12.11.23

We’re in the middle of the typical “sickness season.” People are getting together for parties, we’re inside and the air quality sucks. (Turn your diffuser on, BTW! It’ll help cleanse the air)

 

These are a couple simple recipes I keep on hand and use daily to help keep my family healthy. And the bonus is that they’re really simple, too! Let me know if you end up making these, I'd love to hear what you think!

 

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Honey Fermented Garlic

 

6 heads of garlic

2ish cups local, raw honey

Jar with lid

 

Peel as much garlic as you have on hand. I like to do 6 heads of garlic at a time. Add them to a clean jar and cover with local, raw honey. Make sure the honey covers all the cloves and gets into all the nooks and crannies. Put a lid on and tip it over.

 

Every day, you’re going to “burp” the jar. This allows the fermentation gasses to leave, without breaking the jar. Put the lid back on and repeat every day for about 30 days.

 

You’ll notice the bubbling decreases over time and the honey becomes more liquidy. This is normal! Eventually, the cloves will stop floating and will sink down into the honey.

You can use the honey/garlic combo at any point, but it reaches max potency around 30 days.

 

I like to take a clove in the morning with a spoon of honey to give my immune system a solid start.

 

I would recommend starting another batch when you have about half a jar left, since it’ll take 30 days for it to reach max potency. 

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Elderberry Wolfberry Super Syrup

 

If you haven’t heard about the benefits of elderberries yet, HOW. These little berries are poisonous when consumed raw, but once they’re dried, they become a powerhouse of antioxidant goodness!

 

Wolfberries are the foundation of our favorite wellness drink, NingXia Red. The wolfberries used in this recipe are sourced from the NingXia province of China and have the highest ORAC (scale used to measure antioxidant levels) scores of all fruits and vegetables.

 

Don't have wolfberries? If you already have a Young Living account, log into the website and search WOLFBERRY. A red bag of dried berries should pop up. If you don't have an account yet, you can use this link to grab a bag and get the oils used in this recipe, too! 

 

This recipe comes from Lindsey Gremont at HomemadeMommy.net

 

Elderberry Wolfberry Super Syrup

 

½ cup elderberries

½ cup NingXia wolfberries

4 cups filtered water

1 cup local raw honey

1 drop Lemon Vitality essential oil

1 drop Orange Vitality essential oil

1 drop Thieves Vitality essential oil

1 drop Copaiba Vitality essential oil

 

Add wolfberries, elderberries and water to Instant Pot. Cover and set manual timer for 7 minutes and then allow for natural release method (another 20 minutes or so). Open and strain the liquid into a glass pitcher. Yield at this stage is around 4 cups. Discard berry solids and pour the liquid back into the Instant Pot and select Saute. Reduce liquid by half (about 20 minutes). Yield will now be about 2 cups.

 

Mix syrup with the raw honey and stir well. Yield should now be about 3 cups. Add essential oils and stir. Bottle and store in the fridge. This recipe will stay good for many months. To prolong shelf life, replace half the honey with brandy.

 

Take 1 tablespoon per day during the winter months. Increase to every 2-3 hours when you need an extra boost. Children 1-9 years take ½ - 1 teaspoon per day. Not for children under 1 year.

 

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Fire Cider

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Now this one you’re either going to love or hate, there really isn’t much middle ground! There are lots and lots of variations, but the basic combination includes apple cider vinegar, local raw honey and garlic/turmeric/ginger.

 

You can really use whatever you have on hand. But the idea is to combine different herbs and medicinal plants that aid in boosting your immune system.

 

Some of the most common ingredients:

Onion (sliced)

Garlic (smashed)

Turmeric (sliced into rounds)

Ginger (not peeled, sliced into rounds)

Rosemary (sprigs)

Thyme (sprigs)

Cinnamon sticks

Black peppercorns

Horseradish (grated)

Lemon (not peeled, sliced into rounds)

Orange (not peeled, sliced into rounds)

Jalapenos (sliced into rounds)

Cayenne 

 

Add your prepped ingredients to a mason jar. Top with apple cider vinegar. Add a piece of parchment paper under the lid, so the vinegar won’t corrode the metal. 

 

Store in a dark place and shake once daily for 4 weeks. Open the container and strain into another glass container. Add honey to taste. Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge for up to 6 months.

 

The most common way to use fire cider is to drink 1-2 tablespoons in the morning daily.