natural

Easy Elderberry Syrup

/ Rusticity Goods / 8 Comments

Elderberries are one of mother natures strongest immunity boosters. They are extremely high in vitamin C and believed to help prevent or treat the flu.
You can purchase commercially made elderberry syrup at most health food stores or HERE (affiliate link).
Or for a fraction of the price you can make it yourself with one of the kits sold in my store: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/RusticityGoods/tools/listings/255013923
Here’s how:

Ingredients: (all links are affiliates)
Water 3.5 cups
Elderberries 2/3 cup
Ginger Root 2 Tblspn
Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
Cloves 1/2 tspn
Lemon slices (3) optional
Honey  1 cup (BUY LOCAL!!!)

Add water, elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and lemon slices to a pot. Do not add honey yet. Do not cover the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Stir occasionally and leave to simmer for about an hour or so. You want the liquid to reduce to about half.

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Once its reduced, turn off the stove and allow the liquid to cool.
Remove the lemon slices.

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Drape a clean cloth over a bowl and pour the contents of the pot into the cloth. Allow it to drain.

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Pull the cloth closed then squeeze the remaining juice from the cloth, into the bowl.

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Compost the contents of the cloth, or feed it to your chickens.
Add 1 cup of Honey to the liquid. Stir until honey has dissolved and mixed well.
Ta-da! You now have elderberry syrup!
Pour into a glass container. Keep refrigerated.

Dosage:
Preventative:
Adults 1 teaspoon daily.
Children 1/2 teaspoon daily.
Flu/cold treatment:
Adults 1 teaspoon every 4 hours.
Children 1/2 teaspoon every 4 hours.

*This post was submitted in the Wild Crafting Wednesday Blog Hop. Check it out!
http://mindbodyandsoleonline.com/herbal-information/162nd-wildcrafting-wednesday-peoples-choice-award-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-244328*

Chigger Relief

/ Rusticity Goods / 23 Comments

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My girls and I were devoured by chiggers recently. If you have ever been eaten alive by chiggers than you understand how irritating a chigger bite can be. If you haven’t been bitten by a chigger than let me put it this way; imagine a mosquito bite, now enhance that itchy feeling by 1000 and add molten lava oozing from the bite when you scratch it.

I think the worst part about chigger bites is how long they last. They stay with me for weeks. But not this time! I couldn’t stand to see my babies in discomfort so I came up with a healing recipe.

Let me clear a few things up first. Chiggers are tiny mites. They usually enter by the sock line. They love warm, moist, soft skin (imagine sock and panty lines). They do not bury themselves in your skin. Their saliva is the irritant that causes the terrible, welts and molten lava feeling. Nail polish will not smother them (as lots of people assume) because they are not buried in your skin. In fact, I believe that the nail polish will cause the irritant to stay in the skin longer.

My thought process was this “Oh my God! My skin is on fire! How can I suck out the toxic acid saliva from this blood thirsty spawn of satin?” . I tried it all. I slathered it all on me. I even bought ChiggerRid, which did relieve the itch for the longest but I later found the barrier it leaves on your skin to be irritating and cause me to scratch, which in turn made the volcano erupt.

Then it hit me. The clouds parted. Angels sang. And a vision of Calcium Bentonite Clay almost brought me to tears of joy.

I whipped up a batch with Apple Cider Vinegar and added tea tree oil. I covered the bites. Waited 20 minutes then removed the clay. The itch was gone for hours at a time and I also saw the bites shrinking. I am on day 4 now and the bites I treated and almost gone and the itch is only that of a boring ol’ mosquito bite. The bites I haven’t treated (some places you just don’t want to slather with clay) are still the size of a quarter and burn like crazy when I scratch them.

I’m assuming that you are reading this because you are trying to find a cure for your lava skin. Here it is.

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Chigger Relief:

Ingredients:

2 tblspns Calcium Bentonite Clay (buy it here or at the vitamin shoppe)

1/4 teaspoon tea tree oil (buy it here, or Any pharmacy)

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to desired consistency (I like about 1.5 tblspns)

In a glass jar add clay and slowly add ACV to desired consistency is achieved. Mix well with a plastic utensil. Add Tea Tree Oil. Mix well.

Apply concoction to bites just thick enough of a layer that you can’t see the bites any longer. Sit back and enjoy the relief for 20-30 minutes. When time is up remove the clay with a with a wet wash rag. Or you can go hose off outside. DO NOT WASH CLAY DOWN YOUR HOMES DRAINS IT WILL CLOG YOUR PIPES.

Do this a minimum of twice a day. Keep remaining clay mixture in the fridge (ITS EVEN BETTER WHEN ITS COLD!!!!!).

I like to apply plantain salve to the bites after the clay is removed. If you don’t have plantain salve Aloe is a great alternative. It relieves itch and helps the skin heal.

