I finally switched out my closet for cooler weather clothes, and am going through my apothecary and seeing what I need to stock up on for the season ahead. I plan on blending a variety of teas, making sure I have plenty of fresh ginger and lemon on hand, and harvesting the last of the herbs to store for future use.
I am still harvesting jalapeños from the garden, which I am gladly adding to each fire cider batch and will be digging up the elecampane roots to add to future Lung Love Tonic batches and to make some elecampane cough syrup. I’m still at a loss on how October flew by and somehow now halfway through November.
Before we get into the swing of the holiday season, I want to take the time to make sure I savor the last of the fall, and make gratefulness a theme of November. I want to intentionally practice gratitude for the blessings in my life. A nice tradition we’re incorporating this year is a weekly gratitude moment, where we share what we’re thankful for once a week over a meal together. I also love Thanksgiving dinner and am always sad to only have one day of leftovers. So instead, I’m incorporating some of those dinner staples throughout the month such as stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, and lots of butternut squash soup (which we harvested a good bit of this season!), and naturally those foods are in season. Cue the fresh cranberry orange scones and muffins all month long!
While we already have so much to be thankful for, one new reason is for baby #2 due in May! We are over the moon excited and nervous and experiencing all of the feelings of adding another member to our family. We feel incredibly grateful and pray for this little babe daily, as we cannot wait to meet them! I haven’t really begun preparing as I’m just entering my second trimester but we do have a name picked out and after having one baby, I figure I have all the basics covered. Thankfully, babies don’t need much!
Now that market days are behind me, and November is here, I am in the mindset of preparing my family’s apothecary for immune supports, teas, and tinctures to have for whatever may hit us. Below is a general list of what I plan to have on hand throughout the season and I hope it gives you some ideas/ inspiration to prepare ahead of time.
The Winter Apothecary:
Elderberry Syrup
Maple Fire Cider
Homemade cold/flu tea blend: peppermint, echinacea, hyssop, catnip, and elderflower
Echinacea tincture
Garlic oxymel (crushed garlic infused in equal parts honey and ACV)
Lung Love Tonic: for wet upper respiratory conditions
Soothing Cough Syrup: Elecampane, mullein, licorice & calendula, raw honey and high proof alcohol as a natural preservative
If you find yourself at a loss on where to source herbs, there are a few farms I always recommend first! These are Bluestem Botanicals, Foster Farm Botanicals, Crystal Organic Farm, and then you can always resort to Mountain Rose Herbs or Oshala Farm!
I pray you all have a peaceful and slow November, especially before the holidays roll around! And remember to stock up your home apothecary. There’s no better feeling than being able to support you and your family at a moment’s notice from quality made herbals.
And if you’ve made it this far, enjoy 10% off your next order with code “Givethanks” at checkout valid until 11/26.
C
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.”
