Garlic Elder Berry Lemonade

Well, the kids are sick again. Croup!  Argh! I know, it is that time of year.  I am trying to focus on the positive and remember that they are building their immune systems, this will make them stronger, blah, blah, blah.  But honestly, I feel frustrated, quite tired and defeated every time they come down with something.  The mom guilt settles in and I wonder what I am doing wrong as a parent.  Eventually I come around, I know that this is normal, they will get better, they will grow up and this will all feel like so long ago.  And then, I get to work in my kitchen, concocting my best homemade herbal remedies that I know will help them through this one and the next… Thanks for letting me vent.  Here is a new one for you guys, Garlic Elder Berry Lemonade.  One of my main go-to remedies for any kind of cold & flu condition.

This kid-approved cold & flu remedy is effective, delicious and great for the whole family.  Garlic is such a powerful herbal ally when you are sick but, personally, I have a hard time getting it down on it’s own. And it is definitely hard to get my kids on board.  Blended with elder berries, lemon & honey, you can hardly tell that you are drinking garlic!  Let’s have a look at these 4 simple ingredients:

Garlic: A powerful antibiotic and antiviral for common cold, bronchitis, flu and other respiratory infections.  In order to release the active component in garlic, allicin, garlic must be chopped or crushed.

Elder Berries: An excellent antiviral herb, Elder Berries are used for cold & flu prevention as well as for shortening the duration of a cold once it has taken hold.  It is rich in Vitamin C and has a delicious sweet flavor.

Lemon: These fruits are packed with Vitamin C, an impressive 187% of your daily value per serving.

Honey: Soothing and relaxing for coughs, allowing for more restful sleep.

The Recipe:

5 Cloves of Garlic

4 Tbsp dried Elder Berries

4-5 Lemons

1/4 cup Honey

Brewing Instructions:

-Peel and smash the garlic cloves and add them to a quart jar

-Add the Elder Berries to the jar as well.

-Bring water to a boil and pour 3 cups of water over the herbs in the jar and cover with a lid.

-Steep 30 minutes.

-Squeeze the juice from the lemons and set aside.

-After 30 minutes, strain the herbs out of the tea by pouring through a fine mesh strainer.

-Add 1/4 cup of honey to the tea and gently warm in a saucepan until the honey is completely incorporated and remove from heat.

-Add the lemon juice and mix well.

-Serve warm or cold.

-Store in a quart jar in the fridge. It will keep for 2-3 days.

-You can drink several cups a day during any kind of cold or flu.  If one member of your family is sick, be sure to give this lemonade to the healthy ones too.  Hopefully you can prevent the sickness from spreading to the rest of the family.