HERB - horehound

[Gaylin Walli]

Okay here's my dilemma and an idea...

I got a bushel of concord grapes from a friend which I
subsequently juiced, figuring I'd make jelly. I tried
my hand at the no-added-pectin routine for one batch
and the batch failed. I was figuring on just opening
up all the jars, dumping the syrup back into the pot
and throwing in a package of pectin since this has
worked for me in the past. (The other batches are
lovely, btw.)

Then my DH walked in then and proceeded to cough his way
through the kitchen, the dining room, the living room
and back on into the bedroom. He sounded awful and as
I was standing there with a jar of unjelled syrup in
my hand, my eyes fell upon my jar of horehound. Vile
tasting stuff, if you didn't already know, but WONDERFUL
for coughs.

Here's what Culpepper has to say:

  There is a Syrup made of Horehound to be had at
  the Apothecaries, very good for old Coughs, to rid
  the tough Flegm, as also to avoid cold Rhewm from
  the Lungs of old Folks, and for those that are Asmatick
  or short winded

And here's what Gerard has to say

  Syrup made of the greene fresh leaves and sugar is
  a most singular remedie against the cough and
  wheezing of the lungs . . . and doth wonderfully and
  above credit ease such as have been long sicke of any
  consumption of the lungs, as hath beene often proved
  by the learned physitions of our London College.

Unfortunately, horehound is bitter bitter bitter, supposedly
one of the traditional herbs used for the Feast of
Passover (if I remember my limited Hebrew correctly).

bitter horehound + concord grape syrup = cough syrup
that doesn't taste as nasty as straight horehound.

The syrup part is already made, obviously, so now I've
got a dilemma of exactly how to incorporate the
horehound. Anyone think this is possible? I suppose I
can always just try it somehow, but I was wondering
if anyone else had some ideas.

I figured about 1/2 ounce in 1/2 pint of liquid would
be about right. But would it be better to make the infusion
and add that to the syrup or make the infusion with the
syrup already made and then strain out the particulate?

And what about candies? Like those little candied horehound
cough drops? I've never made those after the syrup's already
been made and I suspect the grapes may get in the way, but
it's an idea....

Just musing....

Jasmine

Jasmine de Cordoba, Midrealm, g.walli at infoengine.com

"Si enim alicui placet mea devotio, gaudebo; si autem
nulli placet, memet ipsam tamen juvat quod feci."
-- Hroswith of Gandersheim
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