Web Version  |  Update preferences  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet Forward

TABLE OF CONTENTS... • Make your own Bounty Bars... • The New March Issue Is now in Sstock... • Home-made Crumpets... • A Different Side to King Henry VIII? Sign up today and save over £1.00 on every issue (on Direct Debit), getHome Farmer delivered straight to your door every month To subscribe by Direct Debit and save up to 25%click here. To subscribe for 12 issues by card click here. Get your HF any Time... Anywhere... Have you registered for our FREE Home Farmer App? We are now available on itunes and for Kindle, Windows 8 and Android, so Home Farmer can be read anywhere, any time. Get the current issue for just £2.99, or a whole year's subscription for just £19.99. To find out more click here. Everything Must Go! Our crazy book sale is still on as we have to clear the shelves. Most books are selling for £5 or under. To see some great titles at truly rock-bottom prices click here. Flexible Direct Debits... We've introduced a flexible Direct Debit option to suit every reader. You can now sign up for a year (the biggest saving), half yearly, quarterly, or even monthly direct debits. All these options will save you precious shillings, while providing the most convienient way to get your monthly Home Farmer fix. To save money andreceive your favourite monthly magazine click here. Make your own Bounty Bars... IF YOU CAN'T CLICK ON THE LINKS, GO TO THE TOP OF THIS LETTER AND CLICK TO VIEW THE WEB VERSION. With Cadbury's Cream Eggs featuring prominently in the news because they changed the recipe, how about making your own brand-inspired versions of well-known confectionery, starting off with our own take on that British confectionery icon, the Bounty Bar. To see the Bounty Bar recipe click here.   To see a video of how to make a Crunchie Bar click here. To see a video of how to make Turkish Delight click here. The New March Issue Is now in Sstock... The March issue of Home Farmer goes back to basics with a wealth of traditional Home Farmer features, including gardening in smaller spaces, a special feature on heating your house using renewableenergy, some cracking recipes from Yorkshire, and a special feature on making traditional raised pies, with specialist advice on hand-raising from an award-winning pie-maker. On the gardening front there’s lots of info on propagating, tips on growing (and cooking) pears, and a money-saving feature from top gardener, Charles Dowding, on creating a hot bed to give all your plants and seedlings that vital head start in life. To view the full contents panel click here. To buy this issue click here. To download our free app click here. To subscribe from this month's magazine and SAVE £1 EVERY MONTH click here. Home-made Crumpets... It's really cold outside and it is Friday, so there's no better time to read this recipe, grab a frying pan and knock up a batch of home-made crumpets. Nom nom nom... To see our delicious and comforting crumpet recipe click here. A Different Side to King Henry VIII? Our much maligned Tudor monarch, Henry VIII, is getting a lot of coverage at the moment, with international superstar actor Damian Lewis taking on the role in the superb BBC version of Hilary Mantel's book, Wolf Hall. It seems he may have had more in common with Prince Charles than had previously been thought, with the recent revelation that he may have been a keen gardener after receiving one of the earliest known gardening books, Ruralia Commoda. No-one really knows if he talked to his veg to encourage it to grow, but I'm sure anyone caught sniggering if he did would have suffered for that momentary lapse. To read more about Henry's other 'deadheading' click here.

We hope you are OK with us sending you this email. You are being sent it because you either signed up for it or made a purchase from us. Your email address does NOT get shared in anyway. To contact us email ruth@homefarmer.co.uk | Telephone 01772 633444 Edit your subscription | Unsubscribe

Ginger Lime Thyme Homemade Cough Syrup Recipe

Ginger Lime Thyme Homemade Cough Syrup Recipe

Every winter I get a hacking cough that I believe is brought on by the damp moisture in the air here in Virginia and seems to hang on until spring. I've been to our family physician who prescribes me cough medicine with Codeine and basically says just let it run its course. Other years I just drink RobitussinDM by the bottle full until the cough goes away. This year I decided I was done with conventional cough medicines and would make my own, which let me to this recipe from Reformation Acres where I found the inspiration for my version - Ginger Lime Thyme Homemade Cough Syrup.

