Cough Drops YOU Designed!

It's that time of year again!  Family, friends, food, fellowship, and GERMS!
Be ahead of the game this year, and consider packing along some homemade cough drops!  There are many great recipes online, and I encourage you to peek around and find one that fits you and your family.  Some like the breathing benefits of menthol, whereas people like me cannot stand anything resembling menthol.  Or, as this post will suggest, design your own recipe!

The benefits of homemade cough drops have mostly to do with the use of local honey, a major health benefit in and of itself.  Most store-bought cough drops do not even have honey as an ingredient, and in the case of some of the cheapest varieties, the top ingredient is high fructose corn syrup!!!  Top that off with some red 40 for coloring and you now don't only have a cold, but have increased your chances for other health concerns in the future.  There is a pride in making not only homemade cough drops, but homemade essentials in general; you know what went into them.  You were there for every step, every ingredient. 

The general principles for making cough drops are an herbal infusion taking place in boiling water, honey, and a temperature of 300 degrees.  After that, it's all you!  The most freedom is in the herbal infusion itself: what herbs did you decide to include?  You don't have to have a personal health food store in your panty, or even one in town, to make great cough drops.  What teas do you have on hand?  Does your local grocery store have a variety of tea?  How about ginger and garlic?  As you explore your options, feel free to use What I did as your model.

Ingredients:
- chamomile tea
- peppermint tea
- Traditional Medicinals' (LOVE this company!) Breathe Easy tea
- Traditional Medicinals' Throat Coat Tea (I was after the marshmallow root that's included)
- TM's Child Cold Care Tea  
- 1 small tea ball Rose Hips (vit C, iron)
- Nature's Sunshine Lymphatic Drainage (I happened to have this left over from a past illness)
- Nature's Sunshine ALJ (respiratory support)

Step 1: Create your herbal infusion
You want about 1-2 cups of various herbs total to 1 cup water.  Herbs can be loose or contained.  This is part of why I chose to use tea bags because I am too lazy to strain out the herbs later. ;-P  Bring the herbs and 1 cup water to a boil, and let cool until you can handle the tea bags and squeeze out excess liquid.  Discard or compost herbs.

Step 2: Add honey, heat
Add to your herbal infusion 1.5 cups honey, local of course being the most beneficial.  Heat while stirring to dissolve honey.  It will bubble and just keep an eye on it for boiling over.  Set in your candy thermometer.  If you don't happen to own a candy thermometer, you can estimate about 40 minutes of rolling boil to reach that 300 degree mark, but a candy thermometer is best to have.


Step 3: While cough drop ingredients are heating, prepare your large, shallow cookie sheet or pan.  Grease it down (I used coconut oil, but olive or even butter will work). 

Step 4: Hard crack stage
Now, using your candy thermometer, heat steadily until it reaches 300 degrees.  This is the "hard crack" point, or the point where the water-solid ratio is correct for a candy.  You can even test this by taking a drop of the mixture and throwing it into cold water.  It will immediately solidify if you've reached candying point.  As you turn off the heat, this is the time to add any flavorings you may want, such as peppermint extract, lemon flavoring, etc.  I chose not to add flavor as I was after the more earthy/herbal taste with the honey.

Step 5: Pour onto greased cookie sheet, and let cool until you feel comfortable handling the goop.  This is where children or a partner comes in handy because the cough drop mixture will harden quickly on the cookie sheet as you work, making it harder and harder to make the drops.  To make the drops, I used a regular table spoon to scoop up a SMALL (my beginning drops were way too big!) bit of mixture and roll it in my oiled hands like it was clay.  I highly suggest molding the drops into more of an oval shape to help prevent choking.  Do this by first rolling the mix together in a ball in your hand, then alternate rolling your hands up and down to make an oblong shape.


Step 6: Let cool, package
If you have a distraction come up, like feeding your toddler lunch, simply put the cookie sheet in the oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes to soften it up and manageable again.  I used simple wax paper to wrap my drops in as they are for my own family's use, but if you're looking to give these as gifts, let your creativity out!  Twine and small boxes are adorable, as is a dressed up old canning jar.  Happy Healthing! 

