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Why Beets are One of the Best Foods You Can Eat

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Beets? If you are like me, this is one vegetable that I seldom even thought about. I can’t remember ever eating it as a kid. My mother says that her mother forced beets on her so many times that she was determined to never eat them again when she grew up! But today beets, both the root vegetable and the greens, are one of the hottest trends in food circles. They were the highlight in both the January 2016 issue of Good Housekeeping and of Bon Appetit. There are more than 1,500 recipes for beets on Food.com. And there are plenty of blurbs about beets on both Pinterest and Twitter. Restaurants are adding beets to their menus across the nation. In the last couple of years, 903 new products using beets have been introduced to the market.[1]

So maybe it’s time we took a closer look at the humble beet! Let’s consider their health benefits and see just why we should be eating beets. Then we’ll consider some of the different ways we can add beets to our menu.

Health Benefits of Beets

Beets have a wide range of benefits because of their nutritional content, including vitamins, mineral, and organic compounds like:

  • Carotenoids
  • Dietary fiber
  • Vitamin C
  • Magnesium
  • Iron
  • Copper
  • Phosphorus
  • Beneficial flavonoids

They are very low in calories and have no cholesterol, but they do have the highest sugar content of all vegetables. Here are some of the specific benefits they provide:

  • Beets fight cancer—the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories can reduce the risk of cancer. Betacyanin, the source of their bright red color, helps defend cells against harmful carcinogens. The unique fiber found in beets has been linked to lower colon cancer risk.
  • Beets lower the risk of heart disease—drinking beet juice has been reported to be able to help lower blood pressure in a matter of hours. The nitrates in beets are converted to nitric oxide, which helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels, improve blood flow, and thereby lower blood pressure.
  • Beets reduce the risk of dementia—the nitric acid produced by beets helps to increase blood flow, including to your brain. Tests done on older adults showed that after eating a high-nitrate diet that included beet juice, the adults had greater blood flow to their frontal lobes.
  • Beets boost eye health—the tops of beets, the beet greens, are a good source of lutein, which helps to protect the eyes from age-related problems like macular degeneration and cataracts. The phytochemicals in beets can help to improve overall eye health and nerve tissues.
  • Beets combat constipation—because beets are chock full of fiber, they help to keep the digestive system running smoothly.[2]

Other benefits include:

  • Reduce birth defects
  • Good for liver health
  • Prevents respiratory problems
  • Known as an aphrodisiac
  • Boost energy levels
  • Speed healing of wounds

There are many other health benefits to beets, so I highly recommend that you do some of your own research to see how they may be able to benefit your own specific health needs.

How to Select and Store Beets

Using freshly harvested beets.

If you are going to use real harvested beets here are some hints for finest the best beets to buy.

Choose small or medium-sized beets with firm roots, smooth skins, and a deep red color.

  1. Avoid beets with spots, bruises, or soft wet areas.
  2. Look for beets with fresh, tender, and bright green tops.
  3. Cut most of the tops off, leaving about 2 inches to prevent the roots from bleeding.
  4. Store unwashed beets in a plastic bag from which you have squeezed the air. They will keep up to 3 weeks.
  5. Store the unwashed greens in a plastic bag with the air squeezed out. They will only keep about 3-4 days.

Buying beets products

Many beet products are being marketed during this beet trend. I recommend that  you determine that any beet products you use are organic and free of additives and chemicals. Here are a few that I would recommend.

As you can see, there just is no reason for you not to test out my Better with Beets suggestion.

Preparing Beets for Your Menu

I want to give you some suggestions for how you can get some healthy beets in your diet. There are so many ways to use them, and I suggest you just schedule a beet for 7 days week where you try several of these suggestions.

  1. Cooking raw beets—Some of the nutrients in beets can be destroyed by heat, so it is recommended that you steam beets for 15 minutes to maximize their nutrition and flavor. If you wait to peel them after steaming, you can rub the skin off with a paper towel Note: Wear kitchen gloves!
  2. Adding raw beets to salads or soups—simply grate the amount of beets you want to use for a healthy and colorful addition to salads and soups.
  3. Beet Greens Side Dish—Beet greens are a tasty side dish, served similar to the way you would serve Swiss Chard or Kale.
  4. Add beet rounds to sandwiches—great with goat cheese or in a Reuben.
  5. Prepare pickled beets—pickled or fermented food are so good for us.
  6. Add them to certain dessert dishes for extra deliciousness—beets can be the secret ingredient to bakery items and even ice cream. (Stay tuned for a dessert recipe.)
  7. Learn to make Borscht—it is a recipe that has been passed down for hundreds of years and the authentic way to serve beets. It really is delicious, so try it for yourself.

These are just a few of the ways to serve beets. I’ve tried a few recipes, and I plan to try more. Let me share some of my favorite recipes with you.

Better with Beet Recipes

Refrigerator Pickled Beets

These pickled beets are so delicious and really easy to make. Fermented foods are full of probiotics (good bacteria), which help us to assimilate the nutrients better. It stimulates stomach acid, helping the digestive process. And fermented foods last forever in the fridge.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh beets
  • 1 small red onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cups apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cups water
  • 1 TBSP honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black peppercorns

Instructions

To prepare the beets, trim greens and root ends. Wash the beets thoroughly using a soft scrub brush, place in a pot and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat then lower the heat and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes or until beets are easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water. Peel the beets. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice the beets. Arrange the beet slices in alternating layers with the onion slices in a 1-quart canning jar and set aside. In a small saucepan, place the vinegar, water, salt, honey, black peppercorns and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and pour over beets leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Let cool completely. Screw on lid and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours before serving.[3]

Mashed Beets

Mashed beets would be a great way to introduce this trendy vegetable to your family. They are delicious, creamy and perfectly seasoned. Remember that if  you do not want red hands, you will want to wear rubber gloves while preparing these.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 beets, cleaned and peeled, and cut in 1-inch pieces
  • ¼ to ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 TBSP melted butter
  • ½ cup finely diced fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

You could either boil or roast the beets.  If you boil them, just throw them in a pot of boiling water and cook until soft.  If you choose to roast, lay the beets across an oiled cookie tray and bake at 450 degrees until soft (roughly 30 min). Once the beets are softened, transfer them to a mixing bowl. Add the milk gradually while you mash the beets, tasting as you go. Immersion blender, mixer, or food processor will do. Add the butter and parsley and continue to mix. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the dairy components if desired.[4]

These mashed beets are delicious with poultry and fish.