Since I didn't have any lemons, I substituted a lime instead and also added some fresh ginger. I decided to increase the amount of honey as well, to make the syrup a bit thicker. The resulting cough syrup not only tastes yummy and only takes a few minutes to make, but alsoworks - and I won't worry about swigging unnatural ingredients for the next several weeks as my body slowly works its way through this.

Ginger Lime Thyme Homemade Cough Syrup

Ingredients

1 Lime, sliced thin

3/4 Cup honey (raw, organic and local is best, but any kind is fine)

Generous handful of fresh thyme (I grow thyme on the windowsill through the winter, read how HERE)

Fresh ginger, sliced ( I used about 1")

2 Cups water

Instructions

Place the lime in a pint canning jar or other glass container, pour the honey over the top and set aside. Soaking in the honey will draw the lime juice out, but just to be sure I poked the lime slices a bit with a wooden skewer to allow even more juice to escape.

In a small saucepan, bring the thyme and ginger slices to a boil in the water and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes uncovered until the liquid is reduced to about half, leaving you one cup.  Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the liquid into your pint jar (your chickens will love the discarded thyme and ginger slices!) and stir or whisk well to combine. And that's it.

Store your cough syrup in the refrigerator (it will keep for 3-4 weeks) and take a tablespoonful throughout the day as needed, especially before bedtime. Shake the jar up each time to redistribute the ingredients.

-Use simple fresh ingredients for a power-punch of immune system boosting cough suppressant-

-Macerate sliced limes in honey-

-Bring thyme and ginger to a boil-

-Simmer until liquid is reduced-

-Let cool completely then pour into your honey/lime mixture-

-Fight your cough naturally with this delicious syrup!-

Why it Works

Limes - High in Vitamin C like lemons, also antiviral and anti-inflammatory, prevent colds and lessen cold symptoms

Honey - Cough suppressant, soothes sore throats, antibacterial and immune system booster

Thyme -  Treats respiratory infections, boosts immune system, antiviral/antiseptic, relieves dry coughs

Ginger - Treats common cold, thins mucus and warms the lungs, anti-inflammatory, strengthens the immune system

(If you are so inclined, a splash of whiskey wouldn't hurt either! That was my mom's go-to cough remedy for us as kids - lemon juice, honey and whiskey - and believe it or not, whiskey does seem to have some health benefits including being an immune system booster and antioxidant.)

If you don't have any thyme, other herbs such as oregano, mint, sage and anise hyssop are also excellent for treating coughs. Brew and steep the same way as above.

Do you have a favorite natural cough remedy?

References:

 Dr. Oz Cold and Flu Remedies

Natural News: Thyme out for Cold, Flu and Other Organisms

University of Maryland Medical Center

Health Benefits of Whiskey

I would love for you to join me here...

