Elderberry Syrup

'Tis the Season

It seems it is that time of year again ... cold and flu season, yuck!  And as frequently happens, we spent yesterday visiting with friends who had a little one who was feeling "less than stellar".  Felt good enough after some Tylenol to play games on the Wii with my girls, and breathe on them of course ... but today was sent home from school with flu-like symptoms.  So, tonight I'm simmering elderberries on the stovetop to make my first batch of Elderberry Syrup for the year.  We'll be taking a spoonful a couple of times a day in hopes of keeping illness away! 

Elderberry Syrup is super simple to make, all you need are 3 ingredients:


Elderberries-1 cup fresh, or 1/2 cup dried (I used dried one)

Water- 3 cups

Raw 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 Syrup in the refrigerator where it should stay fresh for 2-3 months.

Take a tablespoonful daily as a tonic to keep the sickies away.

When a cold or flu does sneak up on us, we take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.


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


You can be sure there will be lots of ginger, garlic and other "good for the immune system" foods served up around here this week as well. 

What do you do to help keep sickness at bay this time of year?  Please share your tips!

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Herb Quote for the Day

How could such sweet and wholesome hours
Be reckoned but with herbs and flowers?

The perfect quote for this season of dreaming of all the glorious herbs and flowers I want to order ... seed and herb catalogs can be dangerous things!  I'm checking the still room herb shelves and making a list of what I need for the coming year, and then perusing the herbsdirectstores.com catalog ... so many wonderful herbs to choose from. 

What are your "must have" herbs? 

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Plots and Plans

It is cold and wintry here in Texas today, and that is the perfect time to spend a quiet afternoon dreaming of the spring garden and choosing new varieties of herbs to grow.  I'm not sure I'll try the herb of the year- horseradish, as I've heard it can be a bit "overbearing" in the garden.  Since my garden plots aren't my own, but rented spaces in the city community garden, I don't want to plant something that someone else may have to deal with later.  Sometimes volunteer plants are a blessing, such as the asparagus in my neighbor's garden plot, the flowers that seem to spring up here, there, and everywhere, and even the dill, cilantro, and tomatoes that nature planted randomly throughout my garden plot; but I'm not sure horseradish falls into this category, so for now that is on the "to grow someday" list. 

What I am planning to grow thus far, the list grows and grows and then has to be edited numerous times before planting time:

cilantro (for salsa and such)
dill (lots of dill, for pickles, vinegars, salads, potatoes, just because I love it)
basil (lemon, sweet basil, cinnamon basil, purple ... you get the picture)
lemon verbena (I love, love, love lemony herbs and this is my all time favorite!)
lemon balm (runs a close second to lemon verbena)
lemon grass (it has overgrown its pot and must be divided and conquered)
thyme (lemon, french, and a new to me one that is fabulously scented- orange thyme)
rosemary (prostrate and upright and I'll have to find a couple of new varieties, too)
lavender (my favorite herb, and one that I wish grew better for me)
chives (regular and garlic, for snipping into the soup bowl and flowers for making things pretty)
mint (spearmint, applemint, peppermint ... all kinds of mint!)
lovage (new to me, but I can't wait to try using it for straws in summer-time drinks!)
bay (My tiny tree is going to have a growth spurt this spring, I just know it!)
scented geranium (lemon and rose are my favorites)

OK, that's an even dozen, I think I'll stop there for now ... I'll update my ever changing list as my plots and plans come into better focus! 

I'd love to hear about your herb garden plans, what do you grow, why, etc., etc.!

I don't have to plant these herbal beauties, but I do love them! 

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Favorite Herb, What's Yours?

OK, I know for those of you who LOVE herbs like I do, that's a hard question to answer, but give it a shot ... If you had to choose just one favorite herb, what would it be? 

Mine would be lavender, though lemon verbena runs a very, very close second! 

Lavender is such a soothing herb, whether you are plucking lavender blossoms for a little herbal arrangement, adding a few flowers to your lemonade or teacup, or using lavender essential oil (my personal favorite) to banish stress or a nasty headache ... lavender is so helpful and smells delightful, it is my favorite of the many herbs that I love and use. 

Please join the facebook conversation here I-Love-To-Live-Naturally, what is your favorite herb and how do you use it?

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