by Krista | Aug 21, 2015 | Winter
Bear and I caught our first major cold-flu of winter this week, so we’re both rather pitiful and sticking close to home as we nurse sore throats, headaches and the lot.
Yesterday my friend Katie urged me to make elderberry syrup to both fight the illness and ease our burning throats. So I did just that.
I hauled out my carefully saved hoard of elderberries, a collection of spices, rainwater from our tank, and raw honey.
Elderflower syrup is lovely on its own, but the addition of bacteria and virus-fighting spices makes it extra good. I like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom pods, and my favorite, star anise. You could even through in some lemon zest.
Thankfully it not only tastes good and works well, it’s also easy to make. Just put everything but the honey in a saucepan and simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Then strain, cool, sweeten with the honey, and start taking 1 Tbsp every few hours (For grown-ups. Consult your pediatrician before giving elder to children.). I use about 1/4 cup of raw honey for mine, but if you want a thicker syrup consistency and more sweetness, add more honey.
It is incredibly soothing. I told Bear it’s like each spoonful is a warm, soft blanket for my throat.
The efficacy of elderberries isn’t just folk medicine. Scientific studies have found it to be a safe, efficient, and cost effective treatment for influenza.
Sixty patients (aged 18-54 years) suffering from influenza-like symptoms for 48 h or less were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study during the influenza season of 1999-2000 in Norway. Patients received 15 ml of elderberry or placebo syrup four times a day for 5 days, and recorded their symptoms using a visual analogue scale. Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo.
Department of Virology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
I love when science and tradition work hand in hand to help us feel better faster.
Now I’m going to curl up in bed with a good book and hot tea.
Do you have a tried and true remedy for helping you through cold and flu season? xo
For more recipes for traditional remedies, click here.
Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup elderberries (dried)
4 cups water
spices (cinnamon stick, clove buds, star anise, cardamom pods, etc)
raw honey to taste (I use about 1/4 cup, use more for thicker syrupy consistency.)
Directions:
- Place elderberries, water, and spices (NOT HONEY!) in medium pan over high heat. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until liquid reduces by half. Remove from heat, stir well and let steep a further 5-10 minutes.
- Strain mixture through a sieve, discard spices, save berries for baking or compost them.
- Let cool 5-10 minutes then stir in honey to taste.
- Pour into sterile bottles, seal, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
by Krista | Aug 20, 2015 | Winter
There’s something about winter sunshine that is extra comforting and warming. I’ve been soaking it up these last few days and it feels wonderful. I know I will be sweltering in a few months, so I’m treasuring these moments when heat is rare and welcome.
This white winter rose is from my friend Sally’s garden. Isn’t it luminous?
Last summer I dried copious amounts of tomatoes, storing them in jars and the freezer to use through winter.
Now, as winter ebbs, I want to use them up before the new tomatoes are ready. So I’ve been grinding them in batches, reducing them to a fragrant, savory powder that works as a delicious spice for everything from mashed potatoes to quiche.
You need crispy dried tomatoes for this since any moisture will cause the spice to mold.
When drying the tomatoes, slice them thinly and dry them until they are like a tomato chip, leave to cool, then grind in small batches so you don’t overwhelm your spice grinder. You can also make this in a mortar and pestle, it will just take longer.
I love the paprika color of the powder, and the smell is marvelously rich. This morning I used it in a ham and cheese quiche, and it is scrumptious.
What would you use sun-dried tomato spice in? xo
by Krista | Aug 18, 2015 | Winter
The weather has been stunning this week. Cool, crisp mornings that become gloriously warm, sun-drenched days.
It does my heart good to wander the farm spotting tiny wildflowers and clover emerging from the dry, brown fields, to stroll through the gardens seeing all sorts of plants coming to life.
Peas are my favorite late Winter vegetable with their crunchy, sweet shells that go so well in salads and stir-fries, or just eaten as a snack while I’m out working.
I’m excited about today because I’m finally back writing after taking a necessary break during the spider bite adventure. It feels so good to get cozy in my armchair, sip on tea and hot chocolate, and type away at various articles. I’m back doing what I love.
I’m also taking photographs again, and that is lovely too. There are so many gorgeous things in this world, and I love having a camera again to capture them. Like this tiny strawberry blossom. I learned yesterday that if I add coffee grounds and pine needles to my strawberry patch, I’ll be rewarded with a bumper crop. So that’s what I’m doing this week. I do so love garden fresh strawberries.
Over the weekend I finished weeding four out of my five gardens. Phew! Such a huge job, but it’s marvelous to see the tiny seedlings flourishing without weed-y competition.
My artichokes are growing beautifully, and I’m so excited to have my own artichokes in a few months. After living in California for seven years, I’m a devout artichoke lover. Especially with a small bowl of creamy homemade mayonnaise to dip them in.
