Brrr! It’s certainly winter out now. And with what feels like a sudden change in weather to near-icy temps, we may be reaching for more hot cups of tea, cough drops, and soup to keep us fueled up to face the winter. Whether you’re sipping on hot tea to warm your bones or for its gentle effect on your sore throat, these items are typically wintertime favorites for their tasty winter spices and their immune-supporting benefits. Getting a wintertime cold can feel like having an uninvited guest. You can feel the symptoms coming on slowly and they stick around well past their welcome. Luckily, there are so many things we can do to prevent wintertime illnesses as well as shorten their stay.
As we get older, we may notice that our immune systems don’t work quite as robustly as they once did. Don’t be alarmed by this! There are simple things you can do to help your body.
Use a humidifier: Making sure our body doesn’t dry out too much and keeping mucosal layers lubricated gives us an extra layer of protection from colds or the flu.
Have a saline spray on hand or do steam inhalations.
Gargle salt water: This is a good trick to have in your back pocket if you’re traveling a lot for the holidays. Salt packets are usually available at any roadside stop or fast food location. Salt is antimicrobial and it helps to keep infections from setting in.
Downtime: Having downtime makes a huge difference in the immune system.
Move your body gently in the winter: Take a walk even if it’s cold and rainy, just 10 minutes to warm the body. Try qi gong if you can’t go for a walk, shake things up a bit. Anything we can do to exercise the body's systems helps to fight off infection in the winter.
Keep manuka honey cough drops on hand and in your mouth - they’re antimicrobial and help keep the nasopharynx lubricated to fight infection.
These are just a few quick and easy things to try to avoid coming down with a cold or flu. Luckily, food is also medicine so there are plenty of recipes and herbal remedies that we can keep in our cupboards to help us fight off particularly bad winter bugs.
Syrups:
When our throats are dry and sore, we tend to reach for a medicinal syrup. These syrups are sugary and sweet by nature, with the sugar working from many angles. First, it coats the mucus membranes and attracts water to cool inflammation. Second, the sugars act as a preservative, helping extend the shelf life of your herbal remedy. And lastly, the sweetness of syrups typically attracts even the most reluctant of patients.
Classic Elderberry Syrup Recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs
Makes about 3 cups of syrup without alcohol, 4 cups with alcohol.
Active Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 cups dried organic elderberries
4 cups cold water (distilled, purified, or spring water works best)
2-3 tsp. organic dried ginger root
1 organic sweet cinnamon stick
1 cup raw, local honey (or organic maple syrup or agave for a vegan/infant-friendly recipe); double the amount of sweetener to increase shelf life
1 cup vodka or brandy (optional to increase shelf life)
Instructions
Combine berries and herbs with cold water in a pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and allow herbs to simmer 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove from heat and let steep 1 hour.
Strain berries and herbs using a funnel overlaid with doubled cheesecloth or undyed cotton muslin bag and squeeze out liquid (careful, liquid will likely still be hot!). Discard used herbs in compost.
Once liquid has cooled to just above room temperature, add honey and stir to incorporate.
If using vodka or brandy, add here and stir until well combined.
Bottle in sterilized glass and store in the refrigerator.
Take 1-2 teaspoons of syrup a day during sniffle season.
Notes
Be sure to add honey in a ratio that is at least half of the total volume of liquid after it has simmered. This amount can change slightly and you want to make sure you have enough preservative (honey) so that your syrup won't spoil. (Example: If you are left with 2 cups of elderberry decoction, you will want to add at least 1 cup of honey.)
This recipe is easy to multiply if you’d like to make a big batch to store or give as gifts (glass pantry jars and amber bottles are great choices!).