Owie Oil

Alright, I'll be honest, I have gone back and forth (...and back and forth again) about whether or not to create this post.  When I first created Owie Oil, it was a huge hit at our local farmer's market and also with fellow young mothers in the community.  I suddenly realized I really had something here!  I'd finally created something original that worked and that people loved and, per advice out there, never do something you're good at for free.....right?

But that's not what Jesus would do.  That's not the Christian thing to do.  The entire purpose of this blog is to share with others things I've learned; and yes, even created on my own, in order to help others live more healthful lives.  Result?  A blog post about how to make your very own Owie Oil.

So, what is Owie Oil anyway?  Owie Oil is for EVERYONE, not just mothers of small children.  Owie Oil is for ANY skin condition, which includes, but is not limited to, cuts, scrapes, insect bites, animal bites, eczema, sun burns, low-grade burns, etc.  

How does it work?  Think of Owie Oil as a natural form of the commercial Neosporin.  The ingredients listed below are all specially-designed by God to be skin-healing, antibacterial agents.  Take a look at what's inside! 
*(for those of you that know me personally and live around where I do, our local town Fareway grocery store now carries coconut oil, tea tree oil (by the pharmacy), and even lavender oil!)*
Coconut Oil- natural anti-fungal base
Plantain- what was once a weed in your yard is now a powerful antiseptic skin and tissue regenerating agent!
Tea Tree Oil- very concentrated antibacterial help
Lavender Essential Oil- relaxing aroma and mild relaxing properties for the skin

While this oil will take about 3 weeks to create, the results will last you and your family for months!
Step 1: Hunt for and harvest plantain

Plantain

If you live in the continental US, I can pretty much guarantee you have this "weed" growing in your yard, next to the driveway, or in the ally.  If not, a quick trip to the city park or on a gravel road will produce a quick find.  
Harvest the leaves and stuff into a pint jar until half full.  When you get home, rinse the leaves and jar, then return to the jar.
Fill the jar with coconut oil, which in most cases is going to be a solid.  Cover with a good lid and set outside or inside in the sun.  As the coconut oil melts (at about 73 degrees), you may have to add more to make the jar full.
Let the jar sit in the sun for 3 weeks.  You want to keep the oil in liquid form as often as possible.  For me, my jar of oil solidifies overnight if I forget to bring it inside, but it will not hurt anything.  The longer it is a liquid, the more extraction we will get out of the plantain.
Periodically shake the jar to prevent mold from forming at the top.  It shouldn't, but if mold DOES happen to form, skim off that top layer of oil/plant that has been infected and keep a sharp eye.  You may have to begin again.
Also, plantain has an interesting smell, so don't be put off that your batch is going bad.  Only become worried if mold forms.

Step 2: After 3 weeks of "brewing" your plantain, it is time to make our Owie Oil!!!  Gather the GLASS containers you wish to use your oil for.  I use old glass 1 oz bottles for household use, and when I sell/give as gifts, I use the small jam canning jars.  

Gather:
glass jars/bottles
tea tree oil
lavender essential oil
optional: vitamin E oil or calendula infused oil
Remember: coconut oil will go between solid and liquid as the temperature changes, so make sure the people you give this to understand it can be used in both forms just the same. :-)

Straining the infused oils

Step 3: Strain plantain.  We want to keep as much of the infused oil as possible, so as you strain, try to catch it all.  Great ways to strain include a cheesecloth, couple of paper towels, or even a coffee filter.  As your strainer gets clogged with tiny plant pieces, you may have to scrape them out gently in order to keep the oil flowing into your containers.

Finished Owie Oil, ready for my mommy friends!

Step 4: Add the additives!
I have found 20 drops Tea Tree Oil and 6 drops lavender essential oil to work best, but the great thing about natural remedies is they aren't sensitive to experimentation for the most part.  This would also be the time to add some Vitamin E oil if you'd like, and for mine I also add some infused calendula oil I have made using the same process as we did the plantain.  Mix well, and you now have a GREAT, NATURAL form of triple antibiotic!  
Go ahead, try it on yourself and your kids!  Next time you find yourself scratching a mosquito bite, put a dab of this oil on and after a few minutes you'll have forgotten all about the bite!  When you son takes a tumble off his new tricycle (like mine did!), coat the scrape in Owie Oil, let it dry a bit, and send him on his way.  The next day the scrape will have healed to what would normally take three or four days!  
Lastly, research plantain.  This plant has far greater properties and uses than just Owie Oil!  Did you know you can eat it like spinach to help heal esophagus burns from acid reflux and ulcers?  Or that it can heal hemorrhoids?  HAPPY HEALTHING!
 

