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Ginger and Echinacea Tea

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Echinacea Budding
…Thy Medicine

Soothing a Sore Throat or just wanting a warm healthful beverage on a cold winter day…

Echinacea Full Bloom

Ginger and Echinacea Tea

  • Hot water to fill your cup(s)
  • 1 teaspoon echinacea flowers or roots
  • 1 teaspoon ginger root, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • a few drops of Lemon juice, (optional)

Start with a tea kettle of hot, not boiling water. Boiling water will destroy some of the beneficial properties in your herbal blend as well as in your honey.

Prepare your herbal blend and place it in an infuser or tea steeper. If you don’t have a special infuser or steeper, you can use cheesecloth, cotton fabric wrapped and tied with a natural string. Or you can use a small kitchen strainer. I like using the all-natural materials for the pure quality of the flavors. Place your infuser into the cup and pour the hot water over the herbs. Let it “steep” for several minutes. You can stir in the honey at any time. The longer you steep your tea, the stronger the flavor will become. Note: with some herbal blends, less is more, depending on your own tastes.

Mix and match and add additional goodness from various other optional ingredients, like lemon juice, other fruit juices, etc.

At my home, I almost always have a tea kettle with warm to hot water on the stove at all times, in the winter. I never know when the urge is going to strike for a refreshing and uplifting cup of tea, especially on a cold winter day. Plus it adds moisture into the otherwise dry atmosphere from the home heating sources.

Enjoy!

The Benefits of Backyard Beekeeping Class JWCC

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I am excited to be teaching again, on the Benefits of Backyard Beekeeping for the Community Based Outreach, through John Wood Community College. All of the CBO classes are Personal and Professional Development Courses. This is a great opportunity to learn something new for little to no fees.

The course will illustrate the extensive benefits of backyard beekeeping and the interdependencies of pollinators in agriculture, home gardens, and our ecosystem.

We will discuss how imperative it is to protect all pollinators, why we keep honey bees, different methods we use as beekeepers, agriculture and biodiversity aspects, nectar secreting plants, simple alternatives to chemical applications, benefits of bi-products from the hive, and more.

Registration is required and can be found through the link below. The class will be held on April 22, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Room D115 in the Paul Health Community Education and Fine Arts Center.

Please find all the information for registering for this class and others, in the following link:

Spring 2023 Catalog.

We hope to see you there!

Gardening

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Gardening is something that I have known all of my life. I have very fond memories of my Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Myself down to my own Daughter, each with our hands (and toes) in the dirt. There’s something special in the way that a seed can be placed into the soil, the warmth of the sunshine, the sound of a gentle rain, and the huge significance pollinators play within this great circle of life.

A home garden is a form of survival. It’s knowing where your food comes from. It’s the satisfaction of the process. Home gardens are therapeutic and they offer so many healthy benefits; from the exercise all the way to the consumption. It holds the complete meaning of “Life”.

Our lives essentially, exists from the Earth. I believe that it is up to each of us to care for her. Don’t suffocate her with litter and pollution, chemicals and waste. She deserves so much better than what humankind has been doing to her over the industrialized revolution of this past century. I’m aware that culture, demographics and even morals may partly be the cause of lax in how people perceive nature. Some people haven’t had an opportunity to get up-close and personal with her. If you ever get the opportunity, reach out to those who are less than fortunate to experience the natural world.

I feel that it is in my blood to glorify nature as I see it. We get our oxygen from her, our vitamins and minerals, our food and clothing, our homes. That reality, is too often, overlooked. Nature has such an immeasurable amount of positive energy to offer and does so generously, to anyone who seeks it. My experience living as cleanly as I have, is nothing short of a Blessing. So my part in caring, is to share what knowledge I have gained through my extraordinary experiences. Reach out if you have any questions.

Here is a link to a page for Nectar and Pollen Sources that you may find helpful when planting for pollinators.

MVBA/ISBA 2023 Summer Conference

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We are both closely involved in our local organization, the Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Assoc., Inc. as well as proud members of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association! This year is an exciting year for both of these organizations with the 2023 Summer Conference coming to Quincy. Our local group is hosting!

As many of you know, Tim has some killer illustration, graphic and design skills and he is responsible for the beautiful new logos as well as advertisements and promotional materials for MVBA and the upcoming state conference, in July. I have also been a busy little bee with websites, registrations, online ticketing, and preparing for the Breakout Sessions that I have been asked to speak for.

Overall, this is the kind of winter that Beekeepers love to have. Lots of planning, corresponding with other beekeepers and looking forward to an awesome opportunity for more educational fuel from some of the country’s best beekeeping educators.

You do not have to be a beekeeper to attend this Conference. There is something for everyone, including a great Speaker line-up, delicious foods, Bluegrass music and so much more! Please visit Mvbees.com for a lot more information on tickets, location and much more!