There’s something so hopeful and inspiring about Almost Spring. Seeing my world come to life again rejuvenates my own spirits and renews my dedication to doing the things that lead to wholeness, peace, and well-being. Difficulties that seemed insurmountable a few weeks ago have glimmers of possibility now as I face them with increased strength and resolve.
The change of seasons always seems to give second chances, the opportunity to take a deep breath and try again. I like that.
Now it’s time to feed goats and ducks and chickens and four dogs and a turkey, and check on the broody geese to see if we have any goslings born yet.
What do you like best about the change of seasons? xo
by Krista | Aug 15, 2015 | Winter
It is bliss to feel good again. I woke Monday morning and thought, “I’m back!!!” It is wonderful.
I can think clearly, the pain is gone, I’m no longer agitated, and I can’t begin to describe how lovely that is. My only remaining symptom is fatigue, but I think that’s just my body relaxing after fighting that dratted venom for so long. I get to rest now, and I sure have been, sleeping 11 hours a night with rests during the day. I don’t mind though. I’d rather be tired any day than the pain-riddled, agitated mess of a girl I’ve been for the last five weeks. Life is very, very good.
With my renewed energy I’ve been spending nearly every day outside, bundled up during the frosty mornings, basking in warmth during the sun-drenched afternoons. It’s been glorious.
I’ve dug holes and planted trees and bushes – lemons, quince, oranges, blueberries, goji berries, elderflower, lilly pillies, and roses. I’ve hauled goat manure up from the paddocks to spread over gardens and pots, planted silver beet, radicchio, beetroot, spinach, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, morning glories, rhubarb, aloe vera, mint, and a pot of basil for my sunny kitchen window, then spread hay mulch over everything. I’ve got aching muscles, blisters, bruises, scrapes, and cuts, rosy cheeks from the sun, and I couldn’t be happier.
Thursday and Friday I emerged from my hermit gardener ways to spend time with lovely, lovely people. I can’t think of anything better than good visits with kindred spirits after a rough time.
I visited my new friend, Sally, a prodigiously talented potter, gardener, cook, painter, and free spirit who never fails to make me laugh hard and feel that life truly is a gift. I stopped in to chat with another new friend, Kathy, who invited me to join her fabulous gardening group and who never ceases to amaze me with the things she grows and makes. I love wandering through her gardens and greenhouses and learning all sorts of new things. She never lets me leave without a big hug and an armload of seedlings, cuttings, seeds, and all sorts of inspiration for home and garden.
Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with my dear friend, Oma, who invited me over to pick bush lemons from the massive tree in her garden.
The weather was stunning, with cool breezes blowing while hot winter sun warmed our bones and bronzed our faces. We chatted away as we navigated thorny branches and plucked the fragrant, knobbly fruits.
Bear gave me an extendable branch trimmer to use, and it was brilliant for reaching the tip top branches that always seem to have the most fruit. It did double duty for us, bringing fruit within reach while allowing us to prune as we went. Most of the time the branches fell gently within reach, but we had to dive for cover a few times as the thorn-covered branches hurtled straight for us. We emerged laughing but unscathed.
The bush lemons are a bit smaller this year, but still juicy and with delicious zest that makes everything from shortbread to scones to lemon sima taste absolutely exquisite. One day this week I’ll set up on the veranda and zest, zest, zest, freezing my bounty for baking in the months ahead.
After the bush lemons were picked, Oma and I went for a walk around her property, checking on the olive and peach trees, sharing our dreams and goals for our gardens and produce. We had tea and ginger beer as we swapped tales from our week, then headed down to the cellar to taste Oma’s latest batch of plum wine. It’s hands down her best yet. We got it mixed and tasted some more until it was just right, then bottled it up to age a bit longer.
Then we watered the wormwood plant I brought her from my garden, and loaded up the horseradish and spider lily plants she gave me from hers. We made plans to butcher ducks and chooks together on Monday, hugged each other tight, and waved good-bye.
It was a lovely day.
Now it’s Saturday morning, quiet and sunny and peaceful, time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with Bear before heading outside to plant my last two orange trees and start digging a plot for my raspberries. Oh yes, and laundry. Mustn’t forget the laundry.
What are you up to this weekend? xo
by Krista | Aug 7, 2015 | Winter
It’s been a rough month. Truly. Some days I had to have a good ol’ cry because it all felt, as a dear friend put it, “too much of a muchness.”
That spider bite really knocked me flat. Yep, it sure did. One of the stranger side effects of the bite is what professionals refer to as “agitation.” For us mortals that means “Feel Anxious All The Time For No Reason.” Dreadful. Nothing takes it away. Not rest, not writing in a journal, not going for a walk or breathing exercises. Nope. You just have to let it do its wretched panicky thing, week after week, and try not to take it personally or give it validation or let it send you on fruitless rabbit trails of introspection trying to get to the heart of the anxiety.
