Drinks / ginger

There has been a nasty cold going around the Berkshires, and one by one, it has taken us out. First Dan, then Sean, Amy, and Dana. I blame Dan's kids for being cute but efficient plague carriers.

Anyway, we've been hitting the amped-up virgin Fire Cider hot toddys pretty hard over the last week- and I'm happy to say we've been feeling much better!

Ingredients:

• 1 -2 tablespoons of Fire Cider
• juice of 1/4 - 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon honey, raw, local honey is best
• a healthy dose of ginger (We use 1 tablespoon frozen ginger juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, or 1 tablespoon diced fresh ginger works, too
• hot water or tea to fill your favorite mug

Warming and soothing.

Our full arsenal of anti-ick fighting home remedies includes Osha tincture, Echinacea tincture, oil of oregano (rub it on the bottom of your feet or get capsules), raw honey, Fire Cider, ginger juice, lemons, neti pot and of course, some Berkshire Bourbon for when you finally start to feel better!

Cheers!

Drinking vinegar for its myriad health benefits goes back to ancient Greece, no wait, even further, to 5000 BCE when Babylonians were using date palms to make vinegar. Warriors throughout history have used vinegar mixed with water for strength and energy. Vinegar drinks and vinegar tonics infused with herbs, roots, flowers, you name it, have been around for many centuries.

In New England farmers have been making a drink called 'switchel' to keep them hydrated and ward off heat stroke during the long, hot summer days:

"They drank a quenching beverage that functioned much like modern Gatorade: switchel, also called switzel or haymaker’s punch. It contained water, a sweetener—either molasses, maple syrup, honey or brown sugar—ginger, and cider vinegar. All the ingredients (except water) happen to be sources of potassium—an electrolyte. Molasses is especially high in potassium."

Apple Cider Vinegar is an incredibly medicinal food since it contains several different beneficial acids plus beta-carotene, amino acid, bone building minerals, enzymes, magnesium, potassium, pectin and tannins. No wonder humans have been using this super food since we figured out how to preserve apples in the form of vinegar! Here are my three favorite vinegar drinks, aka, switchels, to help keep you cool and healthy this summer:

Dana's Pomegranate Switchel

Ingredients to make one cup of Switchel concentrate:

• ¼ cup of Fire Cider
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger juice
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1 tablespoon raw honey

Shake well to combine all ingredients.

Serve about 2-4 ounces of concentrate over ice, top with soda water to make a pint.

Store leftover Switchel mix in the refrigerator.

Citrus Switchel

Makes 2 servings-

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or Fire Cider
• juice from 1/2 a grapefruit
• 1 1/2 tablespoons, or more to taste, raw, local wildflower honey
• Soda water or plain water
• 2 lime wedges

Combine the first 3 ingredients and makes sure to dissolve all the honey.

Fill two pint glasses with ice and split the switchel mix between the glasses.

Top with soda water and garnish with a lime wedge.

Dr. Earl Mindell's Switchel,  from his book 'Amazing Apple Cider Vinegar' which is also where I got some of the information for this blog post.

Makes 2 servings:

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or Fire Cider
• 1 1/2 tablespoons black strap molasses
• 2 cups warmed water (to melt the molasses)

Combine and pour over ice.

This is Dana's favorite Fire Cider recipe, probably because he came up with it! We think this drink is a perfect complement to the warm weather we are finally starting to have here in New England. In fact, switchel is basically old-fashioned Gatorade that farmers drank to stay hydrated:

"They drank a quenching beverage that functioned much like modern Gatorade: switchel, also called switzel or haymaker’s punch. It contained water, a sweetener—either molasses, maple syrup, honey or brown sugar—ginger, and cider vinegar. All the ingredients (except water) happen to be sources of potassium—an electrolyte. Molasses is especially high in potassium." Read the rest of this article HERE!

If you want to add alcohol, we recommend rum or vodka. Using this whole recipe will make a decent amount of punch for your next party; perhaps it's time for a backyard BBQ!

The following recipe is for a concentrate that will keep well in the fridge for a refreshing beverage, anytime.

These are the pomegranate molasses Dana uses, from Tran's World Food Market in Hadley, MA

Ingredients to make one cup of Switchel concentrate:

• ¼ cup of Fire Cider
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger juice
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1 tablespoon raw honey

Shake well to combine all ingredients.

Serve about 2-4 ounces of concentrate over ice, top with soda water to make a pint. Serve with a wedge of lime.

Store leftover Switchel mix in the refrigerator.

When Brian, Dana and I finish making a new batch of Fire Cider, we usually have about a half-case of oranges and a third case of lemons left over. Good thing my mom loves the fresh squeezed, organic orange juice I make for her with the left over oranges!

This was the scene in my kitchen last night:

The last batch of left over oranges, sliced and ready to juice!

I made about a gallon and a half of orange juice and two ice-cube trays full of lemon juice. The lemon juice cubes are really handy for cooking or making lemonade. Since my mom is not a fan of spice, she uses the orange juice to dilute her daily dose of Fire Cider- about one tablespoon of Fire Cider in an 8 oz glass of juice, which she uses to take her other vitamins.

Making your own juice is a little bit of work, but per ounce it's cheaper to make your own, there's no plastic packaging, and it tastes amazing. Now I know most of you are thinking, where am I supposed to get a case of oranges? If you belong to or live near a cooperatively owned grocery store, like Wild Oats, Berkshire Co-op Market, Honest Weight and many others, you are in luck! Sometimes I will contact the produce manager at The Berkshire Co-op Market in Great Barrington to round out our Fire Cider produce order or to try out new recipes. I have also bought a case of ginger more than once to juice, as this is one of my staple health foods!

Buying in bulk saves us a lot of money on the groceries we can not grow ourselves and allows Dana and I to eat only organically grown and ethically raised produce and animal foods. It's worth the time and planning for the amount of money you can save and the positive effects these healthy, whole, organic foods can have on your health!

Here are two more drink recipes that use Fire Cider as an ingredient, so drink up and stay healthy!

Extra Tangy Lemonade

This recipe requires fresh squeezed lemon juice from at least one lemon. For a pint-sized drink I like to use 3-4 whole lemons, as we regularly have a lot of left over lemons from making a batch of Fire Cider. So, naturally, we make Fire Cider Lemonade! Mix the lemon juice in a pint glass with a splash of Fire Cider and raw honey to taste, top with soda or plain water.

Winter Warm-up Tea

To make a full pot of tea, double or triple the ingredients, depending on the size of your tea pot. For one cup of tea, steep the following ingredients in 12 oz. of just boiling water for about 5 minutes: 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root and the juice from half a lemon. Cover and let the ginger-y goodness infuse the hot water. Add honey or stevia to taste and about a tablespoon of Fire Cider. Enjoy the warming, sinus-clearing, and immune-boosting benefits as often as necessary.