 Propolis is one of nature’s most powerful protectors — a gift from the beehive that has supported human health for centuries. Often called “bee glue,” propolis is a resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds and bark. Bees use it to seal and sterilise their hives, protecting the colony from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. For us, it offers similar benefits — supporting the immune system, fighting infections, and promoting overall wellbeing.
Why Propolis Is So Special Propolis contains a unique mix of natural compounds including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and essential oils — all known for their strong antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Scientific studies have linked propolis to:
How to Take It Our Old Cottage Honey Max Strength Extract of Propolis is highly concentrated — a few drops are all you need. For daily wellness, add it to a glass of water, juice, or tea. It can also be taken directly on a spoon or mixed with honey for a smoother taste. During times of seasonal stress or when your immune system needs extra support, you can increase the frequency as needed. Crafted the Old Cottage Honey Way – Alcohol-Free and Full of Goodness Unlike most propolis extracts made with alcohol, our method makes this natural remedy suitable for everyone, including those who avoid alcohol for health or personal reasons. We use a two-step process that begins with a traditional alcohol extraction to fully unlock the beneficial compounds found in raw propolis. Then, the alcohol is gently removed and replaced with pure vegetable glycerin, resulting in a potent, alcohol-free propolis glycerite — gentle yet powerful, preserving all the natural goodness without compromise. Pure. Potent. Irish. Every drop of Old Cottage Honey propolis extract is made from Irish propolis gathered from healthy, thriving hives. It’s crafted in small batches to ensure maximum potency and purity, with no artificial additives, colours, or preservatives — just the natural strength of propolis as the bees made it. If you’re looking for a natural way to support your immune system, soothe your throat, or simply strengthen your everyday wellness, Old Cottage Honey Max Strength Extract of Propolis is nature’s perfect ally. Serg, Old Cottage Honey
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 ✨ Bring the magic of the season to life sustainably. Discover how to create beautiful, zero-waste Christmas decorations using nature’s own materials.
This year, let your festive sparkle come from creativity, not plastic. With just a few simple swaps, you can transform your holiday décor into something both beautiful and planet-friendly. . Start by dehydrating slices of oranges, apples, or lemons; they glow like stained glass when hung on the tree. Pair them with cinnamon sticks, pinecones, or sprigs of rosemary for a naturally scented home that feels cosy and timeless. Old fabric scraps or brown paper can become rustic garlands or reusable gift wrap, adding texture and charm without the waste. Think slow, simple, and sustainable, decorations that look good, smell wonderful, and leave nothing behind but good memories. This Christmas, embrace the art of thoughtful celebration. A little creativity goes a long way toward a truly zero-waste holiday. 🪴 DIY Tip Box: How to Make Dried Fruit Decorations
🎄 We’d love to see your creations! Share your zero-waste holiday décor with us on social media and tag @TheUrbanCoop. Let’s inspire each other to make this Christmas beautifully sustainable. Geraldine Fitzpatrick  Wise Traditions is the podcast to recommend this month..( again) but I wanted to highlight this episode in particular. Hilda interviews Sally Fallon Morell founder of the Weston A Price Foundation in the USA. I have learned so much from her. When she came to Ireland in 2015 she reminded us to look after our farmers before they were gone..her wise words resonated and still do. If you haven’t had the pleasure please do check this one out.
Wise Traditions Podcast Over 500 episodes to listen to as you delve deeper! Enjoy! Anne Maher   This is the season when strong greens are plentiful – spinach, kale and chard. Though kale is all the rage and spinach has always been there, Swiss chard is less common and less used.