Web Version  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet

CONTENTS Rutland Grazing Group Our new Feeding Club Adam Quinney and rotational grazing Making forage work harder during pregnancy DO IT NOW Update on soil protection review The requirements for a soil protection review are changing.  Click to take a look at the update below HOW TO... Measure soil temperature Farmers from different parts of England have found digital temperature loggers helpful when making decisions about grass growth and fertilizer application on their farms. EBLEX has been helping producer’s measure soil temperature for the last two years by planting digital temperature data loggers at a depth of 10 cm to record soil temperatures. The data helped them make decisions about possible grass growth and fertiliser use. READ MORE… Assess the 2014 harvest The Better Returns Programme is encouraging farmers to make better conserved forage (grass silage, haylage and hay). And the best place to start when considering forage is to assess what happened in the previous year. From yield, to number of bales or trailers from fields to the quality of the forage, there is a lot of data to look at. READ MORE… BOOST YOUR FORAGE KNOWLEDGE Join a grazing group EBLEX has been working with a group of consultants and advisers to establish grazing groups for beef and sheep producers throughout England. The aim of the group is to help producers to improve their grassland management and develop their grazing strategies. This is done by allowing producers to challenge each other, learn from other’s experiences and identify best practice.    Producers pay £150 per year to contribute to the external facilitator’s costs, with EBLEX topping up. At the meeting there is a farm walk where the host discusses their system and the group is given opportunities to ask questions and provide “constructive criticism”. FIND OUT MORE... Welcome The EBLEX Grazing Club is for all beef and sheep producers who want to: - Improve grass yields and quality- Improve animal performance off grass- Cut production costs- Make more money Our newsletter is full of topical information, ideas and suggestions on how to achieve these objectives. As with any club, members can share and swap ideas on how they make the most of grass. And we’d love to hear what you think, so if you don’t fancy joining in with the Grazing Club conversations on twitter - #grazingclub - thenemail us here. Dr Liz GeneverEBLEX Livestock Scientist Winter visit with the Rutland Grazing Group The Rutland Grazing Group ventured into Northamptonshire for their December meeting. This grazing group met at Patrick Green’s farm near Northampton in to discuss the challenges he has farming on the urban fringe. Have a read and find a grazing group near you if you fancy it. NEW: Feeding Club EBLEX is launching a new e-newsletter – Feeding Club – to complement Grazing Club.  Aimed at beef producers, the bi-monthly e-newsletter will include farmer case studies and articles written by industry experts. They’ll cover feed production (excluding grass), rationing and economics.  The first newsletter will be sent out in a few weeks, so if you’d like to receive it then email us here. Adam Quinney is focussing on improving grass utilisation on his beef farm Last year Adam separated his young heifers into two groups, one was set stocked and the other was rotationally grazed. The heifers in the rotationally grazed group grew an extra 0.5kg per day over the grazing season compared to the group that were set stocked. Adam has therefore decided to invest in some permanent fencing, water troughs and temporary fencing to rotationally graze his herd.  READ MORE... Making forage work harder during pregnancy The focus for indoor lambing systems heading towards lambing should be to try and maximise intake of high quality forage and supplement with small quantity of high quality concentrates advises Kate Phillips, independent sheep consultant.  READ MORE... Update on soil protection review  The requirements for a soil protection review are changing. Meeting the revised Good Agricultural and Environment Conditions (GAECs) 4, 5 and 6 will replace the paper-based soil protection review. The requirements of revised GAECs 4, 5 and 6 must be met to qualify for full Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment, or any payments under greening or agri-environmental schemes.  This means that all reasonable steps to protect soil by having minimum soil cover unless there is an agronomic justification not to or where establishing a cover would conflict with requirements under GAEC 5 are taken (GAEC 4). Land must also be managed to minimise soil erosion (GAEC 5) and appropriate practices must be used to maintain the levels of organic matter in soil (GAEC 6). Rural Payments Agency (RPA) inspectors will look for minimum soil cover, signs of soil erosion and organic matter loss when carrying out cross compliance inspections. For fields with historical issues or where certain practices, such as out-wintering, re-seeding or grazed brassica crops, are being carried out, it may be worth continuing with some record keeping. These records can be used to provide evidence of prevention and careful management during an inspection. For more information on soil protection, contact Farm Advisory Service (FAS) and the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) team. Take a look at the Soil protection standards 2015

© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2015 EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Email the BRP team | Unsubscribe EBLEX, AHDB Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2TL