Luscious Beet Brownies

These beetroot brownies are not only delicious—they are also healthy for you. And they are easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. dark chocolate, 72% or higher cocoa content
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ⅓ cup raw honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup blanched almond flour
  • 2 TBSP coconut flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp sale
  • 2 cooked beets, pureed (or use organic canned beets)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees °F. Grease an 8×8 pan with coconut oil, then dust with blanched almond flour. Set aside. In a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate. (If you don’t have a double boiler then fill a skillet with a few inches of water and set a small pot in the water, place over very low heat.) Add the coconut oil and raw honey. Mix until fully combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In small bowl combine the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. In a medium bowl combine almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined. Mix in the pureed beets. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until fully set. Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting. *Tip: Use a serrated, plastic knife to cut your brownies — this makes it less likely to crumble.[5] 

More Favorite Beet Recipes

 

So—Get Eating Those Beets

I hope you’ve been able to see that there are a lot of good reasons to be eating your beets! Try some of the suggestions in my blog, or do your own research to find a recipe that sounds good to you. With so many good health benefits, it’s no wonder that the humble beet has skyrocketed to being one of the top ten trends in the food arena. So try it—you’ll like it.

“The beet must be uprooted.”

—Roland Freisler

Sources

  1. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx.
  2. https://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/05/10/6-health-benefits-of-eating-beets/.
  3. https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/beets-health-benefits/
  4. https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

[1] https://www.fona.com/sites/default/files/Beet%20Flavor%20Insight%200216.pdf

[2] These five Health Benefits are adapted from: https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/beets-health-benefits/.

[3] https://paleogrubs.com/quick-pickled-beets

[4] https://paleoparamedic.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/mashed-beets/

[5] https://blog.paleohacks.com/luscious-beet-brownie-recipe/

How to Make Ghee

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OK, I confess to being a gal with several love affairs going right now! There is my love affair with the soft, tiny new heritage Jacob’s lambs just born on our farm. There’s my love affair with essential oils, and my love for Esme, my Great Pyrenes guardian dog. None of these love affairs come even close to my love for my husband, my family, and my Lord, but there is one that has sneaked up pretty close right now—it’s my love for my homemade, delicious GHEE. I can’t keep all this buttery goodness to myself, so today I’m going to show you how to make ghee!

What is Ghee

Ghee butter

If you haven’t started using Ghee, you haven’t started living! Yeah, I know, that’s an exaggeration, but not a real big one. What is Ghee? Known best as clarified butter, ghee is 100 percent butterfat, which you end up with when you remove the milk solids, and water from unsalted butter.

Ghee has been around for ages, but was used mostly in Indian food. But it’s becoming more and more popular, especially with people making a commitment to eating only healthy, real food and those who have become a part of the natural living community.

I want to introduce you to the benefits of using ghee—other than its rich, delicious nutty butter taste—and tell you how you can use Ghee in your own kitchen, including how to make it yourself.

Oh and before I forget, I have a new recipe book called, The Home Apothecary: Home Crafted Recipes Using Herbs and Essential Oils, and in it I have 3 amazing ghee recipes! 

The Benefits of Ghee

There are many reasons to incorporate Ghee into your healthy eating plan. There are several important health benefits to Ghee, including the following:

  • Ghee can be used by lactose-intolerant people because it is lactose free. The process of creating ghee removes lactose—a sugar found in milk—and leaves a pure butter oil
  • Casein, the protein part of milk, also produces allergies for many people. However when you make ghee, the milk solids containing both lactose and casein float to the top, where they can be removed.
  • Unlike butter, which cannot be used as a cooking oil because of its low smoke point, ghee is highly heat-stable for sautéing and baking.
  • The dairy products of grass-fed beef are excellent sources of many vitamins, including vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for hormone balance, liver health, fertility and stamina. The vitamin A content of ghee is even higher than that in milk, since it is stored mainly in the butterfat.
  • Ghee is a good source of cholesterol.
  • Ghee provides vitamin K2, which is the vitamin that allows calcium to get into your bones. Calcium requires the fatty acids in ghee for absorption.

These are very good reasons for using ghee. Of course the fact that ghee is like butter on steroids says it all for me.

Fat gives things flavor.

—Julia Child

How to Use Ghee in Your Kitchen

Personally, for me at this point, it’s much harder to find reasons not to use ghee. My family loves ghee, and uses it for so many things. Although I have been making butter from our daily supply of raw wonderful milk from Holly, our Jersey milk cow, recently I have been skipping butter and going right for making ghee. My kids love it on our warm, home-made toast. I put it in my morning coffee every morning. At this point I reach for my ghee before I even reach for my butter.

But, you may just be starting to add ghee to your diet, so let me give you some very good ways you can incorporate ghee into your healthy eating routine.

  • Because ghee has the smoke point of oil, it is the ideal fat to use for sautéing, deep-frying, and grilling.
  •  Use ghee in place of butter as a spread on bread and toast.
  • Add it to your steamed vegetables
  • Put a spoonful of it on your freshly grilled steak.
  • Try adding it to your morning coffee. This is called bulletproof coffee, and you can find more information about this here.
  • Use it in any recipe that calls for cooking oil.
  • Use it in place of coconut oil or other oils for baking.

Here’s a quick snack idea for making your kids a tasty afternoon snack. Slice a slightly unripe banana (1/2-inch slices), fry the slices in ghee, turning them carefully to avoid mashing them, until they are golden brown, then sprinkle them with cinnamon and serve to your waiting snackers.

How to Make Ghee in Your Own Kitchen

how to make ghee

For people who are just beginning to use ghee, it can seem to be pretty costly. It’s usually only found in specialty stores or Indian stores, or online, often with added shipping costs, it can become a budget buster.

Making your own Ghee at home can be much easier than you think, and relatively affordable. I want to help you learn how to make it for yourself.

Equipment you will need

Your ingredients

You will need the best quality, organic, unsalted butter from grass-fed cows that you can find. I recommend Kerrygold Butter, which you can buy at Costco, and sometimes at Wal-Mart or Aldi. Of course what would be even better would be if you can get your hands on some wonderful raw milk from local grass-fed cattle.

How much butter you need will depend on how much ghee you want to end up with. One pound of butter will usually fill a 1-pint Mason jar almost full.

How to make ghee

Steps to take

  • Cut your butter into one-inch squares and add it to your saucepan over medium heat. Stir every few minutes.
  • As your butter melts, a thick, white foam will start to form at the surface.
  • Once your butter begins to simmer, turn the heat down to medium-low.
  • Let the butter simmer (no stirring) and you will soon see bubbles form. The foam will get thinner and the bubbles will become bigger and clearer.
  • The milk solids will begin to curdle. If they stick to the side of the pan, scrap them so they can sink to the bottom. As the milk solids settle to the bottom, the butter will begin to turn a nice golden brown.
  • Watch your butter carefully at this stage. When it begins to foam for a second time, your ghee is ready to be strained. You should be able to see through your butter at this point and most the milk solids would have fallen to the bottom of your pot. Do not let the milk solids to turn too dark. I wait for a little caramelization of the milk solids which makes the ghee taste “nutty”. 
  • Take it off the heat and let the foam settle for a few seconds. Then pour your ghee into your sieve which you have covered with several layers of cheesecloth.
  • Discard the milk solids left in the cheesecloth or give to pigs 🙂 .
  • Once your ghee has fully strained, you can transfer it into your waiting mason jars.

That’s it…you now have your own supply of liquid gold. If for some reason you want to use ghee, but do not want to try to make your own, I highly recommend this ghee.

Making Ghee in Your Crock Pot

Making ghee in your crock pot can be pretty simple and fast. Just place your pound of butter in the crock pot, and cook it on low for 2-3 hours. Leave the lid slightly ajar so steam can escape.

Once you see that the milk solids have settled to the bottom of the crock pot you can pour the ghee into a sieve with cheesecloth just like you do when making it is a saucepan.

Get Started

I can just about guarantee that one you start using ghee, you will never reach for the butter first again.

Life isn’t life without real butter.

—A. D. Posey

Sustainable Food – What, Why, and How

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One of this year’s hottest trends in food is changing our eating habits to a more sustainable food. In the last couple years we’ve seen huge corporations making recalls of unsafe packaged foods, like:

  • The recall of Blue Bell’s entire product line, which could be tainted with the Listeria bacteria.
  • Tyson’s recall of more than 132,000 pounds of fully cooked chicken nuggets that could have been contaminated with hard plastic.
  • Costco’s recall of its popular chicken salad because of the e.coli bacteria in it.
  • Lunchables ham and cracker stackables recall due to mislabeled allergens.
  • Target and Walmart’s recall of frozen veggies because of a potential listeria contamination.

With good reason, consumers have begun to understand the relationship between the food they eat and how it was produced. I want to look more closely at ways we can be certain that the food we choose to eat is of the highest quality. We want to eat sustainable food, which has been defined as:

“I like to say that sustainable agriculture is a production system that’s good for the environment and for people, that’s humane to animals and to food and farm workers, that supports thriving rural and urban communities. In other words, it’s the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. It’s a way of food production that generates abundance while ensuring future generations can do the same.”[1]

To put it more simply…we want to eat food that we can vouch for. We want to know who grew it, that it grew in organic soil, with natural, safe, organic practices. We want it to be economical, safe, healthy, and freshly harvested when it reaches us. And we want it to promote better physical health for us and better ecological health for our land.

I want to look closer in this blog post at ways we can begin to give our families a more sustainable diet.

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.

Why Eat Sustainable Food?

american guinea hogYou may wonder why learning to eat more sustainably really matters. There seems to be so many things we’ve done already to eat healthier food. We’ve tried to limit the amount of processed foods we buy so we can eliminate toxins, chemicals, and GMOs from our diets. We started concentrating on shopping the foods around the outside shelves in our supermarkets, rather than the inside aisles where heavily processed foods are found. We’ve begun to concentrate on buying organic foods whenever possible, even though they are often more expensive. We’ve even started buying some of our food at local farmer’s markets and food co-ops. Is the even deeper step into sustainable eating really all that important?

It is, and here is why. Sustainable eating is about more than just ourselves—it is also about the foods that are going to be available to our children and grandchildren, about the earth, and its ability to produce safe, healthy, food for the generations to come.

  • Most of the food in our grocery stores is the product of unsustainable farming. It is ever more increasingly destroying soil, contaminating water, and causing disease outbreaks.
  • Animal products are raised purely for profit, without regard for the proper care and health of those animals.
  • Our farmers are being paid by the government to monocrop—which is growing a single crop year after year on the same land, which damages the soil, depleting it of nutrients and requiring it to be heavily dependent on pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
  • Food is transported great distances, which uses large amounts of non-renewable resources, and greatly reduces the freshness of our food by the time it reaches us.

How Do We Begin Eating Sustainable Food?

We do this for our children!

So, how do we take that deeper step—move toward a more sustainable diet for our families? Here are ten steps you can take to eat healthier, shop smarter, and find great tasting sustainable food in your area:

  1. Educate yourself—do some research, talk to others, spend a little time learning about the food you are eating.
  2. Shop sustainable—don’t try to change everything overnight. Start with one item that you commit to buying organically, or at a local farmer’s market. (Find local sources here.)
  3. Ask questions—were pesticides used? What were the animals fed? How were they raised? What fertilizers were used on the plants?
  4. Eat seasonal—buy locally grown fruits and vegetables when they are in season.
  5. Grow your own—nothing tastes better than food you grow yourself, whether it be herbs on a windowsill, pots of food on a sunny patio, or an entire backyard garden.
  6. Cook—relearn (or learn) the joy of cooking. You can find great recipes online.
  7. Take back the tap—bottled water causes a lot of problems, from plastic leaching into the water to major environmental problems. Pledge to reduce your consumption of bottled water.
  8. Spread the word—help to educate others about the problems with industrial agriculture and the benefits of sustainable food.
  9. Enjoy—fresh, healthy, sustainable food from your local farmer simply tastes better.[2]

Like so many things in life, eating sustainably starts with baby steps. You don’t have to change everything all at once. When you start to feel overwhelmed, focus on just one or two things. For example, if you can’t always afford to buy sustainably raised meat, find ways to serve meat less often. Plan your weekly meals in advance, and shop with a list so you don’t overbuy. Begin to cook in bulk and freeze the leftovers for lunches or when you are short on time. Just start!

Making plans for our 2017 garden!
Making plans for our 2017 garden!

Help Me Find Time for Meal Preparation

In our fast-paced modern lives we seem to have less and less time for planning and cooking meals at home. For many, a steady diet of fast foods or prepared processed grocery store foods has become a way of life.