Yet, it has its own special flavour. Wilted Swiss chard, along with a little garlic and maybe a few pine nuts, makes a wonderful side dish. Topping them with a nice portion of tahini chickpeas is a perfect, easy, and very tasty meal. Start by preparing the chickpeas, then set aside. Wilt the chard and then serve together with a little fresh mint sprinkle over top and an extra squeeze of lemon juice. The mint and the lemon juice give it that fresh Mediterranean flavour. Enough for 2 hungry souls! TAHINI CHICKPEAS
Tahini Sauce : 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/2 cup water Juice of 1 lemon, a clove of garlic, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of date syrup - optional ( or maple syrup, agave is good ) – just blend it all together to make the sauce. METHOD Empty tin of chickpeas into a pot and bring to the boil, immediately drain the water and set aside. Soften the scallions in a little olive oil, then add the chopped mint, the chickpeas and the tahini sauce ... mix all together. SWISS CHARD
METHOD Rinse the chard, do not bother to dry. Chop the thicker stalks into small pieces and the leaves into larger sections. Soften the thick stems in a drop of olive oil or water. After a few minutes, add the leaves and the garlic and stir until all the leaves are wilted and then sprinkle a little salt at the end. To serve, make a bed of the wilted Swiss chard and top it with a nice ladle of the chickpeas. Finish with a sprinkle a little fresh chopped mint and a squeeze of lemon. - Voila, that easy … and it always tastes great!😊 Jacques, from Hungry Soul  I am adapting this recipe from Nourishing Traditions (Pg 198) with metric measures. Sniffling season is upon us, and this is a winter warmer that is sure to satisfy.
Chicken stock
Optional ingredients…
Method Bring the stock to the boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Add coconut, lemon, chilli and ginger. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped onions and coriander. Anne Maher  Where’s the fat?!
A train is coming and there are lots of food companies on the track… I have it on good authority that we will be embracing fat on the new dietary guidelines again! Due out this month from the US I will be encouraging you to take a closer look at this major change coming… What does it mean? Our fear of fats has dictated the pace on how nutrition information has been presented to us. Our food pyramid recommends low fat dairy options for us for example. Now we are fat fanatics here not only for taste but for the fat soluble vitamin content (ADEK) therein. Butter is better… Science has conceded reluctantly that a higher fat diet is linked with better health outcomes. The keto diet / low carb versions are recognised and a powerful tool to reverse metabolic disease. But to date the guidelines have resisted embracing this fact. So what you may say…! The thing is most people like to follow a guideline… how many times do we have to be told to always follow official advice...? So having the obvious included in the official guidelines is a major step forward. Will it happen? The food companies I fear will not be happy about this. Thinking it through when I focus on dairy for example, it is not hard to work out the impact will be colossal. Let me walk you through it… full fat milk becomes the recommended advice. Now the food industry cannot separate the milk into the constituents and sell to the highest bidder the separate parts. Skimmed milk & cream. I am simplifying it but imagine if low fat and skimmed milk are not recommended? This is a serious hit to the dairies. It’s certainly not worth investing heavily in advertising to go against the guidelines. They will have to go with it. They will have to reconfigure everything they do… a major cost. Should they pass this cost on to farmers then the price of milk will plummet. The price has reduced recently. Perhaps it has started… The low fat experiment is due to come to an end. Decades of destruction to our health that will go untold hidden behind the distraction of other health stories and interventions. Will the dairy industry take it with out a fight? I do wonder… Anne Maher  Our recent trip to Salt Lake City in Utah was a revelation in more ways than one. My brain hurts as I feel the cells growing and stretching!! It was fascinating…!
Interesting to note it had been 39 years since I last set foot in the US. A teenager experiencing an exciting new environment. Away from college, the farm and late 80s, it was only for the summer weeks on a J1 visa. But I remember a large gathering of family and relatives at the house before I left as if it was for a lifetime. Memories of emigration resonated. While my job was a live in au pair on the outskirts of Washington DC, I was so excited about the familiarity of McDonalds, Wendys, KFC. Still relatively new in Ireland at the time. It was like being on a movie set. First time on a plane. First time seeing obese people. I was so charmed by the pizza delivery concept. Far from it I was raised. Our food system has significantly changed in these years and I believe Taco Bell has arrived recently to add to the growing list of US outlets. Drone deliveries are a thing now… That didn’t take long! It was no wonder that the irony of my trip was to follow the movement of traditional foods, raw milk, nourishing broth and the like! Who knew! How the wheel turns! Is this a circular economy in action? Anne Maher |
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