Now of course there are all types of herbs that you could have on hand. Personally I have savory herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage, as well as non-edible medicinal herbs like comfrey. Decide how you’re going to use your herbs, and plan accordingly. It won’t do me any good to make a comfrey salt, when I need comfrey as a salve or tincture.

1. Preserve herbs in sugar

Yes, I know sugar is bad for you and all that. However sugar also makes an excellent preservative for many things, including herbs. It combines really well with florals, like rose and lavender, or even peppermint. We don’t use sugar very often, only on occasion as a special treat. Having an herbal sugar on hand really enhances the flavor of things and also adds nutritional value.

To make an herb infused sugar

I normally use rapadura or coconut sugar, but their flavors are too heavy and hide the flavors of the herbs here. This organic, white sugar is what I’ve used before. You can choose from sweet, spicy or even savory herbs, but lavender, mint or rose are my personal favorites. You could also try violets, basil, chamomile, or rosemary.

• Organic white sugar
• Herb of your choice

1. In a wide mouth glass jar pour 2 T. of your sugar evenly on the bottom.
2. Add a thin layer of your fresh herbs, then another 2 T. of sugar.
3. Continue layering until the jar is full, but be sure that all of the herbs are covered in a top layer of sugar that’s ½ inch thick. Cap your jar, and allow the flavors to infuse for at least 4 weeks.
4. Before using your herbal sugar, give it a few pulses through your coffee grinder or food processor to break up the herbal matter.

To use

• Replace part or all of the sugar in a recipe with your infused sugar.
• Sprinkle over top of dishes as a pretty and fragrant garnish.

2. Preserve herbs in salt

This method is great for savory herbs like chives, basil, rosemary and thyme, but it can also taste good with sweeter herbs. The method is the same as preserving in sugar, however here we’re using salt. I like to use a course sea salt, like celtic sea salt, but you could also use Himalayan or Real Salt.

• Sea salt
• Herb of your choice

1. In a wide mouth glass jar pour 2 T. of your salt evenly on the bottom.
2. Add a thin layer of your fresh herbs, then another 2 T. of salt.
3. Continue layering until the jar is full, but be sure that all of the herbs are covered in a top layer of salt that’s about ½ inch thick. Cap your jar, and allow the flavors to infuse for at least 4 weeks.
4. Before using your herbal salt, give it a few pulses through your coffee grinder or food processor to break up the herbal matter. Since I use Celtic sea salt, I like to really finely grind it in my coffee grinder.

To use:

• Use like you would regular salt, to season savory dishes, like soups or meats
• Sprinkle on top of foods as a vibrant and flavorful garnish

3. Preserve herbs in butter or oil

This is one of my favorite ways to preserve herbs for cooking. I usually stick to savory herbs, but sweeter herbs are nice for spreading on bread, raspberry banana muffins and pancakes. You can use a savory butter on this gluten free cornbread or your favorite bread recipe.

• About 1 cup of fresh herbs of your choice, firmly packed
• 1 cup Butter, coconut or olive oil

1. If you’re using a solid fat like coconut oil or butter, then place the herbs and fat of choice into a food processor and pulse to combine. If you don’t have a food processor, then finely chop your herbs, and stir into room temperature butter or coconut oil. If you’re using olive oil, then put the ingredients in the blender and pulse a few times.
2. Pour your herb mixture into an ice cube tray, and put it in the freezer until solid. I really like using these silicone trays, since I’ve found that fats are really hard to get out of the plastic ones.
3. Pop out your herb butter/oil cubes and store in a freezer safe bag for up to 6 months or so.

To use:

• Drop a block into a meal that you’re cooking to add a boost of flavor
• Allow the herbal butter or coconut oil to warm at room temperature and spread on baked goods

4. Preserve herbs in raw honey

Raw honey is good for so many things. I use it in my soothing throat spray once a scratchy throat hits, I’ll put some in my morning superfood vanilla latte, or use it to make naturally sweetened caramel. It’s also a great way to preserve herbs though because of it’s anti-microbial properties. Archeologists have even found 4,000 year old honey in an Egyptian tomb that was still good! I like using both sweet and savory herbs in herbal honeys. You can use them for adding flavor to your foods, or for medicinal purposes. Garlic and honey make a great cough syrup.

• Herbs of choice
• 2 cups raw honey

1. If your honey has solidified, then warm the jar in a pan of hot water on the stove until it’s liquid again.
2. Pack a glass jar full of your desired herb, then pour the honey over it. You want to make sure that the honey is completely covering the herb though.
3. Allow the herbal honey to infuse for at least 4 weeks. You can then strain the honey out, but I prefer to just spoon some out as needed.

To use:

• Spread on baked goods
• Stir into tea or coffee
• Use to soothe a sore throat
• Replace ½ of the honey in a recipe with your herbal honey

5. Preserve herbs in an herbal vinegar

Vinegar adds just a bite of acidity to perk up dishes. I use it in recipes like my roasted bacon Brussel sprouts, but it’s also handy to clean with. You can see how to infuse an herbal vinegar for cleaning and how to use it here. I prefer to stick with herbs that pair well with savory dishes like oregano, dill, rosemary and marjoram when doing an herbal vinegar.

Herbal vinegars are also useful for skincare. You can use rosemary and/or sage infused vinegar as a hair rinse for healthier hair, or you can use peppermint to make a facial toner, like this here.

• Herbs of choice
• White vinegar

1. Fill a glass jar ¾ full of your fresh herbs, then pour vinegar over the top until full. Try to make sure that the vinegar is completely covering your herbs.
2. Store in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks, shaking daily, then strain the herbs from your vinegar once infused.

