Medicinal Food
Organized Alphabetically
Apple Cider Vinegar
Prep time: 6-8 weeks
Shelf life: Indefinite
Ingredients
Clean jar and fermentation weight or second smaller glass jar
Organic apple scraps (peels and/or cores)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups filtered water
Cheesecloth/coffee filter with rubber band or fermentation jar top
Making
Fill your jar 3/4 of the way full with your apple scraps. Make syrup by dissolving 1 tablespoon of sugar into 1 cup of warm water. Pour syrup over the apple scraps until they are completely submerged. (Add more water if needed to cover scraps.)
Weigh down the apples with a fermentation weight or with the small glass jar. (Any apples that are exposed to the air could mold.) Cover with the cheesecloth / coffee filter and secure with the rubber band or use a fermentation jar top.
Store in a dark place at room temperature, like a kitchen cabinet, and let sit for about 3 weeks. Check on it every few days to make sure the scraps are underwater and that no mold is growing.
After 3 weeks, strain the apples scraps and return the liquid to the jar and re-cover with cheesecloth/fermentation cap. Put the jar back in a dark spot for another 3-4 weeks, stirring every few days. The vinegar is done when it reaches the tartness level you like. When ready, seal with lid or decant into a different bottle/jar and use as you see fit.
Fire Cider
From: Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Prep time: 3-4 weeks
Shelf life: Indefinite
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3-4 tablespoons freshly grated gingeroot
3-4 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized)
honey
cayenne pepper
Making
Combine onion, garlic, ginger and horseradish in a widemouthed glass quart jar and add enough warmed apple cider vinegar to cover them. Place the jar in a warm spot (near a sunny window is fine) and let sit for 3-4 weeks.
Strain liquid into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and discard spent herbs. Add honey and cayenne to taste
Using
Use 1-2 tablespoons every 3-4 hours at the first sign of a cold. Use liberally for flavoring on foods.
Four Thieves Vinegar
From: Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Prep time: 3-4 weeks
Shelf life: Year
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup lavender flowers
1/2 cup rosemary leaves
1/2 cup sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thyme leaves
1 teaspoon clove powder
Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized)
Making
Place garlic and herbs in a widemouthed glass quart jar and add enough warmed apple cider vinegar to cover them. Place the jar in a warm spot (near a sunny window is fine) and let sit for 3-4 weeks.
Strain and pour into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dark location, where it will keep for a year.
Using
Take 1-2 tablespoons every 3-4 hours to ward off illness. Use liberally for flavoring on foods.
Garlic Herb Oil
From: Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Prep time: 30 mins
Shelf life: Weeks to months
Ingredients
Several cloves of garlic, chopped
Rosemary
Thyme
Oregano
Olive Oil
Making
Combine garlic and several teaspoons of blended herbs in a small pan. Add enough oilice oil to cover them by an inch or two. Warm over very low hear for 30 mins or until the oild tastes strongly of herbs.
Pour oil into glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. (If you want, you can strain the herbs out.) Store in a cool, dark location where it will keep for several weeks or in the fridge, where it will keep for months
Using
Eat on bread, crackers, soups, rice, or on pasta.
Pickled Garlic
From: Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Prep time: 6-8 weeks
Shelf life: Year
Ingredients
Garlic cloves
Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized) or tamari
Honey
Making
Fill a widemouthed glass jar with whole peeled garlic closed. Add enough tamari and/or apple cider vinegar to completely cover garlic. Place the jar in a warm spot (near a sunny window is fine) and let sit for 3-4 weeks.
Strain liquid into bowl. Set half of the liquid aside to be used in a salad dressing and marinades. Place the rest of the liquid in a saucepan and add and equal amount of honey. Warm over very low heat, stirring until the honey is thoroughly mixed into the tamari/vinegar.
Pour this sauce back over the garlic, recap, and let sit another 3-4 weeks. Store in a cool, dark location, where it will keep for a year or longer.
Using
Eat as is. Will not cause stomach issues since it is pickled.
Holy Basil Long-Life Vinegar
From: Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Prep time: 3-4 weeks
Shelf life: Indefinite
Ingredients
holy basil
Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized)
Making
Pack a widemouthed glass quart jar about 3/4 of the way full with holy basil. Fill the jar nearly full with apple cider vinegar. Put on the lid and shake a fews times.
Place the jar in a warm spot (near a sunny window is fine) and let sit for 3-4 weeks. Strain and pour into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Using
Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons over your salad or drink a small shot of it (1/4 cup or less).
Nettle Pesto
From: Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Ingredients
1-2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pine nuts, walnuts, or cashews
2-3 cloves garlic
Several handfuls freshly picked nettles
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Making
Combine olive oil, nuts, and garlic in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
Add the nettles (raw and unsteamed) a (gloved) handful at a time and blend thoroughly, until the pesto becomes a creamy paste. (As long as you blend and puree the nettles well, there should be no stinging.) Add the Parmesan and stir well.
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