Web Version  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet

CONTENTS Rutland Grazing Group Our new Feeding Club Adam Quinney and rotational grazing Making forage work harder during pregnancy DO IT NOW Update on soil protection review The requirements for a soil protection review are changing.  Click to take a look at the update below HOW TO... Measure soil temperature Farmers from different parts of England have found digital temperature loggers helpful when making decisions about grass growth and fertilizer application on their farms. EBLEX has been helping producer’s measure soil temperature for the last two years by planting digital temperature data loggers at a depth of 10 cm to record soil temperatures. The data helped them make decisions about possible grass growth and fertiliser use. READ MORE… Assess the 2014 harvest The Better Returns Programme is encouraging farmers to make better conserved forage (grass silage, haylage and hay). And the best place to start when considering forage is to assess what happened in the previous year. From yield, to number of bales or trailers from fields to the quality of the forage, there is a lot of data to look at. READ MORE… BOOST YOUR FORAGE KNOWLEDGE Join a grazing group EBLEX has been working with a group of consultants and advisers to establish grazing groups for beef and sheep producers throughout England. The aim of the group is to help producers to improve their grassland management and develop their grazing strategies. This is done by allowing producers to challenge each other, learn from other’s experiences and identify best practice.    Producers pay £150 per year to contribute to the external facilitator’s costs, with EBLEX topping up. At the meeting there is a farm walk where the host discusses their system and the group is given opportunities to ask questions and provide “constructive criticism”. FIND OUT MORE... Welcome The EBLEX Grazing Club is for all beef and sheep producers who want to: - Improve grass yields and quality- Improve animal performance off grass- Cut production costs- Make more money Our newsletter is full of topical information, ideas and suggestions on how to achieve these objectives. As with any club, members can share and swap ideas on how they make the most of grass. And we’d love to hear what you think, so if you don’t fancy joining in with the Grazing Club conversations on twitter - #grazingclub - thenemail us here. Dr Liz GeneverEBLEX Livestock Scientist Winter visit with the Rutland Grazing Group The Rutland Grazing Group ventured into Northamptonshire for their December meeting. This grazing group met at Patrick Green’s farm near Northampton in to discuss the challenges he has farming on the urban fringe. Have a read and find a grazing group near you if you fancy it. NEW: Feeding Club EBLEX is launching a new e-newsletter – Feeding Club – to complement Grazing Club.  Aimed at beef producers, the bi-monthly e-newsletter will include farmer case studies and articles written by industry experts. They’ll cover feed production (excluding grass), rationing and economics.  The first newsletter will be sent out in a few weeks, so if you’d like to receive it then email us here. Adam Quinney is focussing on improving grass utilisation on his beef farm Last year Adam separated his young heifers into two groups, one was set stocked and the other was rotationally grazed. The heifers in the rotationally grazed group grew an extra 0.5kg per day over the grazing season compared to the group that were set stocked. Adam has therefore decided to invest in some permanent fencing, water troughs and temporary fencing to rotationally graze his herd.  READ MORE... Making forage work harder during pregnancy The focus for indoor lambing systems heading towards lambing should be to try and maximise intake of high quality forage and supplement with small quantity of high quality concentrates advises Kate Phillips, independent sheep consultant.  READ MORE... Update on soil protection review  The requirements for a soil protection review are changing. Meeting the revised Good Agricultural and Environment Conditions (GAECs) 4, 5 and 6 will replace the paper-based soil protection review. The requirements of revised GAECs 4, 5 and 6 must be met to qualify for full Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment, or any payments under greening or agri-environmental schemes.  This means that all reasonable steps to protect soil by having minimum soil cover unless there is an agronomic justification not to or where establishing a cover would conflict with requirements under GAEC 5 are taken (GAEC 4). Land must also be managed to minimise soil erosion (GAEC 5) and appropriate practices must be used to maintain the levels of organic matter in soil (GAEC 6). Rural Payments Agency (RPA) inspectors will look for minimum soil cover, signs of soil erosion and organic matter loss when carrying out cross compliance inspections. For fields with historical issues or where certain practices, such as out-wintering, re-seeding or grazed brassica crops, are being carried out, it may be worth continuing with some record keeping. These records can be used to provide evidence of prevention and careful management during an inspection. For more information on soil protection, contact Farm Advisory Service (FAS) and the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) team. Take a look at the Soil protection standards 2015

© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2015 EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Email the BRP team | Unsubscribe EBLEX, AHDB Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2TL