Herb Teas for what ails ya!

Dear Folks,

I hope you all had a sweet and comfortable Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Susan Wittig-Albert writes the wonderful herb shop mysteries I enjoy so much and is herself an excellent source of knowledge on herbs and their uses.  Her weekly e-newsletter, which arrives every Monday morning, has 3 herbal tea recipes for soothing symptoms of colds and headaches.  Check out the newsletter with other information:

http://www.abouthyme.com/dayletters/101129.html

If you are a mystery lover and have not read any of Susan's books, you are in for a treat.  To get an introduction to the series which is quickly approaching the high teens in numbers, buy a copy of her short story compilation.  You get an introduction to her characters in a charming series of shorts that satisfy.

One of the key points of my writing and lectures is using culinary herbs for their medicinal properties.  Unless you want to get into your own serious study of medicinal herbs, culinary herbs as a basis for health choices is a generally safer beginning.  CAUTION:  always know the sensitivities and allergies of you and your family.  Even culinary herbs can cause reactions in some folks.

One of Susan's recipes using ginger is similar to what I referred to as my "Good for you Broth"


GOOD FOR YOU BROTH
aka nature's "penicillin"
The holidays can bring illness due to stress. Here is a fragrant, soothing, and healthy broth for whatever ails you. This recipe can be doubled or tripled easily
1 cup chicken broth
¼ inch slice of fresh Ginger Root (peel can be left on)
1/8 cup fresh cilantro (whatever you do - do not use dried!)
1 lemon or lime juice, zested, and juiced (divide juice)
Soup Option: Sliced carrots and scallions for extra flavor
Place broth, ginger, Cilantro, zest and half of the juice in pot, cover and bring to simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, add remaining juice and drink while hot (don't burn yourself!). The heat of the broth is one of the helpful elements to making it work well for you. If you want to make some to keep refrigerated and then microwave it later by the cup, reserve the rest of the juice (or squeeze some fresh as needed), and add after re-heating (a lot of the vitamin c is lost in heat - that is the reason for adding the reserved juice just before drinking).

FOR A SOUP, cook noodles in a separate pot - add carrots to the same cooking water, cook until desired done-ness, drain and set aside. If you are feeling creative, slices of carrots can be cut to resemble flowers - pretty effect in the soup. Have herb flowers and finely chopped fresh scallions for garnish ready.

After making the broth, strain, add rest of juice. Divide noodles and carrots into soup bowls, top with broth, and float herb flowers if desired.

for the full post go to:

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2008/12/hot-sip-for-cold-weather.html

Don't forget my books are now available as e-books with a version for iPad.

http://stores.lulu.com/herbs2u

Have a great week and keep comfortable!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady