Home Remedies~Elderberry Syrup

Every summer, I tag all the elderberry trees on our property, with the hopes of harvesting some juicy  purple berries in the fall. And every fall, I'm disappointed to find that the deer have beaten me to the harvest.

Those deer are a sneaky bunch.

I know that the deer are the culprits because I've become very adept at tracking. Not footprints. But poop. Specifically, purple deer poop. And I'm pretty certain that our deer population is much healthier because of those berries.

Elderberries are known for being high in antioxidants. They are also packed with vitamins, A, B, and C, and are great for boosting the immune system. Fresh berries can be used to make jams, jellies, and wine. Dried berries are great for adding to baked goods, or rehydrating and making syrup.

Elderberry syrup has been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Taken at the onset of a cold or flu, elderberry has been shown to reduce the length of illness. Some people even take the syrup on a daily basis to keep their immune systems strong during cold & flu season.

And since "The Crud" has decided to pay our house a visit, I decided to take some action before the Mister gets it.

Because there's nothing worse than a man-cold. (Click here to see for yourself.)

I owe it to my family to keep that from happening.☺

 

~The Players~

 

2/3 cup dried elderberries (I purchase mine here.)

3-1/2 cups filtered water

1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled

2 sticks of cinnamon

8 whole cloves

1 cup raw honey (as local as you can get it)

 

 





Pour water into a medium saucepan and add elderberries, gingerroot, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring to a full boil; cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Let the mixture simmer until liquid is reduced by half. This will take approximately an hour to 90 minutes.

 

 

Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Allow the liquid to cool to lukewarm.

 

 

Add honey to cooled mixture and stir well to combine. Store elderberry syrup in a glass bottle or jar in refrigerator.

 

I give 1 teaspoon, 3x's/daily to my children. (For kids under 6, I would give 1/2 teaspoon.) The Mister & I dose up with 1 Tablespoon, 3x's daily.

 

*Never give raw honey to any child under the age of 1.

 

This post is linked to Fresh Eggs Daily's Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest and Dandelion House's The Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop.



How to Seal Butcher Block and Wooden Cutting Boards

Before my new butcher block counter entered my life, I used mineral oil to seal my wooden cutting boards.

Please forgive me, I knew not what I had done.

According to our cabinet guy, Lee, I was ruining my cutting boards. They were sealed from the yucky stuff, but they were warped or splintering apart. That's because butcher block/cutting boards are put together with multiple pieces of wood and wood glue. The mineral oil is too "liquidy" and not only coats the top of the board, but also seeps into it. Good, right?

Well, it seems that too much of something is not always a good thing. The mineral oil goes down deep, right into the glue, causing the glue to be less "gluey". (I know I'm using technical terms here, but try to keep up.) Less glue means less sticking power, which means wood pieces start to separate.

If you got that, then you're one up on me.

I'm a kinesthetic learner.

When making this, use a saucepan that you will not ever use for food again. Look at the Goodwill or garage sales to find a good "throw-away" pan. But then, don't throw it away!

You will also need an expired credit card or junk mail card. I found an empty Starbucks card.

Yes, I cried to find it was empty, but that's not relevant to sealing butcher block!

In the saucepan, mix 1/4 cup chopped Paraffin wax with 1/4 cup mineral oil.

Heat on low, until just melted.

Pour a small amount onto block or board. Using your hand, smear the melted wax over a small area.

Make sure that the wax is not too hot first.

Using the credit card, scrape the excess wax off of the block/board. Put the excess back into the saucepan to reuse.

Embrace your inner child and write your name or cute little squiggles.

But remember to remove your rings first.

Don't ask me how I know that.

Repeat about every other month to keep your cutting boards healthy and your butcher block looking nice.



I think this butcher block has some homemade sourdough bread in its future!

Natural flea remedies

Maisie (4) and Molly (6 months) in their "Flea-free Bandannas"

As you know by now, we live on a farm. Actually, it's officially called a "hobby farm" since we make no money on it. Ask any "real" farmer and they'll tell you that there is really no difference between our farm and theirs, as we both put money into them and never really see a return on our investments! But to us, it is a farm. Pure and simple.

