So Succulent Gardens

HOREHOUND COUGH SYRUP
Make an old-time cough remedy by mixing horehound tea with honey.  Make an infusion by steeping 1 ounce of fresh or dried horehound leaves in a pint of boiling water. Allow it to steep only 10 minutes.
Strain off the leaves, then measure the quantity of liquid remaining. Add twice as much honey as liquid, mix well, and bottle.
To soothe a cough, take 1 teaspoon at a time, about 4 times a day!! Taken from: Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Herbs

HOREHOUND DROPS
1 cup fresh horehound leaves
I cup water
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup or honey
Put the horehound in a small non reactive sauce pan and add the water.  Bring to a boil and simmer, covered,
for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove the horehound and squeeze out all of the liquid. Add the sugar and
corn syrup or honey to the pan, stir with a wooden spoon while bringing to a boil, then turn the heat down to a
gentle simmer. If bubbles threaten to overflow the pan, reduce the heat slightly and stir.  Boil to the hard-crack stage. If you have a candy thermometer, this is in the range of 330°F.  Keep
a shallow cup of cold water nearby. Stir the liquid occasionally, and watch how it falls from the spoon. When it forms a thread, begin testing for hardness by allowing a drop of the mixmixture to fall into the cup of cold water. Don't trust your fingers to examine the now hardened drop in the cup: bite it. If it's at all gooey or sticks to your teeth, keep cooking. When it's hard enough to crack when you bite it, remove the pan from the heat immediately.
If the mixture crystallizes, just add a cup of water and an extra tablespoon of corn syrup or honey to the pan, scrape all of the crystalline chunks into it, and begin again.
Lightly butter a candy mold, cookie sheet, or other heatproof baking pan, and pour in the hot mixture. If
you're using a flat-bottomed pan, score the surface of the candy after it has cooled enough to become firm. This
will help in breaking it apart, which should be done as soon as the candy can be handled.  After individual "drops" are
formed, sift granulated or powdered sugar over them to keep them from sticking together Store in a moisture-
proof container.
From the Herb Companion Magazine

This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,  Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,  Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.  

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone

Thank you, Ken and Teresa for passing this to me.

Infusions

Infusions, or tisanes as they are frequently called, are made by pouring
boiling water over the herbs
and allowing the mixture to steep for 10-30 minutes depending on the
strength you prefer. Infusions
are used for extracting the properties of flowers and the herb or leafy
part of the plant. Always keep
the container tightly closed when infusing herbs. If using a teapot, a
tea caddy is helpful in keeping all
the properties in the water.

Decoctions

A decoction is used to extract the more tenacious plant material and is
the preferred method for
brewing most roots, barks and hard nuts/seeds. A decoction is made by
simmering the herbs in
boiling water for 15-30 minutes depending on the strength of tea
desired. Always keep the pot tightly
covered.

Solar Infusions

Sun charge your tea! Place the herbs in a large glass jar and cover
tightly. Put in the direct sunlight
and leave for several hours or until the desired flavor is attained.
There's nothing quite like the taste of
sunshine brewed in a perfect blend of herbs to lift the spirits.

Lunar Infusions

Just as solar infusions capture the essence of sunlight, lunar infusions
utilize the great luminary energy
of the moon. Though much subtler than other methods of brewing herbs,
lunar infusions capture a
certain magic and essence. To make, place herbs (fresh flowers are
especially nice in lunar infusions)
in a crystal bowl and set the bowl in a place where it will get direct
moonlight. Let sit overnight and
first thing in the morning, drink your lunar infusion. Try it on the
next full moon. You'll be enchanted.