Here are two free, online resources that I like to browse in addition to my Traditional Chinese Medicine related books. Enjoy! :)
http://www.itmonline.org/about.htm
http://www.yinyanghouse.com/ (look for the 'Theory' tab at the top of the page to access their databases)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Fire Cider
It seems that my friends are passing around the creeping cruddies this year with abandon. So far, I have not fallen prey to their, um . . . generosity. Still, better safe than sorry. So today, in order to supplement my herbal bag of tricks, I made Fire Cider.
Fire Cider is a vinegar based concoction full of immune and circulation boosting roots. The main ingredients are fresh horseradish and ginger roots, onion, garlic cloves and apple cider vinegar. Honey can be used to sweeten it, and I have seen variations using citrus to temper the flavor.
This will be my first time trying it, so I have no idea what the flavor will be like, but it seems appropriate as I am currently fascinated by vinegar and herbal preparations which make use of it. And besides, I like all of the above ingredients on their own, so why not?
Making Fire Cider is very simple:
1. Peel the horseradish and ginger, and either slice thin or julienne. I found a mandoline slicer to be very useful on the ginger, but I just cut the horseradish into matchsticks. Chop the onion into small pieces, and smash the garlic cloves.
2. Put ingredients in a glass jar, and add the apple cider vinegar to cover the other ingredients.
3. Screw on the lid, and place in a kitchen cabinet for at least two weeks.
4. Strain, and commence flavor tempering with honey, citrus, etc.
Fire Cider can be used as a condiment and as a tonic in shot glass servings. As a tonic beverage, it can either be undiluted (that makes me think painful thoughts, though!) or, as I am planning, mixed with orange juice as a sipping beverage. Sort of like a really spicy winter shrub.
Other tips:
Your hands will be quite smelly after all the garlic and horseradish, but availing yourself of some stainless steel (spoons, sinks, measuring cups) will help to cut the smell. Simply rub your hands with the stainless and the odor will magically abate!
Herbs can be added as well. Cayenne is a popular choice, but I hate cayenne so I left it out. Instead, I added some dried thyme and a few leaves of fresh sage.
Fire Cider around the interwebs:
Rosemary Gladstar's Recipe
Over at the From Scratch Club
Fire Cider is a vinegar based concoction full of immune and circulation boosting roots. The main ingredients are fresh horseradish and ginger roots, onion, garlic cloves and apple cider vinegar. Honey can be used to sweeten it, and I have seen variations using citrus to temper the flavor.
This will be my first time trying it, so I have no idea what the flavor will be like, but it seems appropriate as I am currently fascinated by vinegar and herbal preparations which make use of it. And besides, I like all of the above ingredients on their own, so why not?
Making Fire Cider is very simple:
1. Peel the horseradish and ginger, and either slice thin or julienne. I found a mandoline slicer to be very useful on the ginger, but I just cut the horseradish into matchsticks. Chop the onion into small pieces, and smash the garlic cloves.
2. Put ingredients in a glass jar, and add the apple cider vinegar to cover the other ingredients.
3. Screw on the lid, and place in a kitchen cabinet for at least two weeks.
4. Strain, and commence flavor tempering with honey, citrus, etc.
Fire Cider can be used as a condiment and as a tonic in shot glass servings. As a tonic beverage, it can either be undiluted (that makes me think painful thoughts, though!) or, as I am planning, mixed with orange juice as a sipping beverage. Sort of like a really spicy winter shrub.
Other tips:
Your hands will be quite smelly after all the garlic and horseradish, but availing yourself of some stainless steel (spoons, sinks, measuring cups) will help to cut the smell. Simply rub your hands with the stainless and the odor will magically abate!
Herbs can be added as well. Cayenne is a popular choice, but I hate cayenne so I left it out. Instead, I added some dried thyme and a few leaves of fresh sage.
Fire Cider around the interwebs:
Rosemary Gladstar's Recipe
Over at the From Scratch Club
Monday, December 5, 2011
Rehmannia, Astragalus, Agrimony
Sounds like a bizarre incantation, but, along with Prickly Ash, Blue Vervain, and White Peony, it refers to this:
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| My latest extracting endeavors. |
The minimum time for extracts is two weeks, but it can be interesting to play with longer time frames. My extracts usually sit for about three months before I remember to strain them out and bottle them. Some have even set for as long as six months (a valerian extract of the six month variety is one of my favorite creations). I guess it's a case of out of sight, out of mind - I store them in an otherwise ignored cabinet while they are doing their thing.
Notice, they are labeled. Labeling is important, especially if you work with more than one herb at a time, blends, or letting them brew for longer time periods. Besides the names of the ingredients, I like to add the date I started the extracts. Once they are poured off, I will enter the start date and press date along with the name of the herb and source of materials into my herbal log book.
There isn't any particular significance to the herbs pictured. They are some I am interested in, and some that I thought would be useful, some that a friend needed, and some that I wanted to experiment with.
I'm really looking forward to pouring these off, as I like to compare tastes, aromas, and color nuances between herbs when it's time to bottle. Making the comparisons and having the contrasts helps me get a better feel for identifying each herb. If I have identical herbs from a previous batch on hand, (say, from remaking when I began to run low, or a store bought preparation) I will also compare apples to apples.
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