  

How to Can Chicken in the Pressure Canner

The pressure canner is often an intimidating device, but it doesn't have to be!  By following your canner's instructions and making sure your canner is in top performing condition, you can enjoy the benefits of canning a variety of different vegetables and meats that otherwise would not be able to be canned.  A pressure canner is used for preserving those items that are not acidic on their own, such as green beans, potatoes, and meats.

Again, following your particular canner's instructions, here is how to can Rosemary-Garlic Chicken.  Our local grocery store was running a sale on a 10lb bag chicken hindquarters, so a friend and I bought 6 bags to can together.  

Materials Needed:
Uncooked chicken
Large stock pot
Salt
rosemary (opt)
garlic (opt)
quart and pint jars
proper lids and rims
large, shallow tub OR cookie sheets with sides
Pressure Canner
canning utensils (jar lifter, lid wand, towels, etc)

Step 1: Thaw chicken (if frozen), boil in large stockpot until cooked.  Put the contents of the 10lb bag into the stock pot and fill the rest with water.  Cook time ends up being about a half hour after boiling point.  Check first with a knife.

Step 2: Transfer chicken to tub/cookie sheets to cool.
 
Step 3: Separate chicken from fat and bone, stuff into jars.  I have a small family, so I use pint jars for the chicken and quart jars for the broth, but some larger families may find quart jars to be more efficient.  A pint jar holds just over a pound of shredded chicken.  Leave about 3/4 in headspace.

Step 4: Using broth from the stock pot and canning funnel, slowly ladle broth into chicken jars.  Add 1/2 tsp salt.  You can also add a pinch of rosemary and pinch of minced garlic as well for flavor.  Be careful not to add too much.  Maintain the 3/4 in headspace.  I just fill to the neck of each jar.
 
Step 5: Prepare lids and rims.  Put canning wand down the inside of each jar to unsettle any air bubbles that could have formed.  Wipe the top of each jar with a wet paper towel as any barrier will interfere with the seal.   Put on lids and rims, making finger-tight.

Step 6: Using your canner's directions, pressure can at 11 pounds pressure for 75 minutes (pints) and 90 minutes (quarts).

Step 7: While chicken is being canned, ladle chicken broth into quart jars with 1 tsp salt.  Using above steps 5 and 6, pressure can broth at 11 pounds pressure for 25 minutes.  

 Is canning chicken really worth the cost? 
YES, especially if you already own a pressure canner (or borrowed one!) and you got your jars for cheap or free.  My husband was kind enough to break down the cost compared to the tin can of shredded chicken you can buy from the store.  We are assuming your labor does not have a cost value.  
Canning at Home: (remember this number will be even less for you if you reuse your rims and did not have to pay for your jars.  I did this by putting a free ad in the classified section of our local paper!  I had calls from the elderly in DROVES)
10 lbs chicken hindquarters: $7 
1 dozen new lids: $2
1 dozen new rims: $2
7 pint jars, 7 quart: average of $5
TOTAL: $11 for roughly 7 pints (pounds) chicken and 7 quarts of broth

At the store:
1 can (15oz) shredded chicken breast: $2.99 (multiplied by 7 to equal our pressure canned chicken= $21)
1 can (15oz) chicken broth: $2 (multiplied by 7 to equal pressure canned broth= $14)
TOTAL: $35

AMOUNT SAVED BY CANNING AT HOME: $24 per 7 pounds chicken canned


TIPS: 
- I will actually can the broth first while I sit at the table to shred/pack the chicken into its jars.
- This is a full day project, and actually goes infinitely faster with a friend AND if she brings a second pressure canner.

Recipe Ideas for the Chicken:
-chicken salad (with mayo, celery, and halved red grapes)
-enchiladas
-chicken noodle soup
-crock pot chicken and rice (with white rice, cream of mushroom soup, milk, and onions)
-BBQ chicken pizza

Recipe Ideas for Broth:
-chicken noodle soup
-chicken and rice soup
-cream of potato soup
-additive for pea soup
-flavor water for crock pot chicken         

Happy Healthing! 
 

