Interview published in The Republic!

Last Sunday the local newspaper, The Republic, published an article about my Etsy store :)
Great promotion - for free!
I will add a scan of the article here soon... please be patient.
Thanks to all who are reading this :)

07/02/2011:
Here is the scan of the article!

Honey Bees and Elderflowers

...finally I'm taking the time to post this picture. i took it when I cut some more Elderflowers for the Cordial/Syrup last week... There was a lot of buzzing around me!

Honey Bees & Elder flowers - perfect combination :)

How to make Organic Elderflower Cordial...

It's easy - that's for sure :) We know it from our time in Austria, where it was served in 'Buschenschanken'. These are usually farms or vineries in the countryside who serve their own produce, meat and, of course wine. They also served chilled 'Elderflower Cordial', which was my favorite beverage (well, besides the wine ;))

A few years ago I started making the cordial myself, since we have lots of 'Common Elder' plants on our property.

Freshly cut Elderflowers and Lemon

Tiny blossoms in the sugar-lemon-water solution.

Here are the simplified instructions for anyone who would like to make this refreshing beverage:
Dissolve sugar in water (5 parts sugar, 3 parts water - or whatever ratio works for you - the sugar is mainly used to preserve the syrup. If less sugar is used, the syrup/juice can spoils rather quickly - unless it's stored frozen. I did this too one year - made with agave syrup and honey, instead of sugar)

Add the peel and juice from lemons
add elderflowers (freshly picked, washed - as many as you can fit, I usually add a few more after a day or two)
let stand for several days (in the fridge)
Strain and fill in mason jars or glass bottles that can be closed tightly.

Pour some syrup into a glass, add ice, water - ENJOY!
(I was enjoying too quickly to take a picture ;))

Thanks for reading!!!

I also found a link on Wikipedia... (after I wrote all this to find a better name for 'syrup' or 'juice' - I didn't know there was the term 'cordial' for this particular beverage - one never stops learning ;)

Organic Lemon Balm and Lemon Thyme

What a storm last night!!! Several branches came off of our trees, but no major damage to the house. At least the temperature came down as well - at least a little bit.
I already harvested some lemon thyme and lemon balm this morning - I just love the fragrance of both - never fails to make me smile.
And btw - just rub a few leaves of lemon balm between your hands and then rub the hands wherever you need to be protected from mosquito and bug bites - very helpful, naturally! I add a few leaves of mint too, it even more effective. I love the fact that this way there's no harm from chemicals on our skin. The boys like to do this themselves :) (Note: Repeat this every so often, or as soon as you feel the mosquitos are back bothering.)

Lemon Balm

Lemon Thyme

Yes - finally the farmers market opened yesterday. And even though I was not a vendor and my little man complained and wanted to leave just a few minutes after we got there, it was so good to see all the wonderful products!!! So great to be able to shop fresh and local.
Thanks Tracee :) It was so good to meet you too! I told my husband the next time I need to go without our boys - this way I have more time to socialize ;) Your dresses looked so beautiful - I need to take a closer peek next time, when I'm by myself.

Enjoy your Sunday - everyone :) Jana