Elderberry syrup...

Elderflower tincture

I gathered elderflowers in July and covered them with vodka for a tincture.
Strained them this morning into these cute little bottles.

Bottled Elderflower tincture

Used to help alleviate the symptoms of hayfever, arthritis, and chronic congestion.
It also has a long history of soothing and relaxing frayed nerves...
Mmmm....I'll take a shot of that!

Elderberry syrup

Typically used for colds and coughs.
(But also good on pancakes!)

I gathered 2 cups of elderberries from our CSA farm and combined them with 6 cups of water.
I then added about a 1" chunk of fresh peeled ginger, cut into several smaller pieces.
Bring that to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Strain.
Add 1 cup (or more to taste) raw honey.
Stir to dissolve.

I then separated the batch into two bottles, adding 4oz of vodka to one of them.

Just for the heck of it.

Cause that's how I roll.

(And because some recipes called for it and some didn't.)

I will put the tinctures in a dark spot in our closet and the syrup will go into the basement fridge for winter colds and general aches and pains.

It's peak preserving time here in West Michigan, so I am off to do some fermenting, dehydrating, and canning.

In Christ alone,
Cindy

Porch with a view...

Hummingbird in motion

The sun was just beginning to fade in the west when I took my camera out on the porch and shot some black and whites.

Mesmerizing

Rest

Herb garden angel

Bird house

Milk weed?

Backyard Pond

Lifeline

Fuzzy thru a screen

Windmill

I have been spending a lot of time reflecting, searching, examining, testing...

Seeking the Lord while He may yet be found....

In Christ alone,
Cindy

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer...

Beeswax for salves

Lots going on here at our little farmette...
We have some close friends and their children staying with us while they house hunt, so the place is full of activity!
The garden has pretty much gone to seed with all the crazy weather here in the midwest.
Heavy rains in June, then extreme heat in July does not make for a prolific garden.
Fortunately our farmers market will be able to fill in the gaps for canning and preserving.

Lemon balm/eucalyptus oil with beeswax in my vintage double boiler

Since taking the foraging classes this summer, I have been dabbling in more natural remedies with wild things found in and around my gardens.
The lemon balm salve should be good for sore muscles, but Pete is addicted to Aspercreme and won't let me try this out on him!
He has so many aches and pains by the end of the day that he doesn't want to take a chance on something "different"!
Perhaps I can start him out on a combination of the two and slowly use a bigger ratio of the homemade?

Rustic Apricot Galette

With the heat of July there was not much baking going on, but I could not resist a quart of fresh apricots at the market.
What I like about a galette is it's simplicity and lack of pretention.
No fancy/schmancy crust here!
Just a sheet of puff pastry filled with sliced apricots mixed with the slightest bit of honey.
Bake as directed, and mmmm...

Red Clover, Red Clover

Taken at our CSA farm during our walk on the wild side class, there is an abundance of this stuff.
Everywhere!
And it is supposed to make an excellent tea, which is why I will be meandering our little property to see how much I can gather.
I am really enjoying taking a closer look at what God has provided for us.
Digging deeper into His provision AND His Word.
For there are rough times coming, and we need to be well-armed.

Sheep of His pasture

Also taken at the CSA farm in the back 40....

"The sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name..." John 10

____________________________________________________________________

I am taking it easy here...
Summer is mostly gone and I have been forced to slow down and enjoy what little is left.
Chores that used to take me a couple of hours now take all day...(lots of breaks!)
Priorities and boundaries must be set if anything is to get done...
It's all good, tho.
I am finally taking time to enjoy what the Lord has done for me...


In Christ alone,
Cindy