What I did the last Months

 Summer round up.

Our summer here in Belgium was dreadful this year,  with little sunshine and lots of rain.Very bad for a little gardener, result...no harvest.
But the herbs grow with all this rain.
I managed to do,

-Elderflower tincture against hay fever
-Thyme tincture against acne
-St john's wort tincture

-Took nice pics of my roses

-Rose elixir
















Take a jar and fill it with rose petals, poor,1/3 raw honey and 2/3 brandy,stirring to remove air bubbles.
Let sit for 3 to 6 weeks, shaking regularly.
You can use it internally in stressful situations. It is a mild nervine, calming without sedating.




-St john's wort oil with almond to use in ointment,
-St john's wort oil with olive oil for my inflamed shoulder,
-and double infused St john's wort oil with olive oil


















-Lemon balm syrup

Instead of Lemon balm, Sage can also be used. 

Or for example,  Sage and Thyme soothes the throat.

Research suggests that Lemon balm promotes a calm and relaxed state of mind, wich is an important part of falling asleep.

All you need is,
Herbs
Cane sugar or other
1 lemon squeezed and filtered
Fill a pot with lemon balm (I use a pot of 2 liters and fill it for three quarters)
Pour boiling water over and let stand about 3 hours with the lid closed.
I use about 800 ml water.
Then filter the liquid,add sugar and cook briefly,then add the filtered lemon.
Let it cook briefly(30 seconds),and pour into bottles immediately.
For about 800 ml of juice, I use 600 g sugar.

To drink, pour about 2 or 3 tablespoons in a cup and cover with boiling water. Or a bit more in a large cup. Keep an opened bottle in the fridge.