Don’t let time be the main reason you don’t eat more sustainably. There are many ways we can learn to simplify meal preparation. Some of these include.[3]

  1. Sign up for Real Plans – It’s my favorite meal planning website and you can customize your meal plan to what you like and don’t like.  Click here to read more about Real Plans. 
  2. Make one-pot meals—one-pot cooking methods are simple and healthy. They can be steamed, sautéed, stewed or baked. Here’s my favorite book on one-pot meals. 
  3. Crock pot cooking—slow cookers can cook your meals for you while you are away from home during the day. There is little upfront preparation, and the end result gives you healthy, tasty food.
  4. Pressure cooker meals—one of the best kitchen appliance inventions for me has been my Instant Pot. Foods cook in a fraction of the time, and they are a healthier way to cook because water-soluble vitamins and minerals are retained better than in regular pot. This is my favorite Instant Pot cookbook. 
  5. Freezer-based meals—a well-stocked and managed freezer will help you plan delicious, balanced meals efficiently. You can take better advantage of special prices on food throughout the year, which allows you to stretch your budget. And one weekend of cooking can give you enough meals for nearly a whole month. There are many online sites to help you plan some freezer meals, including Once a Month meals! 

With just a little bit of effort, you will soon be a pro at providing your family with healthy, delicious meals made the sustainable way!

This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this ain’t normal.

—Joel Salatin

Can You Share a Couple Recipes?

I’m so glad you asked, because I love being able to pass on the recipes that have enabled me to provide our family with healthy, delicious, fresh and sustainable meals. We are so privileged to be able to homestead and grow and raise so much of our own food supplies. Let me share a couple recipes that you can use with your own family’s move to a more sustainable diet. These recipes are not so much specific ingredients as they are taking advantage of locally available fresh ingredients that can make a very tasty meal.

Breakfast Frittata

We’ve become experts in my home of creating delicious, healthy breakfast frittatas from whatever we have freshly harvested from our own gardens or from the local farmer’s market in our neighborhood. Here are some guidelines for you to get creating your own fantastic breakfast frittatas.

Ingredients

Here are some ideas for fresh ingredients you may be able to use

  • 4-5 fresh, pastured eggs (our free range chickens keep us supplied with delicious, fresh eggs every day.)
  • ½ cup or so of whatever herbs are fresh in your garden (parsley, basil, chives, mint, thyme, etc.)
  • Fresh bacon or sausage (found at your local farmer’s markets and supplied by organic farmers in your area who are raising pastured pigs)
  • 2-3 handfuls of freshly harvested spinach, kale, or other greens
  • 1-2 cups of freshly harvested veggies (peppers, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, mushrooms)
  • Your choice of shredded cheese (I often have my homemade cheeses to use)
  • 1 Tbsp or so of farm-fresh butter (Holly, my Jersey cow, helps us out here)
  • ½ cup of fresh cream if needed
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt your butter in a large pan and add your veggies, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Whisk your eggs together with your cream, and stir in about half of your shredded cheese. Spread your sautéed veggies in your pre-greased pan (we love bacon fat for this). Pour your egg mixture over the top and bake for about 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and broil if desired until browned. ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Soup

Fresh chicken vegetable soup make with sustainable veggies and farm-fresh chicken is another easy meal to create for your family. If you have leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner, it is even better! Here’s some ideas to get you cooking.

Ingredients

Here are some suggested ingredients for your soup

  • Freshly made chicken bone broth (follow my recipe here)
  • Cut-up chicken (if desired, use an antibiotic-free rotissiere chicken from a grocery  store)
  • 2-3 diced carrots
  • 2-3 diced potatoes
  • 2-3 stalks of celery
  • Diced onion
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Fresh kale or spinach
  • 2-3 minced garlic cloves
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Add all your ingredients except greens to a large slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Add the greens in for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot. This delicious home-made soup can be frozen in single-serve servings if desired.

Grilled Grass-fed Meats

Our family is fortunate enough to have the magic twosome for healthy grilling—our own harvested grassfed beef and poultry, and our own grillmaster, my husband, Frank. We have had so many delicious grilled meats since he got his own Green Egg for Christmas a couple years ago. Grilling is one of the best ways to cook your fresh, grass-fed meats. Just remember these simple rules:

  • Be careful not to overcook your meet. Grass-fed meat requires less time to grill than grain-fed meat.
  • It is best grilled medium rare to medium.
  • Check the internal temperature in the thickest part. At 145-155 degrees farenheit it will be medium-rare to medium.
  • Let the meat rest a few minutes after grilling to redistribute the juices inside.
  • Don’t forget that freshly harvested vegetables are also so tasty when grilled. Just brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill.

Get Started

So, what was that reason why you haven’t started moving your family toward a more sustainable diet? Eating this way may take a bit more effort, but the rewards—for your family and their future—are just too big to pass up.

I love and trust, Real Plans meal planning service. You can pick what kind of diet you eat (traditional, paleo, vegetarian, etc) and the meal plans are seasonal and use real food ingredients. CLICK HERE to learn more about Real Plans! 

He who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, the waters, the plants, the heavens, and how to come at these enchantments, is the rich and royal man.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sustainable Food

Sources

  1. https://www.simplebites.net/10-tips-for-sustainable-eating/
  2. https://www.sustainabletable.org/568/do-you-have-to-eat-100-local-sustainable-and-organic
  3. https://eartheasy.com/eat_simplify_meal_preparation.html
  4. https://www.simplebites.net/10-tips-for-sustainable-eating/

 

[1] Anna Lappe, author and sustainable food advocate, in: https://www.marthastewart.com/1076115/beyond-organic-just-what-sustainable-food

[2] Information included in these ten steps adapted from: https://www.gracelinks.org/media/pdf/ten_steps_to_eating_sustainable_ho_20090416.pdf

[3] This section adapted from: https://eartheasy.com/eat_simplify_meal_preparation.html

Fermented Superfoods

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Whether shoppers are seeking gut health or go-for-it flavor, fermented foods and probiotics are growing like good bacteria—and they’re not just for hippies anymore. Probiotic foods have become more popular due to studies that show they can benefit both the digestive and immune systems, and fermented and pickled foods are at the top of the trend. Fermentation involves using a food’s naturally-occurring yeasts, bacteria, and other microbes to break it down. That’s how cabbage becomes sauerkraut, grapes become wine, and cucumbers become pickles.

Over the past year or so, I’ve blogged several times about fermented foods that I have tried—and loved. For example:

I want to take a closer look at the trend of fermented foods. If they’ve reached top dog status in health and wellness circles, then it’s time we learned a bit more about them.

Why Eat Fermented Foods?

