Henny Penny Farmette

Cold and flu season is upon us. Here in Northern California, temps are plunging into the 20s and 30s and snow may be on its way. It is important to have a strong immune system to fight off these winter maladies.

A frozen sheet of ice blocks the cork (permitting honeybees to drink) from moving in our backyard fountain

I’m taking down another jar of honey from the shelf where I stacked the jars over the summer. One teaspoon of raw buckwheat honey taken daily has been recommended by doctors as a powerful booster for the immune system. See http://www.prweb.com/releases/honey/buckwheat-honey-raw/prweb10242276.htm.

With the weather change comes the cold and flu season, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that my husband came home from work yesterday feeling out of sorts. Our neighbors have all been sick with colds and he’s concerned that he might have caught the bug.

I made him a cup of hot ginger tea, sweetened with raw honey. Honey can be consumed directly from the spoon or in hot water or in a tea or infusion with lemon.

I became a believer in honey and ginger tea years ago while studying Tai Chi. My 84-year-old teacher swore by drinking hot tea made by steeping an inch or two of fresh, peeled ginger and adding lemon and honey. Her stamina was nothing short of remarkable–she not only did Tai Chi, but sang opera, painted Chinese brush paintings, and taught many classes on herbs, reflexology, and other aspects of health and fitness in California and Hawaii.

Using sheets and blankets, we’ve covered the citrus trees around our farmette as temps are expected to plunge into the 20s tonight

Holistic practitioners have long espoused belief in the healthful benefits of raw honey. Honey was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans for a variety of maladies. Modern medical doctors and researchers have extolled honey’s antiseptic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, and many cold and flu preparations contain honey as an ingredient. It a cost-effective way to treat a cough. See http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/honey/AN01799

Honey is the only food on the planet that does not go bad. It may crystallize, but it never becomes sugar. Crystallized honey in a jar can be returned to liquid by removing the lid and setting the jar in warm water. Never heat honey in the microwave or boil it because it will destroy the natural enzymes. And never give honey to a child under the age of one year because of the risk of their developing botulism.

You don’t have to wait to start gaining the benefit of raw honey. You can strengthen your immune system now before the dreaded cold and flu sweeps through your neighborhood. Daily consumption of a teaspoon of raw honey (from flower-fed bees) that has been minimally filtered can be good for your health and, especially, your immune system.

During a swarm, honeybees surround and protect their queen

Humans could learn a thing or two from the world of honeybees where all endeavor benefits the entire colony, not an individual bee.

A tea made of meadowsweet, chamomile, or peppermint herbs can calm an upset stomach.

To get stronger egg shells, feed your chickens extra calcium.

Producing manure is easy; it’s the moving of it that takes patience and the right shovel.

Sow above-ground plants during a waxing moon and below-ground plants during a waning moon.

Honeybees do a waggle dance as they accept a new hive as home

The simplest treatment for a bee sting is to get the stinger out.

Move chickens and bees at night; when they awake in the morning, the move is a fait accompli.

If you enjoy listening to songbirds, it might interest you to know the male is generally the singer since he uses song to attract a mate and defend his territory.

Birds don’t just sing; they call, and their calls are how they communicate
with a partner or sound the alarm that a predator is near.

Box and jug wines are fine as long as you never drink or cook with a flawed wine.

Use a dab of raw honey or bee propolis to treat a peck wound on a chicken as honey and propolis have antiseptic, antibacterial properties.

Rescued dogs can make great family pets

Each nostril of a dog’s highly sensitive nose can separately track scents—a skill proving useful to humans in finding illegal drugs, locating dead bodies, and even detecting cancer.

Red wine remains drinkable for decades because the tannins act as a natural preservative; however, the wine must be properly bottled and stored.

If you want to lower your cholesterol, decrease your stress level
and improve your blood pressure, adopt a dog.

Pacific oysters can engage in annual sex reversals; male one year, female the next—one of nature’s many surprises.

Chickens need extra calcium to produce eggs with strong shells

Help your chickens go through the molting process (when they lose feathers and stop egg production) by feeding them 20 percent more protein and limiting their stressors.

Just the sight of flowers can have an uplifting effect on body, mind, and spirit

Time spent in a garden is a lot like yoga; it slows the breath, quiets the mind, and lets you get to  the truth.

To break your dog’s habit of licking you, get up and go into another room
immediately when the licking starts so the animal will associate its licking with your leaving.

If you don’t want to be devoured by insects, wear light colors when gardening.

If you want to strengthen your immune system, consume a teaspoonful of raw buckwheat honey every day.

Queen bee quarters on a frame inside the hive

A honeybee queens live 10 times longer than her worker bee sisters and while they are sterile, the queen remains reproductive throughout her life.

To keep your bee colony strong and robust, feed your honeybees when their food sources become scarce.

To make a fat-free broth, pour the juices of a roasted chicken or turkey into a wide-mouth jar and refrigerate until solidified; then, skim away the fat that has risen to the top.

You can’t shift the status quo if you don’t take action.

When relationships sour like beans and bitter herbs, an hour in a garden
can generate the sweetness of new dreams.

©November 2013 by Meera Lester
Permission is granted for use of individual quotes, provided the quoted material contains the following credit: “Used with permission from Henny Penny Farmers’ Almanac.”