Tuesday, October 16, 2012

What I did the last Months

 Summer round up.

Our summer here in Belgium was dreadful this year,  with little sunshine and lots of rain.Very bad for a little gardener, result...no harvest.
But the herbs grow with all this rain.
I managed to do,

-Elderflower tincture against hay fever
-Thyme tincture against acne
-St john's wort tincture

















-Took nice pics of my roses















-Rose elixir
















Take a jar and fill it with rose petals, poor,1/3 raw honey and 2/3 brandy,stirring to remove air bubbles.
Let sit for 3 to 6 weeks, shaking regularly.
You can use it internally in stressful situations. It is a mild nervine, calming without sedating.




-St john's wort oil with almond to use in ointment,
-St john's wort oil with olive oil for my inflamed shoulder,
-and double infused St john's wort oil with olive oil


















-Lemon balm syrup

















Instead of Lemon balm, Sage can also be used. 
Or for example,  Sage and Thyme soothes the throat.
Research suggests that Lemon balm promotes a calm and relaxed state of mind, wich is an important part of falling asleep.

All you need is,
Herbs
Cane sugar or other
1 lemon squeezed and filtered
Fill a pot with lemon balm (I use a pot of 2 liters and fill it for three quarters)
Pour boiling water over and let stand about 3 hours with the lid closed.
I use about 800 ml water.
Then filter the liquid,add sugar and cook briefly,then add the filtered lemon.
Let it cook briefly(30 seconds),and pour into bottles immediately.
For about 800 ml of juice, I use 600 g sugar.

To drink, pour about 2 or 3 tablespoons in a cup and cover with boiling water. Or a bit more in a large cup. Keep an opened bottle in the fridge.

7 comments:

  1. Everything looks great! Your lemon balm syrup, how long does it last in the fridge? Unopened, how long does it last stored in the pantry? I made a double lemon balm tincture as a sedative. So far, it's very helpful. Thanks for posting...Nancy at livininthegreen.blogspot.com

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    1. Hello Nancy, stored in the pantry it last more than a year , and opened in the fridge 1 a 2 months and longer.

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  2. Oh Rita, everything looks so wonderful!! Those tinctures have very good color. So do your oils. Well done, sis! Nice idea to do a double infused St.JW oil also:)Mmmmm I bet your rose elixer tastes divine! And the lemon balm syrup! Your lemon balm got big and beautiful this year! Your rose pictures are so very pretty:) I can almost smell them:) The pink are Queen Elizabeth, right? What is the name of the yellow roses? I have a thing for yellow roses:) Very well done my dearest sis. Love you to the moon and back!! <3 <3 <3

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    1. Hi sis, I was really excited to make the double infused St JW, and I always checked out when it finally turns into the beautiful red :) Oh and the Rose elixir is really devine Leslie. You are right sis, the pink Roses are the Queen Elizabeth and the yellow are the golden celebration from David Austin.
      Big hugs XXXX

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  3. Lovely post, Rita and some stunning colours in your photos! Your oils and tinctures have such beautiful hues.

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  4. I love this post and I'm really interested in these cold fighting home remedies. New follower from NH! I'm anxious to make some of my own and to come back to see all the wonderful things you are up to! Come check out my blog, I'd love to have a vistor! www.barefootbysea.com

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