Merging and Emerging

In the spirit of my Return to Simplicity I am moving my Still Room Herbs blog here. 
Less is more this season. 
New ventures are unfurling ...
 

a new season is emerging ...

Fall Fun with Herbs

I organized the still room pantry this week.  In the process I discovered jars of herbs and spices that I had forgotten about- star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel.  It is time for some fall herb crafting around here!  Last fall I used those ingredients to make a pretty potpourri.  This season I think I'll make pomanders with oranges and lemons.

 I've got some other herb crafts in mind too, which I'll share with you in the coming days.  It is time for steaming cups of spiced tea, gingerbread, apple pie, and all the other warm and wonderful treats that remind me of fall.
What is your favorite herb for fall?  Today I'd have to say cinnamon, probably because I can smell the acorn squash that I am baking with butter, brown sugar and lots of cinnamon!  
Have a blessed fall day!  I'll be back soon to share some of my favorite fall herb creations.

Nettle & Honey for Allergy Relief

A repost from the archives with an update at the end.  


Allergy season is upon us.  
I have a simple herbal tonic that I make every year to help prevent and alleviate the misery of sneezing, itchy eyes, and so forth that plagues members of my family. 

First I make a nettle infused vinegar and then mix that with local honey to make 
Nettle Vinegar & Honey Allergy Tonic. 


You will need the following:
apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s, but any good quality acv will do)
dried nettles (You can use them fresh, which some say work best if they are available. I don’t have that option, and dried has always worked well for me.)
local honey (honey produced in your area will contain small amounts of pollen to the flowers growing near you … probably the ones making you sneeze!)
a clean canning jar with a lid ( I use a wide-mouth quart size, but you could start with a pint. Also, I use a plastic lid for vinegars … if you don’t have plastic lids, then put a piece of plastic wrap between the jar and the metal lid.)

To make nettle vinegar:
add about 1 cup of nettle to your jar, I just toss in a handful or so (less if using a pint jar)
add enough vinegar to cover nettle by 2-3 inches (you will need to add more as the nettle soaks it up), stir and wait until the nettle settles, adding more vinegar if necessary
Cover the jar with a lid and set it in a sunny spot for 2 weeks or more. Shake jar a few times a day. 
Once your nettle vinegar has infused, strain it through a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth into a clean jar and it is ready to use. 

If you don’t have weeks to wait for the vinegar to infuse, you can make it more quickly by heating the vinegar/nettle mixture over a very, very low heat for a few hours. Do not boil or even simmer, just heat it enough to be quite warm, a double boiler is a good way to do this, or if your crockpot doesn’t get too hot (mine does even on low), use that. Let cool before straining.

You can use the vinegar as is, or make it even more effective by adding local honey. 

Add an equal amount of local honey to the nettle vinegar, stir well, cover, and you have Nettle Vinegar and Honey Allergy Tonic!  

It is a simple herbal remedy that gives great results for my family. 

I take a tablespoon or so two or three times a day mixed in a small amount of water.  

A simpler route is to make a quart of nettle tea and sip on that throughout the day; but the honey and acv are very helpful for allergies, and do improve the flavor quite a bit. Nettle tea is not the most palatable of herbal infusions in my opinion.  

Nettle vinegar can also be used in salad dressings and most anywhere you would use apple cider vinegar.  It makes a lovely hair rinse when diluted with water, too.  More reasons to make up a large batch while you're at it!

Note: As always with any herbal information, this is for your educational benefit only, etc., etc. ... Please consult your physician regarding any serious health matters. 


How do you treat allergies? Please share your own herbal remedies!

* I have found another must for allergy season this year!  Seasons of Discontent tea from Mountain Rose Herbs tastes delicious and gives relief from those nasty seasonal allergy symptoms.  I make up a quart jar in the morning and sip it throughout the day.  It is a lovely mixture of allergy relief herbs with a touch of stevia for sweetness.  Try it, I really believe you will enjoy it and its benefits.  

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