The clay mixture has cut my healing time by more than half. How has it worked for you?

Get Drunk on Flowers.

/ Rusticity Goods / 2 Comments

Ok, you need more than flowers but hey, the title got you here.

We recently made a batch of Elderberry Flower Cordial. I found the recipe at Food.com.

Well, since I’m new to fermenting, I didn’t have the cordial in a warm enough place to ferment. We ended up with a fizz-less, over sweet alcoholic syrup. Basically useless to me because I don’t like terribly sweet things, and I’m not going to give my kids alcohol syrup on their pancakes.

So, I added an additional 1/2 liter of water (a bottle of purified water that was room temperature). And found a proper place to ferment it. Left it there for a week and I opened the most wonderful bottle of champagne I have EVER made. 😉

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Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

15 large Elderberry Flower Heads, Shaken to remove bugs

4.5 Cups of Sugar (I prefer Morena Pure Cane Sugar. It has an amazing flavor all its own and it is much better for you.)

1 Lemon thinly sliced

5 cups boiling water

1 clean, plastic soda bottle with lid

 

Place flower heads in the bottom of a large bowl.

Lay lemon sliced on top of flowers.

Dump sugar evenly over lemons.

Pour boiling water over lemons.

Mix until sugar is dissolved.

Place lid on bowl or cover with plastic wrap.

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Leave the container on your counter for 4 days.

Every day for the next 4 days, remove cover, mix and squish the lemons.

By day 4 you should have a little fizzy action going on.

Filter the liquid from the flower mix into your soda bottle.

Place cap on tightly.

Leave the soda bottle to ferment  in a warm/dark place for the next week. My fermentation spot ended up being the upstairs linen closet. Try to find a place that has a fairly consistent temperature.

Check occasionally for fizziness. The bottle will expand as the gas builds. You may need to release the gasses to prevent the bottle from making a huge mess in your linen closet………. *cough* (joking, that didn’t happen to me but it could).

By the end of the week you should have a lovely, floral champagne.

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I think next time I will try reducing the sugar. I feel it lacks that crispness of champagne because of the sugar. But as I said, I don’t like overly sweet things. You could try reducing the sugar. Remember that the amount of sugar used has a direct effect on the fermentation. This was my first time making this, and I really have very limited experience with fermentation so please don’t expect more than this from me… hahaha.

Do you have any fermentation tips to share? How did your elderflower champagne turn out? Please comment and let me know!

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Herb Gelatin Treats for Chickens (or humans, I guess!)

/ Rusticity Goods / Leave a comment

With the heat on the rise I have been looking for ways to help keep my small flock cool.

Fresh Eggs Daily had a great post on Beating the Heat. This is my favorite chicken site. Tons of information. The post gave me an idea. I could make Homemade Healthy Gummie Snacks for my chickens! They were such a hit with the kids, the chickens were bound to love them!

I found out that not only could chickens eat gelatin, but gelatin is actually good for them. Just like in humans, gelatin helps support health hair, skin and nails. It is also aids digestion and soothes the digestive tract. Sounds like a winning combo for chickens. And to clarify, gelatin is made form the bones and hooves of bovine. It is not made from chicken products. No cannibalism here.

You can make these treats from the herb of your choice. Or you could not use herbs at all. Maybe just use fruit. Or a fruit herb combo. How ever you make them this is a healthy treat that can help your chicken keep its cool.

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Ingredients:

2 cups herbal infusion (How to make a Water Infusion)

1 cup cold water, fruit juice, or fruit puree (I used strawberries and blackberries (this is a great opportunity to use up that frost bitten fruit you have in the freezer ;))).

4 packs  unflavored 1/4 oz gelatin (you buy it here or any grocery store in the Jello section)

First thing you need to do is make an herbal infusion. Since I want to cool my chickens I decided to go with mint. It has natural cooling properties. Since mint is a strong herb, I only filled my infusion jar 1/4 of the way.

Bring your finished infusion to a boil in a 2 quart pot.

Remove from heat.

Slowly add gelatin while mixing.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, just blend it by hand with a wisk or fork. I love my immersion blender and I highly recommend one. You can buy the one I have here or at walmart.

Add cold water juice (or fruit juice or puree).

Blend until smooth.

Pour liquid into a greased, 3 qt 9×13 casserole dish.

Place casserole dish in fridge.

Allow to sit for 1-4 hours (or until firm).

Cut into squares the size of your choice. I like 1/2″ squares.

Serve to chickens.

Watch the chickens steal them from each other and chase each other for the last bit! They LOVE THEM! I tried them as well. I don’t prefer mint jello but I can tell you for sure it has that great cooling effect!

