Elderflower Milk Tea To Sooth a Sore Throat

collecting basil seeds / silverbeet from my garden ­

Now that summer is over and the tomato harvest has finally died down, I'm back in the garden and as busy as ever. There are plants to be cleared, seeds to be saved, harvesting to be done and sowing in preparation for next spring.

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White icicle radishes are growing to about carrot-sized proportions and eggplants are still going strong. Coloured silverbeet have been nibbled on by caterpillars but there's more than enough to share a little here and there. A massive 2.2kg gourd was harvested and the ground cleared to make way for black Tuscan kale and golden beetroot. The crimson rhubarb have finally settled in and are getting bigger every day. Purple podded climbing peas.. Wow.. I only sowed the seeds a month ago and they're already as tall as me and covered in glorious, deep purple pods!

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I just started reading a new book called 'A Year With James Wong: Grow Your Own Drugs' and I'm learning so much about the inherent properties of plants, especially herbs and edible flowers. Have you ever used lemongrass as an insect repellent or made your own cough syrup from hollyhock flowers? Who knew that so many common ingredients could be used as remedies for such a myriad of ailments! The book even covers tips on growing your own herbs, flower preservation, foraging, and 'how-to' of concoctions, decoctions, tinctures, infusions, etc. Definitely something I'd recommend for every home gardener with an interest in sustainable living on a household level.

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potted cardamom

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With a terrible scratchy throat, a hacking cough and home remedies in mind, I started mixing up an infusion of elderflowers last night to create my own decoction to fix a sore throat. Elderflowers were traditionally used to treat the common cold and flu and are known for their anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Peppercorns and ginger are warming spices with ginger working to improve circulation. When crushed, cardamom pods are intensely aromatic with the essential oil known to be antibacterial. Similarly, the essential oil from cloves are used as an anodyne for pain relief and like ginger, it also acts to warm the body.

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Elderflower Infusion

25 g elderflowers
2 g lemon zest
3 g orange zest
50 g lemon juice
500 g water
250 g castor sugar
2 g salt

Make sure there are no leaves or stalks attached to the elderflowers.

Place elderflowers and zest in a bowl.

Bring lemon juice, water, sugar and salt to a boil and simmer until dissolved.

Pour over flowers and steep overnight.

Pour into sterilised jars and refrigerate.

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Elderflower Milk Tea

300 g milk
5 g fresh ginger root
1 g cardamom pods (approx. 4)
1 g cloves (approx. 5)
1 g black peppercorns
20 g elderflower infusion

Slice ginger, crush cardamom pods and place in a pot with milk, cloves and pepper.
Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to lowest setting.

Allow spices to infuse for 10-15 minutes.

Add elderflower infusion, strain and drink hot.

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