Fermented foods have been used as medicine throughout history. Chinese workers ate acid-fermented vegetables while building the Great Wall of China. The Japanese have had Kimchi as part of their daily menu for centuries. The Romans used sauerkraut to treat and prevent intestinal infections. Captain Cook used sauerkraut and lime juice to prevent scurvy on his three-year journey around the world. Many African cultures use acid-fermentation to preserve gruels made from corn and sorghum.

It was once thought that the main purpose of fermentation and pickling was food preservation. People in my grandmother’s generation did a lot of it. I remember my mother talking about jars of sauerkraut in the cellar, and a crock of pickled pig’s feet (yes, yuck!) always available on the bottom shelf of the cupboard. But today we have recognized the danger of the unhealthy bacteria that is present in our bodies—and the health problems it can cause. Fermented foods are rich in good bacteria, and act as natural probiotics to support digestive health and balance bacteria in our bodies.

Fermented foods, as a group, are highly nutritious and digestible. Fermentation pre-digests foods, making nutrients more bioavailable, or easier for the body to absorb, and in many cases fermentation generates additional nutrients or removes anti-nutrients or toxins

—Sandor Katz, The Art of Fermentation

With more and more fermented food cropping up in the supermarkets and local farmers’ markets, let me suggest 5 good reasons why we should be eating more of them.

  1. You can’t digest your food alone. Good bacteria is what helps to break down what your body can’t do on its own.
  2. The good bacteria fight the bad—and usually win. We swallow disease-causing bacteria every day. But we don’t always get sick from it because the good bacteria in our body fights off the bad.
  3. Good bacteria helps your body produce many fat-soluble vitamins, including Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, and K.
  4. In order for your body to be healthy it needs balance between the bad bacteria that is problematic to your health, and the good bacteria that becomes the probiotic to allow the balance to set in.
  5. Good bacteria helps to restore your gut health after taking antibiotics. That’s a prime time for eating fermented foods because antibiotics destroy both the bad and good bacteria.[1]

Fermented food contain live cultures, which are tiny organisms in our intestines that help digest fiber, and protect us from carcinogens and other disease-related toxins.

What Are Some of the
Fermented Foods Available?

There are many different kinds of fermented foods available today. Many vegetables are great fermented, and it’s a great way to preserve your fresh harvest. Let me list 8 of the healthiest food and vegetables that you might want to try.

  1. Yogurt—this is the most consumed fermented dairy product in the United States today. But choose your yogurt carefully. Look for four things: it comes from goat or sheep milk, it’s grass-fed, it’s organic, and it doesn’t contain sugar. If you make your own (the best option), I recommend this yogurt culture.
  2. Sauerkraut—traditional sauerkraut is one of the best-known fermented foods. It is prepared from water, salt, and cabbage. Be sure to purchase raw sauerkraut, or make it yourself (recipe to follow below). I recommend this raw sauerkraut.
  3. Kombucha—made from tea, clean water, sugar, yeast and bacteria, Kombucha has become extremely popular in the last few years. After fermenting it becomes carbonated, and is a great substitute for the less-healthy soda you may consume. It is fun and easy to make yourself (see my blog) for the recipe I use to make it. I recommend this Kombucha culture scoby starter.
  4. Kefir—this is a fermented milk product (cow, goat, or sheep milk) and tastes just about like liquid yogurt. If you are choosing to drink kefir, make sure it’s organic and not loaded with sugar. If you make your own kefir, I recommend this kefir starter.
  5. Kimchi—you’ve probably tasted Kimchi at some point when you were eating Asian food. It is a spicy fermented cabbage, dating back to the 7th century. You can make your own Kimchi (recipe recommended).
  6. Pickles—we are all familiar with pickles. As a kid growing up, we knew there was always a huge jar of dill pickles in our refrigerator for snacking. When you buy pickles, choose a food manufacturer that uses organic products and ferments it the old fashion way. 
  7. Miso—you’ve probably seen and even ate miso soup when you were eating oriental food. It is created by fermenting. Because it is made from soy, which in most American products is a GMO product, many avoid it altogether. But miso is made from fermented sources of soy, which yields a completely different set of nutrients. Stick to organically grown fermented soy products like miso, tempeh or natto.
  8. Raw Cheese—raw milk cheeses are made with milk that has not been pasteurized. Goat milk, sheep milk, or A2 cow’s milk (milk containing beta-casein, found only in Jersey, Asian and African cows) produce soft cheeses high in probiotics. These cheeses can include: Mozzarella, Havarti, Baby Swiss, Sharp Cheddar, Colby, and Pepper Jack. But NOTE: You won’t find them in the same aisle with sliced sandwich cheeses and pre-shredded cheese (with wood pulp). Look in the imported European cheeses counter. I make our own raw cheeses, using this mesophilic cheese culture.

Can I Make My Own Fermented Foods?

Absolutely! That’s one of my main reasons for writing this blog. I love it when we can keep up with the latest health and wellness trends by making our own products. There are many websites that can help you get started, including this one. I currently make several fermented foods, including sauerkraut, kombucha, sourdough bread, and my most recent love, Fire Cider. I want to share a couple of my recipes with you.

Kombucha

Kombucha is an ancient elixir that has a history of starting in China and, somehow, made its way over here to America. It is a sort of “tea” that is infused by fermentation with beneficial bacteria, probiotics, and yeast and is great for your gut and overall health. It is made from either using black or green tea, and some herbal teas, some sugar (which the yeast feeds on), and lots of patience.

Why do I drink it? Well, first of all, I’m cheap. I am a self-proclaimed cheapo and the cost of probiotics is just ridiculous. The cost to make a gallon of Kombucha is around $1! The cost to buy a 16 ounce bottle of Kombucha from a health food store is $4! The cost to buy a bottle of probiotics is $40! Hmmm, tough decision but I’ll stick with my cheap Kombucha!

You can find my easy, 6-step method for making Kombucha here.

Sauerkraut

I don’t think you can find better sauerkraut than that prepared by Germans for centuries before this. We have a German restaurant here in Asheville, North Carolina that serves the best sauerkraut I’ve ever tasted. But you can make your own, just as I do, by following an easy recipe passed down from Germany.

You will use shredded cabbage, juniper berries, caraway seeds, yellow mustard seeds, pickling salt, and filtered water. You can find the recipe, which is the one I use, here.

Eat Some Fermented Food Every Day

Fermented and cultured foods are a wonderful source of probiotic bacteria needed to support good health. Here are some simple ways you can add some to your menu every day.

Breakfast

Have some kefir to start your day.

Add some fermented salsa to your scrambled eggs.

Lunch

Enjoy some chopped pickles in your salad, tuna, or ham salad sandwiches.

Use fermented mayo instead of store-bought mayo.

Dinner

Make sauerkraut one of your evening side dishes.

Try making your own Italian dressing with kombucha.

Snacks

Have a slice of sourdough bread with some kefir dill spread.

Serve a kefir soft-serve ice cream for dessert.

So now you have some of the tools you need to get started adding fermented foods to your diet. Experiment with many, and do your own research to find the ones you like best. Most of all—GET STARTED!

To ferment your own food is to lodge a small but eloquent protest – on behalf of the senses and the microbes – against the homogenization of flavors and food experiences now rolling like a great, undifferentiated lawn across the globe.

—Michael Pollan

Fermented Superfoods Pin

Sources

  1. https://www.drdavidwilliams.com/gut-health-and-the-benefits-of-traditional-fermented-foods/
  2. https://draxe.com/fermented-foods/
  3. https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/the-9-best-fermented-foods-for-your-gut/

[1] https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/reasons-eat-more-fermented-foods/

Time for a Teatox? The Scoop on Detox Teas

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Generations ago our ancestors had very little reason to be concerned about toxins entering their bodies. They drank pure water and ate fresh, unpolluted organic foods that were grown on land never polluted with chemicals. But things have changed a lot for our generation. Especially in the last 60 years, more toxins have entered our environment that ever before. Toxins lodge is cells, tissue and muscles until our bodies are completely overwhelmed. And a companion problem is the fact that so many necessary nutrients have been completely destroyed in our land, our sources of meat, and our crops of fruits and vegetables. Add that to the fact that most Americans purchase as much as 80-90 percent of their foods, health products, and cleaning supplies from the chemically laden, toxin-filled canned, boxed, and packaged aisles in our grocery stores.

So it’s no big surprise that on many days—for no apparent reason—we feel sluggish, depressed, weak, and suffering from unexplained illnesses. Our bodies are being slowly poisoned because our detox systems are not strong enough to protect our bodies from all the toxins we are piling in.

I want to suggest one way we can begin to rid our bodies of these toxins —using detox teas. Let me quickly add that there is no one miracle way to do this. A detox tea will have little effect unless we are making many more healthy choices to eliminate toxins from our bodies and finding ways to prevent them from ever entering it.

Toxin Tragedies

Before we look at detox teas, let’s find out a bit more about the effect toxins have on our bodies. Here are a few things to think about:

  • Toxins accumulate in fat tissue and breast tissue.
  • Toxins like PCBs and dioxins affect your endocrine system, causing harmful health affects like decreased sperm count and testicular cancer in men, early puberty in girls, endometriosis in women and exposure to high levels of estrogen in babies.
  • Some toxins are persistent and stay in your body for many years.
  • Mothers can pass toxins to babies in the womb or while breastfeeding.
  • Toxins have a stronger effect on children’s developing bodies. Exposure can lead to conditions such as eczema, hives, asthma, headaches, dyslexia, irritability, infections, autism, PDD, ADHD and ADD.
  • Over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the US alone. Adults and children consume these pesticides, causing health problems like heart rate changes, nausea, muscle cramps, confusion, emotional instability, diarrhea, difficulty breathing and even death.
  • Seemingly innocent products like household cleaners and lawn care products contribute to your toxic load. 
  • Most beauty products are loaded with toxins. Your shampoo, toothpaste, body lotion, facial cream and other products may be causing aging and other harmful affects due to toxic chemicals in the ingredients. Even health food store products may contain toxic chemicals.
  • Over time, the daily onslaught of these toxins can clog up your detoxification pathways and lead to illness and dis-ease.[1]

It is so important for our health that we are doing all we can to support the proper function of our detox systems. One way we will look at to do just that is by using detox teas.

detox teas

The Benefits of Detox Teas

Detox teas have been around for years, especially among people who shopped at health-food stores or consulted with alternative practitioners. They’ve become big business today. Social media sites are filled with examples of celebrities, TV shows, and sports/fitness gurus praising their chosen detox tea. Have you ever wondered—“Do they really work? Are they safe?”

What you should know about detox teas

Before I give you some of the benefits, let me just mention some things we should know about detox teas.

  • Detox teas can contain ingredients that cause negative effects for some people. Before using any detox tea, be sure you know the ingredients and be sure you are not allergic to any of them.
  • Detox teas can increase or decrease the absorption of drugs or herbs you are taking at the same time. Be sure you know the side effects of the tea you are taking.
  • The diuretic effects of most detox teas can raise the risk of dehydration in some people.
  • Because many detox teas contain caffeine, it can interfere with getting enough sleep. Avoid them at least six hours before bedtime.

Detox teas need to work in partnership with a healthy diet. In order to really detoxify your body you need to also cut processed and fried foods, up your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins and healthy fats. Once your diet is clean and gentle on your body, detoxifying teas can begin to do the work of getting rid of those pesky toxins.

Important benefits of detox teas

Now let’s look at some of the healthy benefits to detox tea.

  • Appetite Suppressant—detox teas have the effect of making you feel less hungry, and therefore, less likely to snack.
  • Aide Digestion—the natural compounds in most detox teas aid the digestive process and speed up the emptying of the colon, removing waste from the body.
  • Removes Toxins—the natural herbs in detox teas assist the liver in detoxifying the body of alcohol, caffeine, smoke, and other food additives. They lead to the improved activation of detox enzymes in the liver.
  • Boosts the Immune System—detox teas are high in antioxidants, which shield your body from free radicals that can trigger healthy issues.
  • Increases Metabolism—this allows your body to burn extra calories, even when you are at rest. Detox teas can have a thermogenic effect that burns fat and decreases fat storage in your body.

All of these benefits can get you on the journey to better health.

2016’s Best Detox Teas

detox teas

There are many detox teas available online. Unfortunately, not all of them are made with the purest of ingredients. If you are choosing a detox tea product there are 3 important qualities to watch for.

  • It contains research-proven ingredients.
  • The company making it is based in the USA.
  • It has minimal laxative effect.

Once you have checked these qualities, you can safely use a detox tea product. Some of the teas that have been rated best and healthiest are shown below:

Slimming Leaf Tea Combination —This combination includes one detox tea for daytime, and another for overnight. The teas are made by Cellular Research Institute in the United States. Crucial ingredients are free of exposure to harmful pollutants or toxins.