Rhubarb-Blueberry Freezer Jam

My mother-in-law makes the best desserts with rhubarb, and this recipe is no exception!  Enjoy this splash of summer anytime of the year! :-)
Recipe:
7 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups blueberries (or strawberries, raspberries, etc)
7 cups sugar
2 small packages raspberry Jell-O

Step 1: Chop and cook rhubarb. If you are harvesting some of the early rhubarb of the season, you do not need to add water was it will make it own juice.  For later in the year, add a dash of water to help the simmer get started.  Cook on medium to medium low until soft, stirring often.

Step 2: Add in sugar and blueberries. Cook until sugar dissolved and blueberries are soft.

Step 3: Remove from heat, stir in Jell-O.  

Step 4: Pour into clean freezer containers. You can use glass, plastic or even freezer bags.  I prefer to use secondary pint jars (non-Mason jars) and even keep my old lids and rims from canned items I have opened as we are not concerned about sealing but rather just freezing the jar.  You can use old yogurt containers, cottage cheese tubs, old icing cups, etc.  

Step 5: Freeze and Enjoy! This freezer jam will keep well in the freezer for over a year.  Happy Healthing! 

 

Rhubarb Juice for the Waterbath Canner

The Recipe
32 cups (or 2 Ziplock gallon bags) chopped rhubarb
10 quarts water
1 (12oz) can frozen orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
4-5 cups sugar (depending on your taste preference)

Will Also Need:
waterbath canner with basket
13-14 quart jars with proper lids and rims
apron
clean pillowcase
rubber gloves (the ones used for deep cleaning)
canner supplies (magnetic lid wand, jar funnel, jar lifter, ladle, etc)

Step 1: Harvest and cut rhubarb
16 cups fits perfectly into a gallon ziplock bag, so I spend an evening cutting the rhubarb to save time during canning day.  If I am lucky, I can get 4 batches (enough for the year with one quart of juice per week) done in a day.  However, I most often end up doing two batches, wait a month for the rhubarb to grow back, and do the other two.   

Step 2: Add water, cook down the rhubarb.
On the stove top in 2 big pans, I separate the rhubarb and water proportionally and cook it until boiling/soft.

Step 3: Let rhubarb cool a bit, then strain into clean, empty, larger pots.  I strain the rhubarb through a pillowcase wearing rubber gloves.  It's also handy if you have someone to help as holding the pillowcase up and squeezing out the juice can be hard by yourself.  It's also helpful to do this outside if you can.  Collect the juice in the waiting pots, leaving the pulp in the pillowcase to compost later.

Step 4: Mix in your juices and sugar.

Step 5: Prepare canner and lids.

Step 6: Fill jars, waterbath can for 5 minutes. After boiling 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let the jars sit for another 5 minutes.  Pull out jars using your jar lifter, and set on a towel on the counter.  Let cool overnight and check seals in the morning.  Label and store, and enjoy some vitamin C-rich citrus juice in the middle of the winter!  Happy Healthing!  
 

DIY Berky Look-Alike (with pictures!)

My husband is very excited to be a part of one of my blog posts.  :-)  Tonight, he helped me put together our very own water filtration system using Black Berky Purification Elements. Berky is a well-known company for their water purification system, popular for its ability to purify pond water to safely drinkable in seconds without using any form of tablets, bleach, or iodine.  My husband got me their Sport Berky for Christmas one year, and I love it!

Why do we feel the need to filter our tap water? My husband and I are firm believers that our tap water here in the United States is not as "pure" as it should be.  Yes, I am thankful we live in this country versus some places where women are toting buckets of water for miles, and even then it is disease-ridden and toxic in the long-term.  However, most US cities put so many chemicals into our water system that it, too, can bring health concerns.  Without going into too much detail at this time, our tap water has artificial fluoride (a by-product of nuclear waste), traces of livestock birth control, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, chlorine, and more.  We did not want to use this as our main means of drinking water.  So, we decided to build our own and was able to do so for $100.

