This drink is one of Favorite Summer Drinks, all listed here as well.

Well, to be fair, it’s a tea blend of 4 ingredients (and I add my favorite sweetener), but I call it Yarrow Tea because it all started with the yarrow.

A few summers ago, I picked a bouquet of yarrow on my morning walk with Bixby.

As I passed all the prolific blooms the next morning, I realized I could collect a ton more and not even put a dent in this patch of flowers. So I pulled out my phone and googled “uses of yarrow” and–being a tea fanatic–“yarrow in tea.”

That day I waltzed home with armfuls of yarrow and loaded up my dehydrator.

Just a few walks later, I noticed the elderberry tree on an abandoned lot that I pass on my walk was blooming. That one I knew was a bloom I’d been wanting to collect and dry for teas, so… well… the rest is history…

I’ve discovered that this simple tea, made up of 5 functional ingredients that help me feel better (keep reading for the other three), is a choice I reach for again and again.

Yarrow Tea

It turns out I quickly found, when Bixby sat by the side of our winding road that summer morning and I scrolled google, yarrow is an amazing addition to tea (just to be clear–it’s great in hot and iced tea as well).

I love so many of it’s benefits, but if I had to pick just one to mention, I love that it helps with inflammation, which is the root of so many other issues. (Read 5 benefits of yarrow here.)

You can even get yarrow powder to sprinkle in your smoothies or over your food.

And if you don’t have a winding road lined with yarrow–not to mention the old, patient dog by your side while you scramble on your phone–I have great news for you!

I have a friend–who runs one of my favorite small family businesses to support–who sells organic yarrow, elderflower (the next ingredient I’m going to tell you about) and so much more. Just check out the ingredients pictured and linked at the bottom of the recipe. And tell Ceanne I said “hi.” She’s the best.

Does yarrow tea make you sleepy?

I’ve never noticed drowsiness when drinking yarrow in my tea, but I’ve read that yarrow tea can have that effect. (source)

Is yarrow tea a laxative?

Yarrow has been long used for lots of effects, including a mild laxative. Native Americas would make a yarrow tea for colds, fever, and headache (source) and crush the leaves and plant for rubbing on burns and wounds.

Elderflower in tea

You’ve probably heard lots about the amazing elderberry. See how I add elderberry syrup to kombucha and listen in on–or watch–this podcast all about why I take elderberry syrup. But did you know the flower is pretty amazing in it’s own right? Read all about it here.

Needless to say, my dehydrator was busy that week. I even took a bucket and garden clippers with me on my morning walk to collect half of the elderflower I could reach. (I saved half so I could collect the elderberries in another month and make elderberry syrup.)

And, needless to say, Bixby was very patient with me on that walk. Never mind what the passing cars might have thought about the crazy lady with her flower-ladden bucket walking along the side of the road.

Here’s a picture of the elderberries I collected about a month later (yet another reason for passersby to call me a crazy lady with a bucket).

What else is in this Yarrow Tea?

I forage red clover in my own fields (no crazy-lady-carrying-a-bucket-and-garden-clippers-along-the-road involved). And I grow lots of variety of mint, all of which are delicious in this tea blend.

Go here to read up on red clover & why I love using it.

Go here to read up on mint & why I love using it.

A note about the sweetener

I choose maple for both the taste and the added polyphenols and antioxidants. In fact, I substitute maple syrup for sugar in almost everything.

If you use maple syrup, always be sure you’re using 100% maple syrup. (It’s the second most faked food in the world, topped only by olive oil.) This site is loaded with information about how to make your own syrup. Or if you want to buy the best, grab some of this maple syrup.

Go here for great insights in all the best all-natural sugars.

Yarrow Tea Recipe

Ingredients you need to steep:

2 TB yarrow

2 TB elderflower

4 TB mint

2 TB red clover

Ingredient to add as sweetener:

1-2 TB maple syrup

Directions:

Steep herbs in a quart jar of hot water. Cover and let sit for about 6 hours, to steep the full benefits. I will often do this overnight, but, fair warning, if it steeps too long it can taste bitter. Usually overnight is perfect.

To make the removal of the herbs super easy, I love my quart-size tea steeper, linked below.

Add sweetener and stir. (Read more above.)

Serve over ice, or you can warm it as well and enjoy a mug-full of this delicious tea.

Items I use for making Yarrow Tea

Yarrow (save with code SOULYRESTED)

Elderflower (save with code SOULYRESTED)

Mint (save with code SOULYRESTED)

Red clover blossoms (save with code SOULYRESTED)

maple syrup (save with code SOULYRESTED)

stainless steel tea strainer for a mason jar

stainless steel tea strainer for a mug (save with code SOULYRESTED)

My dehydrator is a work horse, and worth every penny

But I’ve also used this dehydrator with great success.

