1. Why Meadowdale?

Simply put — we live here! Our little corner of Snohomish County in NW Washington is named Meadowdale. Named by a Scotsman, there wasn’t a meadow in sight — it was all thickly growing cedar trees along the Puget Sound shoreline. I guess he missed his meadows in Scotland. Years later, I tongue-in-cheek told my husband that it was my goal to make him proud by growing a meadow in our own yard and began calling out little quarter acre “Meadowdale Quarter Acre Farm”. The statue of Our Lady is now “Our Lady of Meadowdale” and I have written stories about my girls inspired by the Meadowdale name. I couldn’t possibly squander a name that has such a wonderful scope for imagination.

2. I lost my Brew Instructions! What do I do?

Have no fear! I’m a mom. I get it. Chances are my toddler ate it if it’s my house. (It’s a true story…) You can find the Elderberry Kit Instructions here and Fire Cider Kit Instructions here.

3. Holy smokes! That’s a lot of honey!

It is… and it isn’t. A suggested serving is just a teaspoon. If you don’t like how much honey is in the finished product, you are free to adjust it! Start off by putting in less and increase to suit your tastebuds. You know what your family likes. My kids really like the honey on their throat when they’re sick. Mary Poppins was on to something…

4. Do I need to use honey? Can I use another sweetener?

Raw honey is naturally anti-microbial and immunomodulatory. Here’s a cool article from the NCBI discussing some of honey’s healing properties. You can certainly use other sweeteners, such as coconut sugar or maple syrup. However, the viscosity will be altered significantly depending on the sweetener of choice. Not sure where to find raw honey? We buy ours from Azure Standard and have it delivered to a drop by our home. Azure has been a wonderful resource for our family.

5. Can I give the syrups to my baby under 1?

The FDA does not recommend giving raw honey to babies 1 and under due to potential botulism concerns. If you are wanting to give this to a baby 1 and under, we strongly recommend using maple syrup or another baby safe sweetener. We assume no risk or responsibility if honey is used for a baby 1 and under.

6. Where do you source your herbs and ingredients?

The short answer: From a variety of places. Some items are procured from local-to-me farmers who follow a “morganic” farming practice. They trap crop and use no pesticides on their produce. Some items from organic herb suppliers. Dehydrated produce is Apeel-free and organic. Some things are dehydrated in my apothecary as I haven’t found exactly what I wanted already dehydrated. I strive to buy USA-grown herbs and ingredients, however some things just don’t grow in our climate. When that happens, I buy organic and try to buy the best quality I can find. Rest assured, everything is always organic and if I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving it to my family, I will never give it to your family.