*note we did not purchase the fluoride-removing extension at this time, so the following instructions do not include filtering out fluoride* 

Materials Needed:
*note the sizes and supplies listed will vary depending on the store and products you decide on.  This is what WE did*
- two new, clean, 5-gallon buckets WITH lids
- two Black Berky Purification Elements (for some odd reason, Berky cannot ship these pieces to my state, so we had them sent to a friend and paid them for shipping to us.  We also happened to catch a sale on these and got both for $80.) 
- one liquid spigot
- plumber's putty (optional, in case of leak)
- one bushing to attach spigot to bucket
- one rubber washer (hard to see! Sorry!)
- teflon tape (optional to put on threads of spigot)
- drill
- 7/16" drill bit and 7/8" spade drill bit (not pictured)

Step 1: Drill two 7/16" holes in the bottom of one of the buckets.

Step 2: Line up a bucket lid with the two holes made, and drill two 7/16" holes to line up bucket to lid.

Drilling spigot hole. Hi Lily!

Step 3: In the OTHER bucket, use spade bit to drill hole for the spigot in the side of the bucket, toward the bottom.

Step 4: Put rubber washer around threads of spigot, and place spigot in the newly made hole.  Put bushing into the threads until spigot is tight against the bucket.  Fill bucket with water and let sit to test for leaks.  IF it still leaks, use plumber's putty to fill any gaps around the spigot threads.  We did not have to do this.

Priming filters with rubber gasket

Filters bead water when primed

Step 5: Prime filters according to package directions.    

Step 6: Put primed filters in both the bottom of the bucket with two holes, thread side down, and the lid with two holes.  The filters should stand upside down in the bottom of the bucket.Make sure to screw on the wing nut from underneath the lid and bucket so that the filters, bucket, and lid are now one unit.

Step 7: If the spigot bucket is leak-free, place on a hard surface and put filter-bucket-lid unit on top.  

 Step 8: Drill 2 small holes on the top sides of each bucket for air to escape. We drilled ours just under the lid lip.

Step 9: Fill top bucket with water, and let sit and filter through one cycle.  Do NOT drink this water, as the filter has charcoal and other dust particles to push out of its system.  Dump this water after it has completely finished filtering.  For us, this took overnight.  Note that there will be about 1/2" water in the top bucket that will not get filtered as the filters themselves are set a little above the bottom of the bucket.

Agh! Semi-clean kitchen :-/

Maintenance: 

1) The filters are rated to last 3,000 gallons per filter for tap water, so keep this in mind as you use your new system.
2) It takes 12-24 hours to filter at a normal rate.
3) Filters require periodic cleaning with a green scrub pad. NO SOAP EVER!

Enjoy having clean water to share with family and friends!  
Happy Healthing!

KOMBUCHA TEA, A to Z!

Nature's Probiotic! Did you know the United States is one of the only countries that does not drink kombucha tea as a daily beverage choice?  It is true.  A quick internet search will teach you about the benefits of this tea due to its fermentation process, and furthermore, probiotic properties.  Probiotics are a necessary bacteria to the human and animal stomach alike (YES, you can feed kombucha to your pets!).  As a quick reference, they are the "live cultures" your yogurt container alerts you to.  

Kombucha is a far cheaper and alternative source of probiotics from the refrigerated capsules at the health food store.  It is naturally fermented using a living fungus called a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast, or SCOBY, as you will hear them called in the health world.  It is a common practice in most countries passed down from generations that when a daughter leaves to be wed and create her own household with her new husband, the mother gives the daughter one of the babies of her SCOBY that her mother had also given to her.  Thus, the SCOBY continues to live and thrive and serve its family's health.

One can acquire a SCOBY from an online health store, local health food store, or the best way: from a loving friend.  This is how I got my SCOBY, and we've been together ever since. ;-P  Keep in mind though that through the process of fermentation described below, a SCOBY is a living organism and therefore requires care, however minimum.  The basic items to remember is that your SCOBY needs to breathe air as well as being filtered from airborne germs at the same time.  It also responds poorly to plastic storage containers.  Extreme heat and cold can also kill your SCOBY, so take care, especially when brewing the tea.  Without any further ado, let me walk you through what I do every five days in my kitchen to harvest this wonderful, CHEAP, probiotic for my family!