Tea Blends:
Herbal teas, or infusions, are best for the lighter part of the herbs - like the leaves or flowers. There are so many different medicinal teas you can make from herbs to help prevent or fight the sniffles. Many teas have antibacterial and antioxidant benefits, as well as the heat from a hot tea can help soothe a sore throat. Good tea blends for immunity include:
Immunity Boosting Winter Tea by My Tiny Laguna Kitchen
Ingredients
2 parts dried elderberry
2 parts dried rose petals
1 part dried rose hips
1 part powdered or chopped dried ginger
½ part reishi powdered extract
½ part dried yarrow aerial parts
Instructions
Combine all of the herbs and mix well. If you’re making a bulk batch, transfer the blend to a storage container, label, and store in a cool, dark location.
To brew a cup of tea, add 3 tablespoons of the tea blend per strainer/mug.
Cover with 8-12 fluid ounces of just-boiled water and let steep, covered, for 10 minutes.
Remove the tea strainer, sweeten with honey or maple syrup if desired, and enjoy!
Abuelita's Sore Throat Tea Recipe - Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
3-4 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 1⁄2 a lime)
1 tablespoon honey
8 fluid ounces water
Instructions
Place sage and lime juice in a heat-safe container.
Pour freshly boiled hot water over the sage and lime juice, cover, and steep for 5-10 minutes.
Strain the infusion through a tea strainer and compost or discard plant material.
Add honey.
Serve and enjoy!
Drink up to four servings per day.
Recipes:
Everyday Bone Broth by Leah Bodenbach
Bone broth is wonderfully healing and nutritious. It’s packed with essential nutrients like gelatin, amino acids, and minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It also helps soothe and heal the gut, which is in large part home to our immune system.
Ingredients
2 lbs. Grass-fed organic beef knuckle bones OR 1 chicken carcass, including feet and/or neck if available
2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Pink Himalayan or Celtic salt to taste
2 Tbsp. peppercorns, whole
1 onion, halved
2 celery ribs
2 carrots
Any veggie scraps you have on hand (ends of squash, peppers, etc.)
Optional nutrient-rich add-ins: grass-fed liver (raw or cooked), seaweed, mushrooms, thyme, fresh garlic, or ginger
Instructions
In a large pot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker, add the bones, vinegar, and enough filtered water to cover the bones. Soak the bones for one hour, allowing the vinegar to draw the minerals out. Add the remaining ingredients except for the salt, then add enough water to fill the rest of the pot.
Slow cooker: Simmer on low. For beef bones, cook for 48-72 hours. For chicken bones, cook for 12-24 hours. The longer the cooking time, the more gelatin and minerals are drawn out. You may need to add water periodically, as some of the water evaporates.
Stovetop: Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for the same amount of time above based on the bones you’re using. Add water as needed.
Instant pot: Cook according to your instant pot directions for bones, usually 1-2 hours.
Strain with a fine mesh strainer, then discard the bones. Add salt to taste. Let the broth cool until it’s warm but not cold. Divide into mason jars, leaving 1” of space at the top.
Store in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
Garlic and Ginger Winter Greens by Danielle Shea Tan
Ginger and garlic have been used for centuries for immune boosting and healing. You can also use any hearty winter green vegetable, from kale to chard and even thinly sliced cabbage.
Ingredients
1 large bunch of greens - bok choy, any type of kale or chard, or thinly sliced cabbage, stems removed
3-4 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized knob of fresh ginger
Olive oil or avocado oil
1-2 Tbsp water or stock
Himalayan sea salt
Instructions
Prepare vegetables. Peel and mince garlic and ginger. Wash greens and remove rough stems from kale or chard. Then thinly slice the remaining greens.
In a large saucepan or saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, a few shakes of salt (approx. ⅛ tsp). Saute until fragrant about 2-4 minutes (be sure not to burn). Add greens and mix with garlic and ginger. Add 1-2 Tbsp. water or stock. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Delicate greens need less time.
So many of these recipe items are available in your own backyard. The Market at Woodside has the freshest ingredients available from our fields and from our local neighbors. Check out The Market on Thursdays and Fridays from 12 to 6 pm or Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm.
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