More tea blends you should make:

• How to make (decaf) tea that tastes like coffee
• Make the best cup of black tea (a homemade blend you’ll love)
• Raspberry Leaf tea (if you like yarrow tea, you’ll LOVE this!)
• Maple chocolate iced coffee

Talk to me about yarrow tea…

If you have questions, leave a comment below. And please tag me on ig to show me your yarrow you forage or your yarrow tea you make, over at @souly.rested.

“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9

Find out why SoulyRested was considered to be one of the One of the Top Homesteading Blogs.

Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to sugarmaking, to chicken care, to baking.

 

I’d love to connect!

To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:

 

 

 

 

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Where to Listen or Watch

Listen on Apple Podcasts here: Season 5 Episode 12 of the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy Podcast

Or listen here:

And watch here:

Why Take Elderberry Syrup?

In this episode:

• Medicinal benefits of taking elderberry syrup
• Why elderberries? How does their antioxidant, vitamin, and nutrient count compare to other fruits?
• Warnings if you are foraging elderberries and considering using them raw
• The difference in American and European elderberry shrubs
• Greek and Roman, European, and Native American historical uses of elderberries
• 3 parts of the elderberry shrub you can use medicinally
• What parts of the elderberry shrub are used in medicinal teas
• Intriguing way to use the main stalk of the elderberry shrub
• Details about elderberries to help you locate them where you live, for foraging
• Cultivated elderberry shrubs, compared to wild bushes
• The easiest way to make a quart of organic elderberry syrup
• What to look for when purchasing elderberry syrup

Also in this episode:

Business building tips from successful, family-owned small business success.

Find photos of the elderberry bush, flowers, and berries here.

Michelle’s recipe for elderberry syrup.

Find Today’s Guests:

Their site: abbyselderberry.com

Use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off your entire order!

Other Articles & Resources You Might Enjoy:

Michelle’s research on the immune boosting properties of elderberry syrup (and recipe)

How to add elderberry syrup to kombucha (and recipes)

Tips for Improving Your Health, at any age (podcast)

My 7-page Pantry Checklist (free download)

For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9

I’d love to connect!

To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:

The post Why Take Elderberry Syrup? (s5 E12) first appeared on Souly Rested.

Can I make elderberry syrup to use in kombucha?

While you can definitely buy amazing elderberry syrup, you can also make your own. Here’s my recipe for how to make your own elderberry syrup, with maple syrup as the sweetener.

If you don’t have elderberry bushes in your neck of the woods, no fret, you still have options:

You can purchase organic dried elderberries.

You can purchase organic elderberry syrup.

Listen in to this podcast episode for lots more information about elderberry.

How do I find elderberry bushes and forage elderberries?

Look for the tall, round shrubs covered in white wispy blooms in mid to end of July here in New England. And the tiny deep purple berries cover the shrub in end of August around here.

Listen in to this podcast episode for lots more details about elderberries and how to forage for them.

Is Kombucha even better for you with elderberry syrup?

Kombucha is an amazing elixir.

Kombucha can help you fight off colds and flus because it’s fermented tea. It’s filled with good bacteria and yeast that boost your immune system and contribute to a healthy gut.

Add in elderberry syrup and your kombucha will pack quite an amazing punch, because elderberry syrup offers vitamin A and C, potassium, folate, calcium, iron, fiber, flavonoids, and antioxidants. I make my elderberry syrup with maple syrup for added polyphenols–which do a great job fighting viruses as well. (Or you can buy elderberry syrup made with maple syrup!)

How can I add elderberry syrup to kombucha?

It’s super simple, really, just add about 2 TB of elderberry syrup to every cup’s worth of your kombucha you’re using for a second ferment. While it’s wonderfully delicious just like that, you can have fun playing with other complimentary flavors to add along with the elderberry syrup. Here are some of my favorite recipe combinations:

How can I add elderberry syrup to kombucha?

Recipes for Elderberry Kombucha

All recipes are for making a second-ferment elderberry kombucha in a 1/2-gallon-size mason jar. For more info on DIY kombucha: Simple DIY Kombucha

Mango Elderberry Kombucha

Mango Elderberry is one of my current FAVORITE kombucha flavorings that I make. You’ll need:

• 1 tsp mango flavoring for kombucha (find it here and use code SOULYRESTED for 10% off)
• 1/4 cup elderberry syrup (this is my all-time favorite and use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off!)
• first-ferment kombucha to fill 1/2 gallon jar

Orange Elderberry Kombucha

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup elderberry syrup
• first-ferment kombucha to fill 1/2 gallon jar

Elderberry Sage Kombucha

• 1/2 TB crushed dry sage leaves
• 1/4 cup elderberry syrup
• first-ferment kombucha to fill 1/2 gallon jar

Elderberry Mint Kombucha

• 1/2 TB crushed dry mint leaves
• 1/4 cup elderberry syrup
• first-ferment kombucha to fill 1/2 gallon jar

Strawberry Elderberry Kombucha

• 3-4 frozen strawberries, cut up
• 1/4 cup elderberry syrup
• first-ferment kombucha to fill 1/2 gallon jar

More Things You’ll Love:

How to make elderberry syrup yourself, sweetened with maple syrup

Where to buy the best elderberry syrup (use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off!)

Our family’s favorite kombucha recipes

My complete Pantry List for you to download and make your own

Kombucha Academy--you’ll be saving money and making your own delicious kombucha in just days.

He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. Psalm 111:5

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Read on to find out how and why I dehydrate dandelion blooms.

13 ways to use dandelions

First, let me share with you lots of great uses for this amazing “weed.” Listen in to episode 107 on the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy podcast or watch:

Are dehydrated dandelion flowers good for you?

I would have zero motivation to dehydrate dandelion flowers if they weren’t good for me to eat. They offer powerful antioxidants, as most plants do, and they’re a surprisingly good source of vitamins C, A, and K and beta-carotene, iron, zinc, and potassium.

In fact, a small cup of dandelion tea (more about that below) has over half of the amount of potassium you’ll get from eating a banana. Not bad, right?

They’re also a source of lecithin. Lecithin are fats that are essential to the cells in our bodies that help maintain our brain functions and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s. You find lecithin in many foods, like soybeans and egg yolks, but most folks don’t know you can go pick some lecithin in your backyard, in the form of a bright yellow weed, every spring and summer.

So you can dry dandelion blooms and reap these benefits all year round because dehydrating maintains every bit of nutrients in the food.

So yes, dehydrated dandelions are good for you.

What do dehydrated dandelion flowers taste like?

Dandelion flowers have mild, vaguely sweet flavor with a light bitter tone.

How to forage dandelions…

The important thing to know when you’re foraging for dandelion blooms is that you really want to know that the location where they are growing has not been treated with any pesticides. I have enough right in my own backyard, so I have assurance that mine are chemical-free.

You also might want to only forage young blooms. Older, almost spent flowers will sometimes explode in your dehydrator.

And, finally, you might want to dig up the dandelion roots as well, while you’re foraging, if you’d like to make my favorite tea that tastes a little like coffee.

What is the best way to dry dandelion flowers?

You can let your dandelion blooms simply air dry, but depending on your climate, if you have any humidity on the weeks you’re trying to accomplish this you might, sadly, fail.

You can also use a standard oven, set as low as it can go and with the door propped open, but this is often still a little too warm for the flowers and nutrients are lost, not to mention the dollars lost on electricity cost.

But a dehydrator is super efficient and cost effective. I can line the stainless steel trays in my dehydrator with loads of dandelion blooms and they’re dehydrated in no time.

NOTE: Dandelion blooms turn to seed in no time flat, so when you see a great “crop” for picking, don’t wait! Collect the flowers in the morning, as soon as the dew has dried on them, for best results.

How to dehydrate dandelion flowers

Remove the blooms from the stems and roots (those can also be dehydrated though!). Line dehydrator trays with blooms and turn dehydrator to 95 degrees.

NOTE: If your blooms “explode” in the dehydrator that means you picked them too old. Young dandelion blooms will preserve the best.

How can I use dried dandelion flowers?

Make dandelion syrup and use it to sweeten anything you’d like

Steep a few dried dandelion flowers in iced tea or lemonade

Add them to any cup of hot tea

Toss a few on a tossed salad

Add about ½ cup dandelion petals (green parts removed) to your favorite cookie recipe

Add dried dandelion flowers to omelettes

Break them up and add to pancake batter or waffles

What is the best dehydrator?

I have tried many different dehydrators over the years, trying to save money with lower priced ones. I’ve also dehydrated many herbs by hanging them to air dry and many veggies by spreading them out on baking trays on the dashboard of my car on a hot sunny day.

While there are many ways to dehydrate without fancy equipment, and many lower priced dehydrating machines on the market that are fine, I can tell you I will never go back to any other way now that I have found the top echelon of dehydrators.

Bonuses? It has such a large capacity (yet a small enough footprint to stay in my kitchen all season long) that I save lots of energy. I have to run 4 loads in a cheap dehydrator to equal just one in the Tribest.

This is my dehydrator and I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone who asks.

It is an investment, but the way it churns out high-quality food for my family on a regular basis, and the high-quality parts and stainless steel trays, make it very worth the investment for me. Plus, it’s paid for itself many times over.

Listen in to More About my Dehydrator

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! Luke 12: 27-28

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