Boost the Immune System Naturally for Sick Season

Here are 4 recipes you can easily add to your kitchen routine that will boost the immune system naturally for the sick season.

Whether you are feeling a little under the weather or you just want to get prepared for sick season these recipes will be clutch to have on hand.

Keep in mind that I am a mama of 5 small kiddos, not a doctor, so don’t consider this medical advice. Just a mama who has done lots of research and talked to lots of older people on how their great-grandparents healed the common cold.

WATCH HOW I USED THESE 4 RECIPES BELOW:

You can watch me make Fermented Garlic and Honey, Easy Stovetop Chicken Broth, Elderberry Syrup, and Fermented Pickles here in this video and see the recipe I used below:

Fermented Garlic and Honey

Fermented garlic and honey is so simple to make. The most time-consuming part was taking the skins off of a head of garlic. One trick to this is shaking the garlic (I show you in the video how to do this) between two bowls to help the skins come off.

How to Make Fermented Honey Garlic

Take skins off a couple of heads of garlic
Submerge the garlic in local honey
Wait 30 days, flipping the jar upside down every couple of days and burping the jar to release pressure every couple of days
Enjoy all the amazing immune boosting benefits of honey garlic

Keys to Fermented Honey Garlic

One key is to make sure you get local honey because pasteurized honey isn’t going to have the best components (wild yeasts and bacteria) to create a strong fermentation. Most honey at the store has been pasteurized and heated up killing many of the best properties of the honey.

Also, a lot of honey on the shelf has been cut with types of corn syrup creating lots of counterfeit honey. Even my local healthy grocery store workers told me that there was no way of knowing if the “raw local honey” was actually what it said it was.

The best bet is to find some at a local market or from a local beekeeper.

Burping the Jar

Another key is to make sure you burp the jar (twisting the lid off the jar and releasing the pressure build-up) every couple of days to avoid an exploding jar. And just flip the jar upside down every couple of days as well.

Then set it aside in a dark place for 30 days and enjoy. It can be taken whole like medicine or even put into a salad like salad dressing.

You can consume the honey garlic sooner than 30 days, but after 30 days the honey will get more runny and the garlic will mellow. Also, it should keep for up to a year or longer.

Benefits of Fermented Honey Garlic

Both honey and garlic have amazing immune boosting properties that are perfect for battling colds in the sick season. Garlic is said to be nature’s antibiotic and can be used to boost the immune system and help fight against infection. At the first sign of sickness, take garlic internally to keep the immune system up.

I even had a pediatric nurse tell me that she has never given her kids antibiotics, but instead has exclusively been able to rely on garlic as her kid’s antibiotic. She cuts garlic in half and has them pop it like a pill. But I think having this fermented honey garlic on hand is a way to mellow out the strong garlic flavor and still get all garlic’s immune boosting benefits.

If you want an even deeper dive into garlic and honey see this great post from Grow Forage Cook Ferment.

Simple Stovetop Chicken Broth with Drumsticks

I have made chicken broth with a whole chicken and you can see the video here, but this simple stovetop chicken is made with drumsticks.

Recipe for Stovetop Chicken Broth with Drumsticks:

Submerge some chicken drumsticks in filtered water and bring to a boil.
Once the chicken drumsticks come to a boil take them down to a small rolling boil for 1.5-2 hours with the lid on. If the chicken is trying to bubble out, turn the burner down just a bit.
To test take the drumstick out and see if the chicken is cooked all the way through. The chicken will still be a little pink near the bone, because it is on the bone. But it should be cooked through with no problem after 1 hour.
Take your chicken drumsticks out of the pot and strain the juice off into mason jars. I love to cool and salt the chicken for my kids to munch on. And then use the bones to make bone broth (see this video to see how to make easy instant pot bone broth).
Then salt the chicken broth and let it cool before you put it into the fridge.

Use the broth within a week to sip on or as the base of a soup or freeze them in these handy souper cubes.

My kids love to just sip on the broth in their little kid mugs! All throughout history, people have turned to broth when they are sick! It really is as simple as grabbing a pack of chicken drumsticks and boiling them to get chicken broth fast.

Easy Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup with Dried Elderberries

I have been making elderberry syrup for 6 years now. I remember how intimating this recipe was, because I was afraid of poisoning my family. But it really is so simple and safe to make elderberry syrup, especially in the instant pot.

Where to Source Elderberries

I use these dried organic elderberries and they keep for over a year if sealed up and stored in the pantry. Many women have told me that if you know what to look for elderberries grow in many places around North America and that it could be easy to forage for them. I haven’t got that far yet and have settled for buying the dried elderberries.

Multiple Batches of Elderberry Syrup and Freezing Elderberry Syrup

I also make multiple batches to share or I freeze the elderberry syrup in the freezer with these souper molds.

Note for Babies Under One:

If you are going to give some elderberry syrup to your baby, just make sure to substitute the honey for maple syrup.

Local Honey

One extra key is to try and get local honey if possible. Most honey at the store has been pasteurized and heated up killing many of the best properties of the honey.

Make Sure to Cool the Elderberry juice before you combine it with the honey, otherwise you risk damaging the wonderful properties of the honey. I waited 20 minutes in this video and that seemed too long. I think 12 minutes would be the perfect amount of time to help the honey incorporate well into the juice without damaging the honey.

Recipe for Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup with Dried Elderberries

I used this recipe from Instant Loss and have enjoyed it over the years. Just make sure if the Elderberry Syrup still tastes bitter add a bit more honey and make sure to shake the jar before you serve.

Fermented Pickles (No Vinegar)

I am still new to fermenting, but I am really shocked how easy the process can be. It usually takes some salt and some time, plus a little burping of the jar to let pressure out.

I have also learned that it is key to keep whatever you are fermenting below the surface of the liquid or you risk the food molding. These fermentation weights are very helpful for that. But you can also use a cleaned and boiled rock to weigh the cucumbers down.

And one thing that is extremely handy to have in the kitchen is these half-gallon mason jars. We use them for getting raw milk, storing soup, packing water for trips, and fermenting.

Recipe for Fermented Pickles

I used this recipe from Clean Food Living in this video to make my pickles. After 7-10 days the pickles should be good to go and ready to feed your gut.

Adding fermented foods in one way to love on your gut which plays a BIG role in a healthy immune system.

Course for Gut Health

If you want more information on having a happy and healthy gut check out this amazing course I took from NTP Mollie Mason called Gut Glow.