Eating to good health

Herbal Honey

I love eating my medicine, which prompted me to experiment with herbal honeys years ago. They are so easy to make, delicious, nutritious and medicinal. What more can anyone ask for? I add it to my oatmeal, spread it on my toast,  and I love peanut butter and honey sandwiches. The possibilities are endless.

The first herbal honey I made was with fresh Elecampane (Inula helenium) root. I harvested the root after its second year of growth, since they start to lose their medicinal qualities after 2-3 years. Elecampane is excellent for all respiratory ailments and honey is wonderful for calming coughs. Honestly, Elecampane root is not a great tasting herb and honey helps make it palatable. All and all, it’s a winning combination.

My next herbal honey endeavor was with Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root (known as Indian Ginseng).  It is a wonderful energy builder, it increases the body’s ability to adapt to and resist stress, along with dealing with tension and anxiety. It helps increase memory, facilitates learning, promotes general well-being and enhances stamina. It is also a great herb in helping the body recover after chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Again, not the best tasting herb, so combining it with honey makes a lot of sense to me.

Making herbal honey is very simple. All you need is a pot, clean jar/lid, chopstick, raw honey and herb.

How to make herbal honey:

1. Fill jar ¼ – ½ with the herb (I use fresh sliced Elecampane root and dry powdered Ashwagandha root).

2. Fill clean/dry jar with raw honey

3. Fill pot with about 2 inches of water

4. Put jar of herbal honey in pot with water (think double boiler)

5. Simmer water, temperature should never get higher than 110° as it will kill the medicinal qualities of the raw honey.

6. Stir honey with chopstick to disperse herb in honey.

7. When the honey develops a frothy top, it is done.

Some people strain the herbs out before eating but I leave them in and take pleasure in the herbs along with the honey.

YUM!

Enjoy honey in tea, oatmeal, on toast or however you want! Honey should keep for a couple of years but rarely lasts that long since it is so delicious. If the honey starts to crystallize as raw honey often does, simply reheat as in the above directions.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Golden Dressing

I am without a doubt in love with my Goldenrod (Solidago, spp.) journey, and love simply being in her presence. It’s hard for me not to smile and feel blessed when I am near her. Yep, I love Goldenrod.

Here in the northeast our Goldenrod blooming season is rather long since there are between 130-160 different species each of which have different start times for bloom. They tend to start in early August and go on until early October. Alas, all good things must come to an end and now her bold golden glow is starting to fade. Everyday I visit and collect a little bit more and, of course, leaving most of the blossoms for the pollinators who, like me, can’t seem to get enough of her. Plus, they need it for their long winter.

I have been collecting blossoms and leaves to infuse into organic apple cider vinegar, which will be used for our salad dressing. Years ago, Mike took a spin at the salad recipe I adapted from my sister-in-law. You could say this recipe is third generation or 3.0. And with goldenrod apple cider vinegar, it is frankly pretty awesome. According to Susun Weed, Goldenrod vinegar will “improve mineral balance, help prevent kidney stones, eliminate flatulence, and improve immune functioning.” It’s delicious and medicinal, just like I love my foods.

When harvesting Goldenrod later in the season, it is important to pay closer attention to underside of the leaves. There tends to be more rust (orange spots), powdery mildew, and bacterial leaf spot (black spots) as the season comes to the close. Plus, you don’t want flowers that are on the way out. So make sure the blossoms are still vibrant. This is an ideal time to pause with Goldenrod, breathe, caress her blossoms and leaves as you selectively cut some for your apple cider vinegar. Once you have enough, remove all the blossoms and leaves from the stems, take your time, relax so all the critters have time to leave. It always amazes me how many crab spiders scurry away during these times.

The next step is to cut everything up, exposing as much of the plant’s cell walls to the apple cider vinegar. Once you are satisfied, fill a clean, dry mason jar ¾ of the way with the Goldenrod and then add the apple cider vinegar. Cover with a plastic lid since metal will react with the vinegar, and you don’t want that. Label the jar ~ ingredients and date. Shake well, put your intentions into it and store it at room temperature out of the sun. Visit daily, shake and infuse with your love for 6 weeks. Strain and then re-bottle.

Mike’s Kickass Dressing

(Makes a pint)

1/3 cup Goldenrod organic apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup Organic olive oil

2 or more Garlic cloves ~ peeled and minced

1 inch Ginger ~ peeled and minced

2 tbsp mustard

Organic cane sugar to taste

Add all the ingredients to a wide mouth pint-canning jar. Blend with a hand blender.

Enjoy!

How do you use your Goldenrod apple cider vinegar? Please share and I will continue to share.