If you made  your own flavor and the chickens didn’t like it, you can put the cubes back into the pot and reheat them until liquid. Try adding something you know they love, like strawberries or bananas. Then re-pour, refrigerate and serve again. Have fun! Try new flavors and let me know which one your chickens like best!

Here is my flock enjoying their gelatin treat! Ravenous!

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Look how sad my little Mango is. The girls stole all the treats! 😦

 

How to Make a Water Infusion

/ Rusticity Goods / 1 Comment

Infusions are a away to make the qualities of an organic item infusion into water. You can make infusions out of pretty much any fruit,vegetable, flower, herb, leaf or bark, etc. Just please make sure what you are infusing is not toxic or poisonous. Do research on the item and get confirmation from an experienced individual before you make your infusion.

What you need

1 quart size glass jar with lid

2 cups of boiling water

item to be infused (usually 2 cups. NOTE:Some Herbs, like mint, Have a very strong flavor , you may want to use less of the herb. You can use as much or as little as you’d like). Make sure the item has not been sprayed/treated with pesticide/herbicide

My Method:

I fill the jar with the item to be infused (say white clover because I love White Clover Jelly). I stuff that jar with just the flower, removing as much greens from the flower as possible.

Most people will rinse the flowers to get any little bugs that may be hiding in the flowers. I just kinda shake them off before I stuff them in the jar. I don’t like the idea of washing away any of the pollen or nectar that are in the flower. BUT if you don’t like the idea of ant infused water, go ahead and give the flowers a quick rinse and put them back in the jar.

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the flowers in the jar.

Put the lid on the jar.

Leave the jar to sit for 4-24 hours.

In a fine strainer, muslin cloth or cheese cloth, strain the water from the flowers into a bowl. Squeeze the liquid from the flowers, through the strainer, to be sure you get all the goodness. (Side note, you can feed the left over flowers to your chickens)

You now have a fusion. TA-DA!

This fusion good for about 24 hours when kept in the fridge. The older a fusion is the less of the qualities of the item infused will remain. Basically, use it or lose it. If you can’t use it right away, freeze it! You can leave it in your glass jar (with room for expansion) or make ice cubes. The qualities will be less, but it is better than wasting.

I am not a professional. I am not a doctor. I am not telling you to do this.

 

 

Make Your Own Citrus Coop Cleaner

/ Rusticity Goods / 1 Comment

Ingredients:

The peel of 2 oranges, or 3 lemons, or 4 limes, or maybe 1 grapefruit? I don’t eat grapefruit so you guess on that one.

White vinegar

1 quart mason jar or bigger. Use what you have, just try to use glass or food grade plastic. You could even use the vinegar bottle.

Place citrus peels into the container of your choice. I had left over orange peels from my Homemade Healthy Fruit Gummies recipe.

Leave the vinegar mixture to rest for about a month. Shake it occasionally.

Filter the vinegar into a spray bottle.

Use the citrus vinegar spray to clean your kitchen or to clean your coop when you are giving it that occasional deep clean.

This stuff smells fantastic and has all of the wonderful benefits of white vinegar.

I got this recipe from my favorite chicken website Fresh Eggs Daily. She added cinnamon sticks and vanilla to the vinegar and oranges before allowing it to rest. I bet that smelled amazing! If you haven’t checked out her site, it is worth your time. She has tons of chicken recipes and raises her chickens naturally with herbs. Lots of great tips.

Try making your own scent of citrus cleaner. Just remember to use White vinegar, a citrus and nothing sticky. How about Lime/Mint or Lemon and cloves? What recipe will you use? Please let me know how it turned out!

Violet infusion ice cubes for sick dogs (or humans)

/ Rusticity Goods / Leave a comment

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My girl Bonnie has Lymphoma,  as I mentioned in the Rainbow Bridge post. I want to keep her as healthy and comfortable as I can while shes with us.
I give her 1 violet infusion icecube each day. She loves the way they taste. They taste like green beans to me.
Among other things, Violet is know for assisting the lymph system. It helps clear lymph nodes. What better way to care for my girl while shes living with lymphoma?
I read that, on average, dogs diagnosed with lymphoma usually live 2-4 months after diagnosis,  without treatment. It has been almost 5 months since Bonnie was diagnosed.

Heres how I make violet infusion.

Ingredients:
2 heaping cups of violet flowers (stems removed)
2 cups boiling water
1 quart sized mason jar with lid and band.

Fill the mason jar with the violet flowers.
Pour boiling water over the flowers.
Attach lid and band tightly.
Allow to rest on counter for a minimum of 4 hours, maximum of 24 hours. (It will spoil or lose its potency after 24 hours)
Filter the flowers from the infused water into a large bowl.
Place flowers into a towel or cheese cloth and squeeze the remaining liquid out of the flowers and into the bowl.

You now have infusion!
Pour the infusion into desired ice cube trays.  Store in freezer (did I really have to tell you that).