Thankfully, on Tuesday this debilitating fog of pain, exhaustion, and anxiety finally began to lift. Instead of stumbling along through my days just trying to do the next thing before I keeled over, I could actually think again, focus again, and, the best part of all, feel peaceful and happy again.
I wanted to run to the nearest mirror and shout, ” WELCOME BACK!!!”
Each day the symptoms ebb a bit more, the peaceful state lasts a bit longer, and I’m so very, very thankful.
Before the ebbing began, I was quite discouraged, frustrated, and plain ol’ tired. As I wrote out to a friend what I was feeling, I typed the words, “So I’m just trying to take heart and do good.”
Take heart and do good.
Even as I typed them out I began to smile. This pain, this awfulness, it wouldn’t last. I knew there would be an end one day. And in the meantime, I could just focus on doing good. Good to me, good to Bear, good to our animals, good to the people I came across.
Funny how these things come to us just when we need them most.
They came to me the day I took Bear in to the hospital for surgery. After I got him signed in and kissed him good-bye I thought, “What good can I do right now?”
It was 7 a.m. on a winter morning and I knew immediately what I needed to do. I needed to get outside. To see beauty and breathe fresh air and just be.
So I drove to Queen’s Park in Toowoomba, packed up my breakfast, book, and journal, and went for a walk.
I could not have asked for a more exquisite morning. Out of nowhere, Spring had arrived. There was no frost, no icy wind, just clear blue skies and a world flooding with light as the sun crept up through the trees casting magical shadows and giving a rich, golden hue to everything it touched.
I found a bench bathed in sunlight and settled in to watch the park wake up.
Joggers, walkers, and cyclists hustled past on their morning constitutional, nearly always accompanied by dogs who made sure to trot over to me for an ear scratch and a hello.
Magpies and galahs toddled about in the dewy grass looking for morsels to eat.
But me, well, mostly I just soaked up that glorious light, basking in the warmth and delighting in the novelty of not being cold.
I tucked in to my own breakfast – boiled eggs with salt and pepper, tomato salad with lime Dijon dressing – and figured that the only thing that could possibly make this moment more perfect would be a hot cuppa. I’ll remember that for next time.
In between bites I read a bit more of my book and scribbled away in my journal, marveling at how wonderful it was to have no deadlines to meet, no appointments to make, just time alone in luminous beauty. Even spider-bite-anxiety is no match for such utter gloriousness.
In time, when all the words were written and the pages read that needed to be read, I packed up again and strolled back through the park, my spirits restored.
On my way to pick up Bear I knew just what I wanted to “do good” for him. I stopped at a deli and got fresh bread, triple cream brie, Italian salami, and unsalted butter, some of our favorite things to celebrate his successful surgery. He loved it. We had a scrumptious picnic in our motel room, then settled in for a cozy afternoon of movies and naps.
Take heart and do good. What a difference they make during hard times.
xo
by Krista | Jul 29, 2015 | Winter
I’m sitting in a golden patch of light on the front veranda, soaking up warmth from the Winter morning sunshine, wrapped to the gills in Bear’s clothes which always seem to be warmer than my own.
Luna is busy exploring, tail wagging ferociously as she sniffs out mice and lizards and anything else that takes her fancy.
Bear and I just finished feeding hay to the goats, laughing at the crazy antics of the babies as they leap and cavort around the paddock.
Now it’s time to rest.
That’s how life needs to be for me right now. Work a little, rest a little.
A redback spider bite causes all over body pain, headaches, nausea, fever, shakes, dizzy spells, exhaustion, and it lasts for weeks. Anti-venom doesn’t help, so you just have to soldier through, waiting for the yucks to run their course.
When you’re feeling awful, rainy days seem to be a gift, a permission slip from the universe to go to bed, take naps, watch marathons of NCIS and Murdoch Mysteries, read a little, and drink copious amounts of tea and soup. I’m so glad we’ve had a few days like that recently.
I love how rain changes our sun-burned world. Bare rocks are suddenly ablaze with color as dormant lichen surge to life.
Old bits of wood are suddenly sporting curly flourishes of lichen as well, light dustings of moss peeping out of rain-soaked crevices.
Bleach blond bits of fallen tree pods take on a golden hue when the rain hits them.
But it’s the old wood I like best, darkened whorls and swirls frosted with lichen of all sorts, looking like something out of Ireland or Washington instead of sun-drenched Queensland.
The sunshine has returned and we are happy to see her again, dancing along fluttering poplar leaves, glistening on the glossy lemon trees, streaming oh-so-warmly through our windows.
Now it’s time to rest again before putting in a load of laundry and cozying in for some hand-sewing while I listen to an audio book from the library.
It’s going to be a good day.
How does your world change when rain falls? xo