SCOBY fungus inside glass container with spicket

Materials Needed:
- SCOBY
- GLASS gallon container (I use a glass iced tea dispenser from a garage sale. A lid is NOT needed)
- 1 to 3 cups of a previous kombucha brew to jump start the fermentation process
- 4 to 6 black tea bags (the better the quality of the tea, the better the kombucha will be)
- 1 cup pure cane sugar, or organic sugar (no Stevia or other substitute will work)
- 4-5 cups boiling water


Step 1: Boil the water, turn off the heat, and steep tea bags for 10 min. Remove tea bags and compost.

Step 2: Add sugar, stir well.

Freshly brewed black tea awaiting 1 cup sugar

Step 3: **LET TEA COOL** before pouring over SCOBY and previous tea brew in your gallon glass container.  This is the most common mistake with beginning brewers...the hot tea can wound or even kill your SCOBY. Fill remaining space of container with filtered water. (We use a homemade Berky-like system. Instructions in an upcoming post!)

Step 4: Cover gallon container with a breathable lid/covering.  I use an old, clean washcloth and rubber band.

Step 5: Let the brewing begin! Place your glass gallon container in a cool, dry place out of the sun.  Your SCOBY prefers to be undisturbed while he works.  Over the next 5-10 days, your SCOBY is going to use the sugar as fuel to microscopically spread throughout the new tea and turn it into good bacteria for your body.  

Step 6: After 5 to 10 days, begin this process again.  Start by draining out all but 1-3 cups of your newly brewed kombucha to use as a base for fermentation for your next brew.  This is why I chose a gallon iced tea dispenser because it has the handy spout at the bottom and there is no moving of the SCOBY (he can get sick from any germs on your hands).  The day you choose to begin the next batch of tea depends on how you like your tea.  The more you let the tea ferment, the more akin to vinegar it will be.  Since I am giving my toddler this tea daily, I chose to bottle the kombucha on day 5, sometimes 6.  Others like their tea a little more acidic, so they have day 7 or even 8! Experiment to see what you (and your taste buds!) prefer.

Bottled Kombucha with rhubarb juice added.

Step 7: Bottling. ONLY BOTTLE IN GLASS.  I cannot stress this enough.  Kombucha tea highly dislikes plastic and metal, so if your kombucha tastes poorly (it should taste like slightly fizzy apple juice with a hint of vinegar), check your bottling choice first.  I stock up on glass drinking containers such as "Yahoo" chocolate milk or "Calypso" drinks.  However, there's nothing wrong with the 'ol Mason jar with an old mayo lid screw top.

Adding flavor!  Life comes with flavor, right?  So why not add some to your kombucha?  When bottling, I make sure to leave 1/4 of the container empty at the top and pour in a juice of choice.  Ones that I have found work well are apple, pineapple, and rhubarb juices (see an upcoming June post on making and canning rhubarb juice!), but the sky is the limit!  Top the bottles and let them sit undisturbed on the counter overnight to gain a fizzy texture.  The next morning, refrigerate for consumption!  Happy Healthing!

Kombucha FAQ's

1) I am going on vacation for a week. Is my SCOBY going to die?

No, he is most likely not going to die IF you keep your house a reasonable, liveable temperature.  Anything nearing 45 or increasing to 90 might be a little dangerous for a long period.  Your SCOBY will continue to ferment as much of the tea as possible while you're gone, so just be prepared for some really vinegar-like tea when you return.  My suggestion is, upon your return, simply rebrew and wait a new fermentation period before your next kombucha sip.

2) How do I know if my SCOBY is sick or dead?

As you get to know your SCOBY, you will be able to tell signs of sickness, age, or death.  An extreme discoloration (black), patch of brown or black, or mold is a sign something is wrong.  Yes, I understand Mr. SCOBY is in fact mold, but any added or different mold (blue, yellow, etc) is a bad sign. 

3) I heard SCOBY's have...babies!?

YES!  Your dear SCOBY will become a parent and grandparent many times over in his lifetime.  Most sets of fermentation, if left properly undisturbed, will produce a thin, cloudy, slimy circle on the surface of the fermenting tea.  This is a baby SCOBY, and may be given to friends in 1 cup of that kombucha brew to begin their own kombucha journey.