How To Make an Herbal Honey

Herbal Honeys are amazing! There are 2 types of herbal honey, one where the bees are left to pollinate vast fields of a specific plant(s), and the second is when honey is infused with herbs. You can make herbal honey for the beautiful flavor it produces or to receive the health benefits of some plants. I've made Lavender and Cinnamon Honeys, and they are absolutely delicious! Here I'll give simple directions on how to make infused herbal honey.

Cinnamon infusing on the left and Lavender on the right.

Supplies:
Clean, dry jar with lid
Honey (Only use pure raw honey; try Goldenrod or Wildflower honey, but you can use any quality honey)
Herbs (such as lavender, cinnamon sticks, motherwort, etc: I prefer dry herbs because then you don't have to worry about water or fermentation, but fresh herbs can be used and are said to taste better/stronger)
Clean dry knife
Wax paper

1. Fill the jar 1/4-1/3 of the way with plant material.
2. Fill the jar the rest of the way with honey.
3. Mix well with the knife.
4. Mix some more!
5. Put a piece of wax paper on the mouth of the jar, then cap.
6. Let sit for 2-3 weeks (or more). Flip upside down several times every day.
7. To strain: Heat honey to no more than 100-104 degrees F. You can heat a small pot of water and put the jar in the pot. This makes it more liquid and easier to pour and strain.
8. Pour honey into a fine mesh strainer over a jar.
9. Enjoy! Infused honey can last up to a year.

How to make a Strawberry Cordial

2 Clean jars

Vodka

Strawberries

Sugar

Mixing spoon (at least as tall as the jar) 

1. Wash and dry the strawberries. Cut off the leaves and the white part at the top. 
2. Slice Strawberries in half .
3. Fill the jar ¾ of the way with strawberries.
4. Fill the jar with vodka.
5. Store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. Shake the jar everyday.
6. Strain the strawberries from the vodka, leaving a little bit of vodka with the strawberries.
7. Add the sugar to the strawberries and mix well: use 2 cups of sugar for each pound of strawberries. There should be one jar with vodka and another with strawberries, a little vodka and sugar. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking.
8. Store in a cool dark place for 1 month. Shake occasionally.
9. Mix the strawberry mixture with the vodka. Mix thoroughly.
10. Strain the strawberries from the vodka.
11. Store the vodka in a cool dark place for 4-6 more months. The longer it sits, the better the flavor.
12. Enjoy or bottle and gift!

*Experiment with different fruits, such as berries and peaches, and liquors, such as whiskey and rum!

How to Make Kale Chips

Kale chips are a simple easy to make! I made them for the first time recently, and plan to make them frequently to satisfy my salty chip fix. They were pretty good. 1 cup of kale provides you with more than enough vitamins and minerals: 134% of  your daily recommended Vitamin C, 684%  of recommended Vitamin K, 206% of recommended Vitamin A, 25% recommended Manganese among other nutrients. Kale is definitely a a good food choice to incorporate into your healthy diet.

1 bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash and dry your kale. The kale needs to be thoroughly dry.
3. Remove the stalks from the kale.
4. Cut or tear the kale into medium (about 1-2 inch) pieces
5. Put the kale into a bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and pumpkin seeds. Mix well with your fingers to make sure the kale is covered in oil and spices.
6. Spread the kale into a baking sheet or 2. You don't want the kale to be on top of each other; spread it out to single layer. You may need to roast your chips in batches because of space.
7. Put the kale into the oven. Roast for 5-10 minutes. Take your chips out when they are crispy but still green; you don't want your chips to turn brown
8. Enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from 50 Shades of Kale.

How to make a Heating Pad/ Ice Pack

Heat and ice can provide relief from many aches and pains. Today I'm going to tell you how you can make your own heat/ice pad, for very little money!

What you'll need:
2 socks (*1 sock can be pretty and/or soft and fuzzy)
Rubber bands
Funnel with a wide spout (the part where the rice will come OUT)
1 bag of rice (the cheapest you can find)
Lavender Essential Oil

Step 1.
Take the socks and stretch them out. Stretch them height-wise and width-wise. Add a few drops of Lavender Essential oil on both socks.
Step 2.
Take one sock, and funnel it 1/4 full with rice. Put in a few drops of the lavender essential oil. Repeat until the sock is almost full.
Step 3.
Close off the opening of the sock with some rubber bands. Make sure it is tight and secure; you don't want rice spilling out!
Step 4.
Put the rice filled sock into the *second sock with the rubber band end in first. Tuck the open end of the second sock to close it. Your rice sock is ready to use!

*The second sock is the covering, so it can be pretty to look at or soft to the touch. It can also be taken off and washed.

For a Heat Pad: Put it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until is is hot. Be careful not to burn yourself!
For an Ice Pack: Put it in the freezer for 1-3 hours, or until is is cold.
Use like a regular Heating Pad/ Ice Pack. It can help soothe aches, pains, sore/tired muscles, menstrual cramps, backaches, stiffness, etc.