Delicious herbs? Electors are possible! Use these 13+ tips to create an essence that will please even the most discerning palate.
Image Source Adam’s Office from focus on
Children can be very picky about taking herbs. If it tastes bitter or weird, they don’t want to have anything to do with it. Some herbs are also difficult for adults to take.
Before reading this, your options may be limited to: 1) kill it, or 2) stay sick. (I guess there’s a third option: add the Kool-Aid mix to your nasty herbal tea and hope it doesn’t turn into nasty Kool-Aid.)
But today, I’m going to show you the fourth option, which is better than any of the other three.
Today, I’ll show you how to make electronics.
Electuary Basics: How to Make an Electuary
Punch is a mixture of powdered herbs with a sweetened binder.you can use it Honey, Maple sugar, or any other sticky substance.my favorite is peanut butter.
For herbs with a pleasant or neutral flavor, I usually use equal parts herb and peanut butter. However, the ratio is very flexible and can be changed according to the taste of the herbs and the fussiness of the diners.
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One of the things I love about peanut butter is that it gives you more flexibility in proportions. Add too much honey or syrup and the semen can turn into a mess. But no matter what ratio you choose, the peanut butter is thick enough to stay in place.
Spoon your vanilla powder and peanut butter into a bowl and stir with a spoon.They are then rolled into balls and stored in sealed container. (Wet your hands before rolling or they will stick to you.)
Refrigeration isn’t strictly necessary unless maple syrup is used, but it will extend their shelf life. Electuaries should keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. I say “should” because ours is always gone long before that. They are like herbal cookies – so delicious!
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You can also store them in the refrigerator. This extends the shelf life to several months. Also, I think it tastes better frozen. If you prefer honey or syrup, the refrigerator will also help to firm them up.
You can even scoop them into molds like these gummy bear mould I bought it on Amazon.
texture hints
I recommend finely ground herbal powder as the fine powder. Coarsely ground herbs can affect the texture and be too noticeable when eaten.
Dosing
Dosing a pharmacist is easier than you might think because you don’t have to worry about the adhesive factor. Just measure your initial amount of herb powder and divide your finished product to match.
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That’s what I mean. Let’s say you start with 4 tablespoons of herb powder. Add peanut butter (or other binder) and mix well.
It doesn’t matter how much peanut butter you add. If your desired dose is 1 tablespoon, divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Each portion now contains 1 tablespoon of herbs.
love herbal remedies
Image Source Steve Bussing from focus on
Now that you have the basics down, let’s move on to some interesting variations.
extra sweet
Sometimes you really need to hide those herbs. Maybe it’s a particularly fussy kid or a particularly nasty herb. In either case, a little extra sweetness goes a long way. My favorite option is to add some raw honey to the mix. This doesn’t make the mixture very sticky, and honey adds a lot of medicinal properties.
Alternatively, you can make peanut butter and jelly extracts. These can be a bit messy, depending on your jelly, but who doesn’t love a good PB&J?
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Finally, you can always rely on sugar. I know this is not healthy. But critical moments sometimes call for critical measures.
Here’s my lowest sugar advice: don’t add sugar directly to your punch mix. Instead, refine into a ball as usual. Then sprinkle the sugar on the plate and roll the refining agent on the plate.
This way you’ll only sweeten the outside and keep the sweetness to a minimum while keeping the sugar content to a minimum. Also, this option lets you make some sweetened and some unsweetened.
surprise inside
What’s better than taking a bite of a delicious treat? Find a treat inside. To make these sneaky snacks, form your gourmet meal around your choice of delicious food. My suggestions are chocolate chips, nuts, cherries, raisins or dried cranberries.
Make several of each and put them all in the same container. Now every bite will be a surprise!
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Now let’s really increase the “wow” factor. Time to impress your friends and colleagues and make your family cheer. These choices will make you the talk of the herbal community.
Herbs and Spices
Raid your spice cabinet and add some zing to your treats. Try adding a pinch of nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon to the mixture. Or add cocoa powder for a truly decadent treat.
Feeling really bold? Add a little paprika. Um!
Vanilla Cookies
As I said before, the elector is like Herbal Cookies.Well, these are actually Yes Herbal Cookies. Note that culinary herbs are very difficult for their medicinal ingredients. The cook time for this recipe is fairly short, but you’re better off choosing a hardy herb. Something that can handle decoction would be ideal.
Also, this recipe uses a lot of sugar. I would say that we are at the outermost periphery of herbal medicine right now. You have been warned.
Combine 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg and desired vanilla in a bowl. Grease cookie sheets and spoon out mixture as needed. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes. Then take them out and let them cool.
Alternatively, you can add Hershey’s kisses to the center as they cool.Now you have a delicious desert, at least small A little healthier than regular cookies.
No Bake Electives
No-bake essence involves some heat, but this recipe is so much easier on herbs than before.
In a saucepan combine 1-3/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup butter, and 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.
Bring it all to a boil and let it cook for about a minute and a half. Now remove it from the stove and add 1/2 cup peanut butter, 3 cups instant oats, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and desired amount of vanilla.
Spoon out onto wax paper and let them cool.
Dosing is easy to figure out. Divide your herb total by the number of cookies you end up eating. This is your dose per cookie.
Chocolate Coated Electuaries
The title pretty much says it all. Make a punch as usual and dip it in melted chocolate. Now into the freezer to harden and you have another gourmet pleasure. You can do the same with any other coating medium. Try caramel-covered or yogurt-covered treats.
Honestly, many of the last options are not the healthiest, which may partially defeat the purpose of the electors. However, these can be fun projects to make with kids, and can be a really great way to introduce herbs to the public who think we’re here all day chewing on sticks and roots.
Now you have everything you need to make delicious herbs. Mix and match any of these techniques to become a master of essence and never again make your family turn their noses up at herbal medicine.
What do you think?
Have you made herbal extracts before? Can any of these methods make course selection sound enticing? Do you have any other ideas for spices, fillings or other variations? Let me know in the comments!
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This is an updated version of an article originally published on June 19, 2018. Authors may not be able to respond to comments at this time, but we encourage our community members to join in to share their experiences and answer questions!
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Scott Sexton was a TGN trailblazer, highly experimental gardener, ruthless weed-killer, and largely non-profit herbalist (to the chagrin of his wife).When Scott isn’t teaching foraging lessons, testing theories in the garden, or grazing in the forest, he can Facebook page, “Forager’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.”
