Home Remedies

It's that time of year for sniffles, sluggishness, and general malaise. This change of seasons can also bring on sore throats, coughs, and aches of all sorts. I turn to home remedies that are easy to make and quite effective. One of my favorites is an infusion that I've named "Cold Chaser". I keep a bottle in my pantry through the winter months.
We are evening tea drinkers and  a glug of this in our tea ensures sweet dreams and a bit of protection against those cold germs. Another infusion that can help relax and bring on dream time is a lavender and vanilla concoction.
Besides tea, you can add a shot to club soda for a custom soda drink. Or, you can add to lemonade for a lovely beverage as well. Following is the basic recipe. Switch out the aromatics for what pleases you and create your own custom infusion.

Basic infusion recipe:

1 cup honey (sorghum or molasses work too, but give a very pronounced flavor)
1 cup water

Mix honey and water in a medium saucepan. Bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and add aromatics. Steep until mixture is cool. Pour through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup. Pour into a decorative bottle or a basic canning jar. Store in a cool place.
NOTE:  I actually steep fresh fruits for 2-3 days to achieve maximum infusion. If using dried herbs or spices, I usually infuse for a week or even longer to make a strong infusion.

Cold Chaser:
1 lemon, washed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger (I don't even peel it)

Mix with simple syrup. Infuse for 2 days. Remove lemon and leave about 8 ginger pieces in infusion.


Sweet Dreams:
1 TB dried lavender
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half

Mix with simple syrup. Infuse for 1-2 weeks or until as strong as desired.

Vitamin C Heaven:
1 orange, washed and thinly sliced
1 lemon, washed and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cranberries, washed
Double recipe of simple syrup

Mix all with simple syrup. Infuse for 2-3 days. Remove citrus. Leave cranberries if desired for another week.

Gingerbread:
1/2 cup fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp whole cloves
4 whole allspice

Make simple syrup with dark molasses (not blackstrap). Add spices and infuse for 1 week. Taste, if strong enough, strain and re-bottle. Store in a cool location

Suggestions:

dried lavender
vanilla beans
whole allspice
whole cloves
cinnamon sticks
whole cardamom
citrus (use the peel and the fruit) Watch carefully, after a couple days the citrus has infused the syrup and will start tasting bitter. If mixed with other ingredients, simply pour off the infusion, remove the peel, and re-bottle with the other ingredients. Continue to infuse until the desired strength is achieved.
cranberries
pomegranate seeds
ginger

I like to use honey for home remedies. I grow stevia in my garden so summer infusions feature several stevia leaves for natural sweetening. When using stevia, I simply just heat water and add the aromatics. Technically, I am making a tisane which is a tea-like drink using herbals. Also, you can use granulated sugar instead of honey with success.