Green Root Wellness Organic Detox Tea —Rated as one of the Best and most effective cleansing diet tea’s for both Men and Women. 100% Organic Ingredients – Made with only the highest quality green tea and other natural herbal ingredients.

Dr. Stuart’s Hibiscus Ginger Goji Berry Tea —Hibiscus is considered by many to be one of the most powerful natural detoxifying ingredients, and it’s the star of this stimulating and refreshing blend. We make a Fire Cider Cold and Flu tonic using hibiscus (recipe here). 

Traditional Medicinals EveryDay Detox Tea —With ingredients like burdock and dandelion root, this tea helps promote healthy liver function.

MateFit 28-Day Detox Tea —Kiss unhealthy bacteria in the stomach and colon goodbye when you drink this down every other night.

Yogi Detox Tea —This brand has several great detox teas. As one of the brand’s best sellers, this detox tea gently supports the cleansing of organs like the liver and kidneys for an overall healthier you.[2]

DIY Detox Teas

Now you gotta know this could not be a Paleo Mama blog without some DIY recipes. You can make your own detox teas, and I have three recipes for you that could be the perfect solution to clear out those nasty toxins from your body. Here are some recipes for you to try.

Homemade Echinacea Tea

detox teas

Echinacea can be a super herb, both after a detox and generally for immune and system support. It increases the body’s overall ability to dispose of bacteria, infected and damaged cells, toxins and other harmful chemicals. We were fortunate to find that our farm came with a garden patch of Echinacea plants, and as I learned more about this plant, I discovered how useful it can be to help detox our bodies. I want to share with you my favorite Echinacea Tea recipe as well as much more information about the plant and its uses. You will find more information in my Echinacea blog here.

Ingredients

Directions

Simmer 8 ounces of water in a small pot over medium heat. Add the fresh or dried Echinacea. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain tea into a mug and add honey!

 I’ll let you in on a little “Ritz farm” secret—I am really attracted to the wonderful homemade Echinacea tea that I can brew from my perennially blooming Echinacea plants! Please read my blog to find out how to grow and harvest Echinacea, and to find a DIY recipe for Echinacea Tea.

Green Tea Detox Recipe

detox teas

Green tea is one of the most recommended ingredients for natural detoxing. There are many green detox tea recipes online, and one of my favorites is this one.

Ingredients

The ingredients you will use are:

  • Strawberries
  • Cucumber
  • Lemon
  • Green tea bag
  • Honey
  • Water

 To view the whole recipe, please go here. 

Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Tea

I have known the tremendous benefits of apple cider vinegar (with the mother) for a long time, and try to incorporate it into my diet whenever possible. If you have not found out about the magical properties it has, I recommend you begin your own research right now! Aside from aiding your detox, apple cider vinegar can help cure even the gravest of conditions, but for detox purposes you have to drink it. It might be a bit difficult to wash down on its own, so here is a super simple apple cider vinegar detox tea recipe that you can make at home.

Ingredients

Go here to read the directions on how to make this ACV tea! 

“How Do I Use My Detox Tea?”

The many prepared detox tea products available will each have information for how to detox using that tea. But when you make your own detox tea, you may not be confident that you really know how to use it. I want to make a few suggestions for you here.

  1. Morning—as soon as you get out of bed, made a hot cup of your detox tea to wake up your organs and kick-start your metabolism. You can have another cup of the tea about a half hour later, if desired, which will give you the antioxidant, vitamin, and energy boost you need for the rest of the day.
  2. Daytime—throughout the day, drink several cups of your detox tea.
  3. Nighttime—drink a cup of your detox tea. If desired, you could add a teaspoon of a natural herb that has great effectiveness for cleansing your colon. Try Senna, ginger root, cayenne or fennel. This will help to provide you with an overnight colon cleanse.

Follow this routine for 7, 14, or 28 days at a time. Don’t forget to change your food and meal plans for a healthier menu at the same time. You will be surprised at all the benefits you see from this simple commitment to detoxing your body.

If we don’t take care of this, the most magnificent machine that you will ever be given.…where are you going to live?

—Karyn Calabrese

detox-teas
Image credit

[1] https://www.savvy-team.com/hww/the-dangers-of-toxic-deposits-in-your-body/

[2] The six teas mentioned in this section were found at: https://www.bestproducts.com/eats/drinks/g552/best-detox-tea-cleanses/?

“Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe

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We have begun making Fire Cider as a part of our Home and Farm Apothecary.  Fire Cider is a homeopathic fermented tonic, praised for its flavors and its ability to fight off digestive bacteria and digestive problems. It’s a spicy, warming drink that usually contains horseradish, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper.

Adding fermented foods and drinks to our eating plans is one of the top trending topics currently in health and wellness circles. I’m currently working on a blog post on “Fermented Superfoods,” which I can’t wait to share with you!

Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar created the first Fire Cider in her herbalist school kitchen in the early 1980s. She had a sincere desire to teach her students how to make herbal preparations that were as much food as they were medicines. Fire Cider was one of the early cross over recipes that came from her constant experimentation in medicinal herbalism.

I am so grateful for the contribution of herbalists like Rosemary Gladstar and my own herbalist instructor, Juliet Blankespoor of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, who are helping people like me and others who are interested in knowing better how to use the natural herbs and plants of the earth to maximize the health of our families. I will tell you more about the great Herbalism school I attend in the post below.

What Is Fire Cider?

Fire Cider is a spicy hot deliciously sweet vinegar tonic. It is an especially healthy tonic to have available during the fall and winter months when seasonal colds and flus are creating havoc with many people’s health. 

When I first heard of Fire Cider and its variety of ingredients my first thought was the same of many others, “You want me to drink THAT?” The base ingredients include:

  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Ginger
  • Horseradish
  • Hot peppers

Believe me, you would probably want to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before you got too close to your loved ones after Fire Cider made only with those ingredients! There are plenty of other herbs that can be thrown in, with everyone opting to add in their own favorite choices. You can take Fire Cider straight—by the spoonful (or swig)—and I’ll share my favorite recipe for how to make that below.

Health Benefits of Fire Cider

The many health benefits of fire cider come from the ingredients used to make it. Let me list a few of the ingredients, showing each ingredient’s health benefits.

