Elderberry Recap

 

Elderberry - Sambucus Nigra- is one of the most well-documented herbs for colds and flu. It is an expectorant, reduces phlegm, stimulates the circulatory system, promotes sweating, acts as a diuretic, and is a GREAT IMMUNE BOOSTER.

TIME TESTED AND NANA APPROVED Elderberry recipes:

Elderberry syrup: 3 cups filtered water, ½ cup dried elderberries, 1 cinnamon stick, five cloves, 1 Tbl ginger.  Bring to boil then simmer covered to reduce by ½ - usually 20-30 minutes.  Add 1 cup honey.  Store in frig for up to 2 weeks.  If infected, take 1 TBL per hour; for prevention, take 1 TBL per day.

PS-great on pancakes!

Only use Scotch with BARLEY.

Elderberry tincture in the making

Elderberry tincture: Fill jar with elderberries, add Scotch whiskey, set for 6 weeks, cut 50% with honey: 1 tsp 2 – 3 times a day.  Elderberry deactivates the H in the H1N1 virus:  the barley in Scotch whiskey focuses healing energy on the respiratory system.

PS-To dissipate the alcohol, squirt in hot water, allow to evaporate a minute or so, and drink.

HOT Elderberry lemonade: Slice/squeeze 2-3 lemons into a quart jar, add1/2 cup elderberry syrup, fill with hot water.  Infuse 2 hours, strain.  Reheat to drink. OR put ½ cup elderberry syrup in a quart jar and fill with hot filtered water.   Mix, pour into cup , add 1 drop of lemon essential oil.   You can drink it cold, but viruses hate heat!

Elderberry fizzy:  Make a quart of herbal infusion. Yarrow, Elderberry or Chamomile are all good starting points. Let it infuse for several hours, then strain. Add a couple tablespoons of sugar or honey. Pour about 1/2-1 cup of whey into the bottom of a clean quart jar. Add the infusion to jar until close to the neck of the jar.

Add two or three slices of fresh ginger (optional, but helps with the fermenting process). Cover loosely (you can use a canning lid, just don’t screw it on all the way). Let sit for two to three days (depending on how warm the spot was and what you’re fermenting).

Store remainder in a cool dark place, in an airtight jar once you’re sure the fermentation process is done (you can put a balloon around the jar mouth overnight, and if it inflates it’s still fermenting.

Elderberry Juice and Elderberry Gummies

Elderberries are a powerful herb for preventing a cold or flu and for shortening the duration of a cold or flu. In this recipe, we first make a juice from dried elderberries and other herbs, then we use gelatin to make fun gummy shapes. Kids of all ages will enjoy them! Step 1: Make the juice: ½ cup dried elderberries, 1/3 cup dried rose hips, ¼ cup cinnamon chips, 2 T licorice root, 1 tsp freshly ground pepper, 3 cups apple cider, 3 T gelatin  (for the second step). Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Strain through cheesecloth. Squeeze out juice.  For gummies, go to step two.  To make elderberry syrup, add honey to taste; store in fridge. The amount of honey/sugar you add will be the determining factor in how long it lasts. The more you add, the longer it will last. General recommended dose--I recommend kids take 1-3 teaspoons a day. Adults can take 1-3 tablespoons per day.  If I feel like I am getting sick I will end up drinking a cup or more a day. Step 2: make the gummies:  2 cups of the above juice. Add more apple cider if necessary to have 2 cups.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the juice in a Pyrex measuring glass. Place in the fridge till cold, then sprinkle gelatin over the juice and set for 1 minute.  Bring the rest of the juice to a simmer. Pour hot juice over the cooled juice and gelatin, stir briskly. Continue to whisk about 2 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved.  If desired, add sugar or honey. You might find it is sweet enough already.  Pour the mixture into silicone molds OR pour into a glass pan. Put them in the fridge to harden.   Remove from molds or if using a glass pan, cut into cubes. Store in a closed container in the fridge. They should last several weeks. Dose: 1-3 small gummies a day.

Elderberry Tea    2 c water (please don’t use tap water!),  2 T dried elderberries, ¼ tsp cinnamon,  ½ tsp turmeric,   1 tsp sweetener--maple syrup, honey or molasses.     Bring all ingredients except sweetener to boil, then simmer 12-15 min.  Strain. Add sweetener.  Great hot or cold.

 

 

Tillie's Update

 

Mean Millie, Rosie, Miss Tillie & Little Reba. Oh yeah, mustn't forget Rocky Rooster. That's the extent of my little flock this summer. 

 

Here's a little more of Tillie's motherhood story. 