To use:

• Replace the vinegar in a recipe with your herbal vinegar
• Add a splash to your soup, stir fry or veggies
• Use it in salad dressings or marinades

How do you like to enjoy herbs during the winter months? Share in the comments below!

The post 5 easy ways to preserve herbs for winter appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

I’m a big fan of the classic gingerbread cookie, but there’s something about having it in drinkable form that makes this even better. This recipe is similar to my superfood vanilla latte, but it really kicks the flavor up a notch. Of course it’s a latte so you’ll need coffee, but if you’re not into the regular caffeinated type, or you’re trying to give your adrenals a rest, then there’s another option.

A non-coffee option

My friend Jessica from Delicious Obsessions created this fantastic “coffee” blend. It’s made from herbs that are not only caffeine free, but good for your whole body. Her happy liver coffee blend is my favorite, and tastes better than any other coffee sub I’ve tried. You can get the recipe for her secret coffee blends and drinks to make with them from her ebook here.

Pack a nutritional punch

Molasses is what really gives this drink the gingerbread flavor. It has a mild sweetness to it’s thick, syrupy goodness, but it’s also packed with nutrition. Molasses is naturally high in vitamin B-6, potassium and manganese. Just 1 tablespoon will deliver 12% of your daily magnesium. It’s sweet enough on its own, that I actually don’t add any additional sweetener to this recipe.

For the flavoring in this I played around with adding powdered herbs or boiling them in the water before brewing the coffee. With the dried herbs the flavor was too subtle, or gritty. And adding fresh to the water beforehand just made things too complicated for my taste.

Flavor for you gingerbread latte

I settled on adding essential oils to the recipe since it’s simple, yet adds a punch of flavor. If you’re thinking that I’m crazy and unsafe for doing this, then you can read my post on safely ingesting essential oils here. There’s enough fat from the cream and coconut oil for the essential oils to disperse in the drink.

Word of warning here, make sure you’re using pure essential oils, nothing that’s been adulterated. Cinnamon essential oil is commonly diluted with cheaper cassia. Some essential oils are no more than synthetic fragrance oils.

Don’t forget some gluten free chocolate dipped almond biscotti to dunk in your gingerbread latte. It tastes pretty good with some grain free coconut jam thumbprint cookies too!

The post Nourishing Gingerbread Latte, Naturally Sweetened appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

The last thing I remember is sitting on the bench, watching the volleyball tournament continue around me as my heart raced out of control. Then everything went black.

I never really liked exercise in middle school. I would run seemingly endless, breathless laps around the gym before pretending to take my heart rate. I could never seem to find my pulse, so I’d just jot down some made up number close to what the others would record. What I didn’t know at the time, what my gym teacher and my parents didn’t know, was that I had a serious heart condition.

Kicking the habit

Years later, I was suddenly dealing with the blackouts and the extreme breathlessness when I started to become seriously active again. The solution was surprisingly simple though, I was told to give up all caffeine. This meant my favorite dark chocolate and espresso had to go.

For about four years, I continued to ditch the caffeine while I played competitive volleyball. I felt fantastic and had tons of energy. But when high school ended and I hung up my jersey for good, I slipped back into the caffeine habit. 3 years of college and nearly a few hundred hazelnut lattes later, I was dealing with hypothyroid and adrenal fatigue.

Is coffee bad for you?

But what about the rest of the population? Is coffee a benign beverage, or is it a health wrecker?

“Caffeine increases blood sugar levels… When caffeine is combined with other sugars (and so many people sweeten their coffee with sugar, honey, etc.), it can be even more detrimental. Because of this, it can be a contributor to insulin resistance.
Caffeine, which is a stimulant, is often used to boost someone’s energy. When stimulants are used in the body, they can aggravate existing blood sugar issues and create imbalance, even in healthy people. This is because caffeine depletes two of our most important neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine.” – Delicious Obsessions

Additionally, caffeine dehydrates the body and:

“Causes the body to excrete potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and other minerals, as well as B vitamins (especially thiamine, B1), and vitamin C.” – Delicious Obsessions

There is plenty of debate on either side, but if you’re relying on coffee and caffeine to get you going in the morning, you have blood sugar swings, fatigue or adrenal problems, then you’d probably feel better kicking the coffee can down the road.

A tasty alternative

Surprisingly though, I still didn’t want to completely get rid of my favorite beverage. Until now.

I’ve finally found something that satisfies that coffee craving sweet tooth, without causing my heart to race or give me a caffeine crash a few hours later. My friend Jessica created some amazing herbal coffee blends, that are not only sans caffeine, but actually help boost your body and detox your liver! Talk about versatile.

I can now “indulge” in that peppermint mocha, the iced almond latte and my superfood vanilla latte.

The bad news first

Jessica was selling her handcrafted herbal coffees for awhile before the FDA regulations got too steep. Since our government has decided a food (like herbal coffee) can’t claim to prevent disease or heal the body without being considered an illegal drug, you can no longer buy these coffee blends.

There was even a company willing to buy the recipes and jump through all hoops needed to manufacture these blends. Lucky for you though, Jessica chose an alternative.

Get your hands on this

Instead of turning her perfected formulas over, Jessica decided to publish them in her very own e-book. She gives detailed instructions for how to make 5 of her popular herbal blends, including happy liver herbal coffee, spicy chai, pumpkin spice and creamy cocoa. Let me tell you, these are drool worthy!

You can get all 5 formulas and coffee creation drinks.  Click here to check it out.

I’m really excited to try the Buttered maple cream, S’mores and White chocolate mint lattes! This frozen peppermint mocha will keep you out of the Starbuck’s line and is the perfect, frosty winter drink.

The post Is Coffee Bad for You? – Plus a Frozen Peppermint Mocha Recipe! appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.