  • Horseradish—it has many antibacterial properties, and is used to fight bacteria. I stimulates digestion, and increases gastric secretions and appetite. It’s also a good diuretic, promoting perspiration, which is useful in treating colds, fevers, and flu. It is also an expectorant and mild antibiotic, useful with both respiratory and urinary tract infections.
  • Ginger—it helps to warm the stomach, ease vomiting and nausea, and fight off colds, chills, and cough. It is useful for all kinds of congestion in the body.
  • Garlic—it supports the immune function, and opens the pores, which helps to lower fever. It has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that are useful in treating kidney and bladder infections, yeast infections, strep throat and ear infections.
  • Cayenne—this herb is useful for increasing circulation. It also helps to get phlegm flowing. It is often used as a digestive aid to stimulate gastric juices. Many people have even found that cayenne can give relief from migraines.[1]
  • Raw Apple Cider Vinegar—there are many benefits to apple cider vinegar. The primary ones include: it can kill many types of bacteria, preventing them from multiplying or reaching harmful levels; it lowers blood sugar levels and fights diabetes; it lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease; and it may have protective effects against cancer.[2]
  • Honey—it has been called “liquid gold” because of its numerous benefits. A simple list of some include:
    • Alleviates allergies
    • Is an excellent source of all-natural energy
    • Boosts memory
    • Is a cough suppressant
    • Aid in sleeping
    • Treats dandruff
    • Can be used to treat wounds and cuts
  • Turmeric—this is one of the world’s healthiest foods. While once focused on anti-inflammatory benefits, decreased cancer risk, and support of detoxification, studies on turmeric intake now include its potential for improving cognitive function, blood sugar balance, and kidney function, as well as lessening the degree of severity associated with certain forms of arthritis and certain digestive disorders.[3]

So it’s easy to recognize why you want to have some fire cider ready when those achy, stuffy feelings appear suddenly. As for me, I just like to enjoy a dose of fire cider for no better reason than the homey, comforting and relaxing feelings it wakes up in me whenever I drink it.

They say food is the best medicine. In some cases, that truism can be taken quite literally.

My Favorite Fire Cider Recipe

I feel very honored that my Herbalist Instructor, Juliet Blankespoor of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, has given me permission to share her Hibiscus Pomegranate Cheater Fire Cider recipe with you. I made this for my medicine making course and just LOVED it so much that I didn’t want to recreate my own or alter it in any way. Two of her main ingredients are: 

  • Hbiscus leaves (where to buy)—they help to clear harmful and unwanted toxins from your body, are a good skin cleanser, regulate hormonal balance, and boost energy. They give this fire cider the beautiful, deep red hue that makes it extra special!
  • Pomegranate—they reduce arthritis and joint pain, lower blood pressure, fight bacterial infections, and improve memory. You can use either the fruit or POM juice for this recipe. 

I have already given you (above) the health benefits for the other base ingredients used.

Image of Hibiscus taken by Juliet Blankespoor

In April, I applied for Juliet’s herbal medicine school and I have enjoyed every, single second of it. As an avid essential oil user, I debated back-and-forth about going to an aromatherapist school or an herbalist school. But since we have a farm and garden and I love growing things, I wanted to learn all about soil, plant propagation and the medicinal benefits of herbs that I can cultivate and grow in my own garden. I haven’t been disappointed one bit! This online herbalism school is even based out of my growing zone, which is helpful, but not important. Juliet is extremely detailed and her photography skills are incredible (which is very helpful when looking at parts of plants). 

The herbal immersion program is 1-2 years long and you have the option of earning an “herbalist” certificate. There is a shorter program for those who just want to learn some herbal medicine making and I would recommend that to anyone who wants to learn more about salves, tonics, body butters, beginning tincturing, and so much more. 

“Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe

re-posted with permission. Original recipe posted here. 

hibiscus-fire-cider-bb2

Let’s take a look at the recipe for this fire cider.  You will notice that this is a recipe for cheater fire cider. Why?  Typically fire cider is made by using a fermenting process of placing the ingredients in a glass jar and letting it sit for six weeks. This recipe is a one-day affair and you can use the cider made with this recipe immediately (especially helpful if you are making this because you are sick). If you would rather make a stronger cider by using the traditional fermenting time, you can use this same recipe, but hold the pomegranate juice to be added right before you strain the cider. You would also skip the heating part.

Juliet’s recipe makes eight to ten 8-ounce bottles, but since I know most of you are going to be making this for just home-use, I’m going to give you the amounts to make 2 8-ounce bottles. Double, triple or quadruple the recipe if you are making it for gifts!. This milder, sweeter Hibiscus pomegranate Fire Cider is a great way to become herbally initiated to its taste. (IDEA: it would make a great Holiday gift.) 

Ingredients

Directions: 

  1. Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne, with enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Blend carefully with the lid on, and take care not to let fumes or slurry enter your eyes.
  2. Place the slurried spiciness in a double boiler. Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot in a bigger pot or saucepan and use a couple of upside-down mason jar rings to keep the inside pot up off the outside one. Add a little water to the outside pot and voila – double boiler! Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the slurry and keep the heat on low, with the lid on! Let the mixture heat on low (don’t let it get above 120 degrees) for three hours, stirring once in a while. Again, careful with the fumes!!!!
  3. Meanwhile, back at the bat cave, peel your oranges and de-seed the pomegranates, sneaking off a nibble or two. Put on an old apron and mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.
  4. After a couple hours, taste the slurry. If it’s too mild for your fire cider pleasure, this is your chance to add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cook time, turn off the heat and add the hibiscus and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color- if it’s too light in color add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. If it’s not a deep red, then throw some more hibiscus flowers in there until you get the color you desire.
  5. You will need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will loose a great deal of the medicine. Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved. Place in clear glass jars, label and refrigerate. 

I love this Cheater Fire Cider recipe, and I’m pretty sure you will too. The dosage is one teaspoon as needed. My husband and I take one swig a day during the fall and winter months. If one of us is sick, we will take multiple swigs a day. 

This fire cider is TOO spicy for children. I recommend giving children (over 12 months) Elderberry Syrup during the fall and winter months. You can see my Elderberry Syrup recipe here. 

Get Started

This fire cider is one more healthy addition to your conscious effort to eat (or drink) more health-filled fermented foods. Get started now on your journey to better health.

A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison.

—Francis Bacon

cheater fire cider

Sources

  1. https://www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com/recipe/fire-cider
  2. https://mountainroseblog.com/fire-cider/
  3. https://modernfarmer.com/2015/12/cold-remedies-fire-cider/

[1] These first four ingredient were adapted from: https://www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com/recipe/fire-cider

[2] https://authoritynutrition.com/6-proven-health-benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar/

[3] https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78