 

Little black Tillie is a hybrid Sex Link I got from my neighbor. One morning I found her in the nest; oh, how cute, I thought, she's laying an egg. Come evening, she was still on the nest. A happy thought pierced my surprise. Maybe she's broody!! It's been years since I've had a hen who wanted to be a mama. Next morning, sure enough, there she was again. Joy!! 

 

I excitedly numbered six eggs (she's a small hen) with a marker and ever so gently put them under Tillie. She grumped a little, adjusted her feathers to cover all eggs, then settled in for the three-week sojourn to motherhood.

 

 

Here's an example of numbering eggs--these are not Tillie's clutch--she was only big enough to cover 6.

 

I moved food and water closer to the clutch of nests. Hens get off their "mother nest" very little, and Tillie proved a dedicated mom. She rarely got off her nest to eat or drink. In fact, she's the most dedicated hen I've ever had. Her feathers dulled, her comb paled, but she remained diligent.

 

I daily checked her eggs and removed any eggs the other hens had laid in Tillie's nest. Ignoring the multiple empty nests, they daily chose to hop in with Tillie and contribute to the baby cause. Having been through this process many times, I had marked Tillie's eggs so I could tell Tillie's eggs from the others. If you do not remove the renegade eggs, come day 21, you will have some eggs in different stages of development, and that's not a happy situation. 

 

The days roll by...15, 16, 17...by day 18, Tillie is looking pretty ragged. I'm growing concerned. She stays glued to that nest, committed to motherhood. Day 19, 20. At last, day 21. I go out early. Maybe I will find tiny little holes in the eggs--LIFE!--where the chick has begun its journey to life on the farm.

 

Tillie's cranky hen voice doesn't like my inspection. No holes in the eggs. No sign of life.

 

Day 22, no change.

 

Day 23, still no sign of baby chicks. Poor bedraggled Tillie. She looks like she's been walking in the desert for three weeks. I'm so disappointed. She's disappointed. I can't stand that look in her eye.

 

I jump in the car and race to the farm store in our town; it's about 25 miles round trip. As I enter the store, I hear the familiar peep-peep of little feathered babies. I choose four: two Rhode Island Reds and two Welsummers. I've never had Welsummers, so thought I'd give it a go.

 

I waited until dark, then removed the unhatched eggs and replaced them with the four live chicks. As I left the chicken house, Tillie clucked her mama voice. I knew all would be well.

 

Occasionally, a hen will not accept "store-bought" chicks, but before dawn the next morning, I went to move Tillie and company to the special section of the hen complex I use for new chicks or convalescing chickens. She was talking mother-talk to her new babies, and they were responding with those tiny peep-sounds that only new chicks can make. Not quite a full peep. Little noises Tillie recognized and accepted. The orphan corporate chicks had a home.

 

I was sad for a moment thinking of how new chicks recognize their mother from hearing her in the days before they hatch. These chicks had not had that opportunity, but they were devoted to their new mommie anyway. 

 

I settled the little family in their new home, and when I came back after daylight to check on them, it was the cutest thing. Little yellow heads peeking out from black mama feathers. Beautiful!!

 

As days flew by, Tillie began looking like her old self: rich red comb, shiny feathers, confident stride. The chicks were loving farm life. However, farm life has its perils. Now there is only one chick left. She's gloriously red, so I call her Little Reba. 

 

 

I moved food and water closer to the clutch of nests. Hens get off their "mother nest" very little, and Tillie proved a dedicated mom. She rarely got off her nest to eat or drink. In fact, she's the most dedicated hen I've ever had. Her feathers dulled, her comb paled, but she remained diligent.

 

I daily checked her eggs and removed any eggs the other hens had laid in Tillie's nest. Ignoring the multiple empty nests, they daily chose to hop in with Tillie and contribute to the baby cause. Having been through this process many times, I had marked Tillie's eggs so I could tell Tillie's eggs from the others. If you do not remove the renegade eggs, come day 21, you will have some eggs in different stages of development, and that's not a happy situation. 

 

The days roll by...15, 16, 17...by day 18, Tillie is looking pretty ragged. I'm growing concerned. She stays glued to that nest, committed to motherhood. Day 19, 20. At last, day 21. I go out early. Maybe I will find tiny little holes in the eggs--LIFE!--where the chick has begun its journey to life on the farm.

 

Tillie's cranky hen voice doesn't like my inspection. No holes in the eggs. No sign of life.

 

Day 22, no change.

 

Day 23, still no sign of baby chicks. Poor bedraggled Tillie. She looks like she's been walking in the desert for three weeks. I'm so disappointed. She's disappointed. I can't stand that look in her eye.

