A basic herb candy and lozenge recipe requires:
3 cups strong herb tea
3 ½ pounds granulated sugar (about 8 cups)
Image from Milla Ezman
Image from Tina Sams
Steps:
1. Mix sugar and tea in large saucepan (use one a lot bigger than you think you'll need -- the mixture foams up and could easily overflow).
2. Boil until mixture reaches 292 degrees, then pour into large, shallow buttered pan and let cool.
3. Cut into pieces before it hardens all the way. You could also pull it like taffy, if you want a softer, chewier candy.1
Alternatively, this similar recipe includes butter for a creamier candy:
Ingredients:
4 cups of boiling water
2 cups of leaves with stems and blossoms or 3 seeds
Herbs - peppermint (Mentha piperita), horehound (Marrubium vulgare), lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora), applemint (Mentha suaveolens) or others
Seeds - fennel, anise, caraway or coriander
3 cups each of granulated sugar and brown sugar
1/2 tbsp butter
Instructions:
Pour boiling water over herbs or seeds and steep for 10 minutes (or longer for very strong tea), then strain.
Add sugar, butter and bring to boil over medium heat. Cook until hardens.
Check if the mixture has reached this stage by dipping out a small ball and dropping it into a glass of cold water. If it keeps its shape, the mixture is ready. If it breaks apart, boil longer.
Pour into a buttered shallow pan. Score into squares before it sets.
Wrap the hardened pieces individually and store in airtight container.1
Lozenges
To make a lozenge you can use the same recipe for making hard candy. Keep in mind that the medicinal properties of herbs are very specific and therefore species should be used for the appropriate ailment.
Some good examples are:
peppermint (Mentha piperita)
eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)
marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)
licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
lobelia (Lobelia spp.)
mullein (Verbascum spp.)
stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
*Cough drops should be made with dried herbs.
Instructions:
1. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan with butter, or spray lightly with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.
3. Turn off the heat, add the dried herbs, cover, and steep for 20 minutes.
4. Strain the herbs from the liquid and discard the spent plant material.
5. Return the liquid to the pan, add the granulated sugar, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir.
6. Continue boiling until the mixture reaches the hard ball stage, about 35 to 50 minutes (test by dropping in cold water).
7. Pour the mixture into the chilled, greased pan. Score with a knife into small, 1-inch squares before it hardens. Allow the mixture to stand for at least an hour.
8. Remove the mixture from the pan once cool, and break into pieces along the score lines. Store the herbal lozenges in glass jars with tight-fitting lids.1
Image from Tasty Ever After
References:
“Herb Candy”. Cooks.com. Date accessed: June 4 2011. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,167,147182-240199,00.html.
2. “Historic and Traditional Herb Candy Recipes”. Gardenguides.com. Date accessed: Jun 3 2011. http://www.gardenguides.com/1343-historic-traditional-herb-candy-recipes.html.
3. Hoffman I. The Book of Herb Cookery. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company;1940.
4. Inturrisi, Louis. “Italy's Bracing, Bitter Amari: Drinks to Top Off a Lusty Meal”. Jan 30 1991. The New York Times. Date accessed: Jun 28 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/30/garden/italy-s-bracing-bitter-amari-drinks-to-top-off-a-lusty-meal.html.
5. Petersen, Jerry. “How do I Make Herbal Lozenges?”. Aug 4 2010. LiveStrong.com. Date accessed: Jun 3 2011. http://www.livestrong.com/article/193736-how-do-i-make-herbal-lozenges/#ixzz1QVAKi8zf.