Currently residing at "Jabez Farm" are our cows, Ms. Bailey's & Cream and her calf, Angus. Then there are the "girls", but to "city-slickers", they are called chickens. To us, they are pure entertainment! Next spring, we will be adding a milk cow, bees and meat chickens. When we get a smoke-house built, we will add a couple of pigs. In the past, we have had sheep, goats, rabbits, turkeys, a pot-bellied pig, lots of cows and a one-eyed, gimpy horse, aptly named "Old Man". (No offense to older men!) Also taking up residence are our "barn" cats, Maverick and Milo, who keep our back porch stocked with mouse cadavers, and our farm dogs, Maisie and Molly.

Maisie joined our family 4 years ago, after our yellow lab, Twinkie, died. Since she is a purebred beagle, she can only go outside if she is on a leash or tie-out. Off-leash, Maisie's nose takes her wherever the wind blows...literally. And hollerin' for her to come back, just gets her more excited and she runs faster! On more than one occasion, I've had to chase her down with the car, yelling out the window, "Ya wanna treat?", to which our neighbors holler back with a "YES!" Maisie is also a very talented dog. She knows all the words to "Who Let the Dogs Out?" and sings them loud and clear! Some might call it "howling", we just call it beautiful farm music!

Molly is the newest addition, having arrived at 6 weeks old. A little young to be away from her momma, her previous home could not take care of an adult lab and 4 growing puppies. We found her at the Humane Society and adopted her on the spot. Molly is a chocolate lab with green/blue eyes and has all the impishness of any puppy. The vet thinks that her "daddy" was a husky mix since she has a rather thick coat of fur and curved toenails. ( She also has webbed feet which is a true lab characteristic!) We decided to get a larger breed dog to "protect" the farm...Molly has yet to spend a single night outdoors. So while our "farm" dogs are basking by the fireplace, napping on their padded beds and eating scraps from under the kitchen table, the deer are happily feasting on our raspberry plants, nibbling away 2 years worth of new growth on the apple trees and pulling my rosebushes out of the ground. Molly too is learning the words to "Who Let the Dogs Out?" and howls...er...sings along with Maisie!

One of the problems of having the dogs indoors is fleas. It is also one of the first (of many) questions that I have for God when I get to heaven! "WHYYYYY?" I'm sure the lowly flea has a purpose, but I'm not seeing it. The little blood-suckers multiply faster than a physics major and draw more blood than the Red Cross, and for what? Well, I don't know...yet. In the meantime, I have to do battle with these thirsty little militants and reclaim my home from their invading forces! Recently, we have used a flea prevention product called Frontline. The way it works is that you put this "poison" on the back of the dogs' necks and it absorbs into the skin, goes through the blood system and repels the fleas back through their skin. Hmmmm....if the doctor told me that in order to cure a skin condition, I would have to put poison on the back of my neck, let it absorb into my bloodstream, and wait for my skin to clear up, I would promptly walk out! (After telling him what I really thought!) Why would I continue to do this to my dogs? This would probably explain the horrible red rash that appeared on Maisie's tummy. I "Googled" Natural Flea Repellents and ended up spending half of a day reading about the consequences of using poisons and the all natural alternatives. Some of the dangers are; neurological defects, skin rashes, seizures, and in extreme cases, death. We decided immediately that "going natural" would be worth our time to try.

Does this mean that we have waved a white flag and surrendered to the fleas? Ha! I will not go down that easily! While visiting our oldest daughter, Kelsie, we found a natural remedy in one of her books she had recently picked up. We are trying it right now, and I have to say that so far, I am impressed! Not only is it natural, our house has a nice floral scent to it! It's like a "roaming potpourri"! (And you will ALWAYS know where the dogs have roamed!) This is only day 4 of the experiment, but the dogs are scratching less and we aren't worrying about anybody accidentally touching their necks! And the rash on Maisie's tummy? Almost gone! (Her last dose of poison was about 5 weeks ago.)

Natural Flea Repellent

1 bandanna, folded down to an inch wide

rose geranium essential oil

lavender essential oil

Before tying the bandanna around the dog's neck, put 3 drops of each oil in the middle of the scarf. Before you put the repellent on, bathe your dog thoroughly. I had been using baby shampoo, but have recently switched to castile soap. It is natural and rinses clean. I also sprinkle Borax on the carpet, let it rest for 15 minutes, then vacuum. Make sure that the kids and dog are outside or kenneled. Not the kids, unless that works for you...The Borax stuns the fleas and makes it easier to vacuum them. (It also works great for carpenter ants, but that's another story.)