 

I jump in the car and race to the farm store in our town; it's about 25 miles round trip. As I enter the store, I hear the familiar peep-peep of little feathered babies. I choose four: two Rhode Island Reds and two Welsummers. I've never had Welsummers, so thought I'd give it a go.

 

I waited until dark, then removed the unhatched eggs and replaced them with the four live chicks. As I left the chicken house, Tillie clucked her mama voice. I knew all would be well.

 

Occasionally, a hen will not accept "store-bought" chicks, but before dawn the next morning, I went to move Tillie and company to the special section of the hen complex I use for new chicks or convalescing chickens. She was talking mother-talk to her new babies, and they were responding with those tiny peep-sounds that only new chicks can make. Not quite a full peep. Little noises Tillie recognized and accepted. The orphan corporate chicks had a home.

 

I was sad for a moment thinking of how new chicks recognize their mother from hearing her in the days before they hatch. These chicks had not had that opportunity, but they were devoted to their new mommie anyway. 

 

I settled the little family in their new home, and when I came back after daylight to check on them, it was the cutest thing. Little yellow heads peeking out from black mama feathers. Beautiful!!

 

As days flew by, Tillie began looking like her old self: rich red comb, shiny feathers, confident stride. The chicks were loving farm life. However, farm life has its perils. Now there is only one chick left. She's gloriously red, so I call her Little Reba. 

 

Tillie was more than ready to join the flock and was determined to sleep in the chicken house. I wasn't sure Little Reba would fly up on the roost, so when night settled on the farm, I took my flashlight and peeked in. Sure enough, Little Miss Reba was sitting right beside her mom on the roost like a big girl.

 

Rocky Rooster showing by crowing who's boss. 

He flies in and out of the chicken yard at will. 

Tillie was happy.

 

Little Reba was happy. 

 

Farmgirl was happy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Tillie & Little Reba

looking for bugs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My little flock grazing under Alice, the willow.

Mean Millie, Rosie, Miss Tillie, Little Reba & Rocky.

 

New Kids On The Block

 We haven't had a broody hen for ages. So, when Tillie decided she wanted to be a mom, I was thrilled. I gathered up some eggs, marked the date on them, and put them under Tillie. It was 2 or 3 days before I added the eggs to her nest, so she sat longer than the typical 3-week hatching range. She faithfully sat on the eggs, morning, noon, and evening. Day after day. Hot or cold. Little food. Little water. 

The other hens would weasel their way into her nest and lay their egg, and come evening, I would sort it out and remove it from Tillie's clutch of eggs. 

Finally, the long-awaited day came...Day 21. Hatching day. Baby day. New Mama day.

Nothing. Nada. No little beaks sawing its way around the eggshell. No little peeps. No wet little chick fur.

And, Tillie, just wouldn't give up. I gave the eggs some extra time, just to be sure there would be no chicks forthcoming. Nothing.

How could I look into those sad little Tillie eyes? She had sacrificed time, exercise, nourishment, and sunshine for nearly a month. And now she had nothing.

So, Tractor Supply to the rescue. I bought her 4 chicks: 2 Rhode Island Reds with good egg-laying abilities (200 to 300 eggs per year) and 2  Wellsummers. I've never had Wellsummer hens before. They are dark brown with a golden-brown neck and a deep mahogany face and are pretty good layers (200 year). Their eggs sound gorgeous. They're supposed to be a terracotta red. I can't wait to see them in 4-5 months; I see deviled eggs for Thanksgiving. Apparently they are very noisy--good thing I'm on a farm. 

Both breeds are excellent foragers, which is good because our chickens free-range most of the day--day in and day out--rain, sleet, or snow. Well, actually, they have the choice whether to stay in or go out. Wellsummers are supposed to love the snow.

Today is day three for Tillie and her little family. Farmer Gary completely remodeled the brooder coop, making it 'coon proof, 'possum proof, and yes, even snake proof. So they are getting acquainted with one another and the new digs. Farmer Gary also added a "Chicky cam" which provides safety and entertainment.

 

 

  

DANDELION SEASON!!

 

 

 

Dandelion Vinegar

Harvest dandelions in the morning after dew has risen and before the hottest part of the day.

Clean well.  Can use root, leaf, and flower.  Fill a quart jar about ¾ full.  Add raw apple cider vinegar—fill to rim, leaving about ½ inch head space.  Place in a cool dark area for 4-6 weeks.  Strain.  Use in dressings and cooking.

Can also be used as a tonic by adding a little honey to water.  The usual dose is about a tablespoon full daily.  This is also traditionally called “Elixir of Long Life”!

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