Red Spruce Needle - Rose Hip Syrup
On Wednesday night thirty intrepid students and I came out in the frigid weather for my Soups and Syrups for Strengthening Immunity class at Flower Power in Piermont NY.
We warmed ourselves with an infused herbal syrup that we made during the class.
It was a delicious healing syrup crafted to strengthen and fortify immunity, especially of the respiratory system, but also supportive of the liver and kidneys; using herbs high in: vitamin C, iron, antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, aromatic oils and resins, and rich in astringency and anti-oxidant bioflavonoids.
I highly recommend my much simpler Elderberry syrup with vanilla bean recipe, too, for everyday immune strengthening, but for those moments when thecreative cook/herbalist in you wants to come out to play, this one was amazing!
Red Spruce Needle - Rose Hip Syrup - All amounts approximate for 1- 1/2 gallons of syrup
Fresh wild Red Spruce needles - 2 cups, cut up
Fresh Wild Rose Hips - 1/2 cup
Dried Elder berries - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Dried Rose Hips - 1/4-1/2 cup
Dried Orange Peels - 1/4-1/2 cup
Fresh Ginger Root - 2 inches, chopped
1 dried organic tangerine peel - broken up small
Fresh Rose infused honey
Dried Orange and Tangerine peel infused honey
Sour cherry tinctured in 100 p. Vodka
The most potent way to make this would be to halve the ingredients and put all but the honey and tincture into a gallon glass jar, fill it with boiling water and leave sitting, capped, out on the counter for 8 - 12 hours. Then strain out the herbs and steam off half the liquid slowly and gently in an uncovered saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in honey and tincture (or brandy) to taste, or use approximately 1 ounce of each for each cup of syrup. Add more if desired. Refrigerate when cool.
We did a quicker method, resulting in a medicine that was amazing, but not be as strong as the first method of preparation above will be. Before class, I gathered the tangy spruce needles and tart/sweet rose hips outside my house.
I brought the rose hips and spruce needles and cold water to a boil in a soup pot, then turned them down and let them cook for about 90 minutes…Transferring the pot onto a hot plate in class I added all the other ingredients from Flower Power’s well-stocked shelves and cooked it all on low/medium, covered, for another hour,
Then stirred in the two infused, home-made honeys, and then the sour cherry infused vodka tincture…YUM…Today, the tiny bit of left over is even more delicious!
This can be taken preventatively by the spoonful, AM and PM
Or when sick, take a tablespoon or two every few hours, straight or in tea
