Does this recent cold snap have you feeling under the weather?
Or is it reminding you to get your immune boosting remedies stocked up? Farmers markets, also known as nature’s farmacy, have lots of options for keeping your household healthy. Markets’ selections of tea, bountiful fall produce, and local honey are your friends right now.
Have you ever made your own cough drops? It’s easier than you think and all you need is some local honey, fresh ginger, some lemon juice, and a little powdered sugar or corn starch. You can make a batch and keep them around for up to four weeks. Start by mixing a half cup of honey, two tablespoons of lemon juice, and one teaspoon of fresh grated ginger in a deep saucepan. You want your sauce pan to be deep with heavy sides so it doesn’t spill over as the mixture will foam up. Heat these ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until boiling. Use a candy thermometer to heat it to 300 degrees. When the foaming happens, take it off the heat briefly, then put it back on, but turn the head down a little bit so you don’t burn the honey. Once the mixture reaches a hard crack stage (like when making candy), remove and spoon out one-teaspoon drops onto parchment paper or a silicon mat. If you want to test your mixture before making drops, drip a little in a bowl of cold water and if it immediately hardens and becomes solid, it’s ready! Let the drops cool until hardened and dust with powdered sugar, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder so they don’t stick together. If you want them to last longer than four weeks, wrap each drop in a piece of parchment paper. This recipe makes 30 cough drops…