White Clover + Lavender Herbal Popsicles
I love the fact that the family and I eat pretty close to a olde style diet. Meat (mainly wild game) dairies like grassfed organic butter, organic cheeses whole milks etc. veggies and plants we’ve grown or foraged ourselves and plenty of fruits from the orchard. I’d like to think that because of this, we hardly ever get sick. Perhaps once or twice a year someone may come down with a mild bug. Thankful to God, I believe that thanks to our natural diet, none of us have gotten covid in the last 3 years, except my husband who recently got it 6 months ago and kicked it within several days.
Our wellness streak was broken shortly before my husband when my little guy woke up with a sore throat and a high fever that scared him a good one, as he’d never experienced a sore throat before. So I went downstairs with a 35lb 4-year-old in arm, to the kitchen to make a cup of white clover tea for all the aches and pains and to cut through his fever. As I watched the steam rising from his steeping cup, I started thinking of an idea for the next day should he still have throat pain.
WHITE CLOVER HERBAL POPSICLES
WHY WHITE CLOVER
White clover is usually regarded as a ground cover to help stop erosion in cattle fields or as a nuisance in people lawns. In reality this plant can be a natural source of nutrients in your gardens, pollinator attractant + food, home cold + flu remedy and anti-inflammatory.
This plant is also known for attracting specific types of insects that will feed on aphids and other garden destroying bugs, helping to naturally keep pests out of your vegetables. In regard to healthy gardening practices, white clover can be used as a great companion plant amongst food growers. It creates what is called “Nitrogen Fixation”. This means that the clover pulls in atmospheric nitrogen and stores it up in its roots. When it dies the plant then releases it this back into the soil, enriching it and making it better each time replacing the need for a fertilizer!
LAVENDER
The flowers, and the essential oil derived from them, are antiasthmatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, digestive and expectorant. It is used internally to alleviate nausea. Externally, the essential oil is used as an antiseptic wash for wounds, ulcers, sores etc and as a relaxing oil for massage.
It has a calming effect on the nervous system, which in terms of aiding sicknesses, can help you fall asleep.
HOW TO MAKE POPSICLES
.01 Boil water over flame
.02 Add your herbs. I added mine directly into my pitcher. If using Clover and Lavender, you’ll need 1-3 tsp of herb per every 1 cup of water
.03 I added our raw unheated honey for sweetness and just eyeballed it to taste
.04 Set aside for steeping. Overnight is best as the longer the herb is allowed to steep, the more potent the results.
.05 Add into your popsicle trays and pop into the freezer until completely solidified
Some people keep the herbs while pouring but, I strained ours out. I’m a texture nut and so is my kid so I found that to avoid complaining, I’d just remove the leaves and herbs.
FRESH OR DRIED HERBS?
There are many debates on this. I have not seen better results using either or. I’m always a huge advocate of experimentation to see what works best and only using the “rules” as a baseline to follow.
These don’t only have to be used for times of illness.
Try these out during the summer for a healthy and healing option to the chemical and sugar packed store boughts.
If you tried these out, I’d love to know how you liked them. Tag me in your social media photos to get featured and comment below how you may have remixed these a little.
xoxo
