the herbs; though I am considering making a curtain for the front of the shelf.  On the top of the shelf you will see a basket with an assortment of tea bags, ingredients for bath and body products, and so forth.  There are also pickled peppers and okra on the shelf for now (we have no real food pantry, either in this house). 

The hutch is home to tea pots, a variety of teas (the tea chest and cabinet were also Christmas gifts from my husband), assorted herbal oil infusions and tinctures are tucked away inside the doors, along with empty jars and other storage containers, seeds, and various herb related items.  Of course, there is often a child-created art project that needs some attention from Mom left on the hutch for me, as in the case of the perler bead creations needing to be ironed. 

The essential oil cabinet is without a doubt the most used item in my herbal pantry.  It is opened daily for various things, such as scenting the bathwater (nothing like a rose geranium and lavender bath), making an herbal steam to clear up stuffy noses or a headache, freshening the air or adding a bit of extra cleaning power to the laundry or mop bucket, soothing an insect bite, or making something lovely like a perfumed lotion or oil.  Essential oils are most definitely an essential in my herbal pantry. 

Here are 8 that I wouldn't be without:

Lavender

Rose Geranium

Lemon

Bergamot

Peppermint

Rosemary

Tea Tree

Eucalyptus

I'll delve into what I use these for in a later post. 

If you use essential oils, please share with us which are the most essential to you. 

And I'd love to peek into your herbal pantry or still room if you have one, please share a photo or post about your own space for herbal creativity with us, too! 

Blessings,

Catherine