My Bonnie girl is about 40lbs. I only give her 1 cube a day. Violet can cause nausea and diarrhea in large quantities. I was giving her two a day and she seemed fine but then we had a day of throwing up, which may have been completely unrelated,  but nonetheless I reduced the amount cos I don’t want to go through that again.

If you don’t have the time to use the infusion immediately,  you can freeze it. Just thaw it when ready to make Easy Violet Jelly or additional icecubes.

 

*Update: After 8 months of fighting lymphoma, We had Bonnie euthanized. Her illness suddenly progressed quickly.
She was at home with her family when she passed. She is buried on our property. She took a huge part of our hearts with her.
You can read the story of her last days on earth, here. *

I am not a doctor. I am not a professional.  These are strictly my opinion. You don’t have to follow my opinion. Use at your own risk cos I didn’t tell you to do it. 🙂

Review. Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar

/ Rusticity Goods / 1 Comment

Zulka Morena Pure cane sugar has an outstanding flavor ALL BY ITS SELF! I caught myself dipping my finger into the bag more than I needed too!

Zulka Morena claims to be NON-GMO and unrefined. You are supposed to use it cup for cup in replace of white cane sugar, but I have found that it has so much more sweet flavor than plain white sugar, that you can actually use a little less with amazing results.

The bag says that it “tastes like biting into a fresh sugar cane.” They aren’t lying! It truly is delicious.

The ONLY thing I would bring up is that it does turn recipes slightly darker than white sugar does. Obviously if the sugar is darker then the product it is used in will be darker too. Seriously not an issue. And since it is unrefined there are a few darker bits of what I’m assuming is sugar cane. These darker bits look like debris when used in Jelly recipes. But honestly, I like the look. It looks like its home made rather than processed.

Over all, I will say that I will never use white sugar again. The price was only a few cents more per ounce than white sugar. It is totally worth it.

You can buy it here or at Wal-mart.

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EASY Violet or Dandelion Jelly

/ Rusticity Goods / 2 Comments

Here is a simple recipe to make violet OR Dandelion jelly.

Makes 5 half pint jars.

IMG_20140323_182545 2 heaping cups of fresh flowers, rinsed.

2 cups of boiling water.

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 cups of sugar (I prefer Morena Pure Cane Sugar. It has an amazing flavor all its own and it is much better for you.)

1 package of liquid pectin (I prefer Liquid pectin. It does cost a bit more, but the consistency is always perfect! Totally worth it!)

5 half pint jars and lids sterilized.

 

Collect 2 heaping cups of flowers. Rinse gently.

Place the flowers in a large mason jar.

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the flowers.

Place lid on jar loosely. Let sit for a minimum of 4 hours or over night.

Strain the water from the flowers. You can use a mesh filter or cheese cloth. The product is called an infusion. I strain the infused water directly into the 2 quart pot that I make my jellies in.

Bring the infusion to a boil.

Add 4 cups of sugar. Stir occasionally.

Add Lemon juice. (This will cause the color or violet infusion to change purple!)

Bring to a boil.

Add liquid Pectin. Stir frequently.

Bring to a rolling boil. Stir while boiling for 5 minutes scooping off any foam in the process.

Pour jelly into prepared jars. Attach lids and bands tightly.

Water bath can the jars for 10 minutes.

It takes about an hour for the jelly to set.

EASY White clover Jelly

/ Rusticity Goods / 29 Comments

White clover. Yes, the kind that is covering your yard. It makes a phenomenal jelly that tastes like honey.

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Here is a simple recipe to make white clover jelly.

Makes 5 half pint jars.

 

2 heaping cups of fresh clover flowers, rinsed.

2 cups of boiling water.

4 cups of sugar (I prefer Morena Pure Cane Sugar. It has an amazing flavor all its own and it is much better for you.)

1 package of liquid pectin (I prefer Liquid pectin. It does cost a bit more, but the consistency is always perfect! Totally worth it!)

5 half pint jars and lids sterilized.

 

Collect 2 heaping cups of white clover flowers. Rinse gently.

Place the flowers in a large mason jar.

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the flowers.

Place lid on jar loosely. Let sit for a minimum of 4 hours or over night.

Strain the water from the flowers. You can use a mesh filter or cheese cloth. The product is called an infusion. I strain the infused water directly into the 2 quart pot that I make my jellies in.

Bring the infusion to a boil.

Add 4 cups of sugar. Stir occasionally.

Bring to a boil.

Add liquid Pectin. Stir frequently.

Bring to a rolling boil. Stir while boiling for 5 minutes scooping off any foam in the process.

Pour jelly into prepared jars. Attach lids and bands tightly.

Water bath can the jars for 10 minutes.

It takes about an hour for the jelly to set. Its amazing on fresh bread. YUM!

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