Fire Cider

As Autumn begins its time for warming up and bring heat into our lives- and there's no better way than Fire Cider!  Today's Nettle Patch was hosted by Elizabeth London in Brooklyn.  She lugged at least 15lbs of ginger, onions, garlic, horseradish and burdock root up her 4 flight walk up so that we could a few gallons of fire cider to keep us warm through the winter!  Except for the addition of burdock roots and some powdered turmeric, we followed Rosemary Gladstar's famous recipe:

Fire Cider

• 1 part Garlic
• 1 part Horseradish
• 1 part Onions
• ½ part Fresh ginger
• Cayenne to taste (just a few grains will do)
• Honey to taste
• Apple Cider Vinegar.

Chop fresh garlic, onions, and horseradish into small pieces. Grate fresh ginger. The amounts and proportions vary according to your particular taste.. If unsure, start with equal amounts of the first three ingredients and roughly half part ginger the first time you make this; you can always adjust the flavors in future batches. Chop enough of the first four ingredients to fill a quart jar approximately half full. Put in wide mouth quart jar and cover with Apple Cider vinegar (keep vinegar about two to three inches above the herbs). Add cayenne to taste (just a small amount or will be too hot!). Let sit two to three weeks. Strain and discard spent herbs. Add honey to taste (add the honey after you strain the rest of the herbs).

Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy and sweet. Great as a winter time tonic and/or as a remedy for colds and coughs. I loved to take little shot glasses as a tonic and often people use it as salad dressing and/or on rice or steamed vegetables. It’s quite tasty!

     (source:http://www.sagemountain.com/rosemary-gladstar/winter-recipes.html)

     Voila! And don't they look tastey. And here are some of the medicinal properties that make this brew so good for you:

Horseradish ~ The antibacterial properties of Horseradish have been used to fight bacteria. Horseradish strongly stimulates the digestion, increasing gastric secretions and appetite. It's also a good diuretic that promotes perspiration, making it useful in fevers, colds, and flu. Horseradish is also an expectorant and mildly antibiotic, and can be of use in both respiratory and urinary tract infections.

Ginger ~ is valued for its ability to warm the stomach, to ease vomiting & nausea and to fight off colds, chills and coughs. Ginger is useful for all types of congestion in the body.

Garlic ~ supports the immune function and opens the pores of the skin to lower a fever. This herb's antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make it useful in treating bladder and kidney infections , yeast infections , strep throats and ear infections.

Cayenne ~ is useful for increasing circulation and to get mucous flowing. This herb is an anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant. It is used as a digestive aid to stimulates gastric juices. Many people report relief from migraines with this herb as well.

How to Use Your Fire Cider?

~ Rub into sore muscles and aching joints.

~ Soak a clean cloth in Fire Cider to place on a congested chest.

~ Drink it straight or diluted in a bit of water or tomato juice. Start out with a tsp or so to test your tolerance level. It can be hot!

~ Mix with a bit of honey to ease a cough.

Happy Fall Everyone!

New York Mag Show Nettles Love

Dan Drohan’s Fettuccine With Nettles and Lemon

  New York Magazine wrote this fun article about Stinging Nettles giving love to our namesake weed.  If you are looking for a fun recipe to try out with the Nettles you find in your garden or at the farmer's market give this a try.

"No ordinary weed, the wild stinging nettle takes its name from its deceptively innocent-looking leaves harboring dozens of tiny needles that pack a wallop when handled raw. (The rashy, slightly traumatized man who shot the photo you see before you will attest to that.) Not to worry. Gloves and a quick plunge in a pot of boiling water render the prickly plant harmless. Add garlic, lemon, mascarpone, and fettuccine—as in the following recipe from Otto chef Dan Drohan—and the painful memory vanishes.

Dan Drohan’s Fettuccine With Nettles and Lemon
6 oz. stinging-nettle leaves
1 lb. fettuccine (or spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini)
2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. black pepper
Pinch of chile flakes
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 1/2 tbs. mascarpone
2 tbs. Parmigiano-Reggiano


(1) While wearing gloves, pick off the nettle leaves and discard tough stems. In a pot, blanch the nettles in boiling salted water and drain. (2) Roughly chop the nettles and reserve. In a large pot, bring 8 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, black pepper, and chile flakes, and cook until the garlic is golden brown. Add the chopped nettles to the pan and toss with the garlic until the nettles are warm. Add half of the lemon juice, and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the mascarpone and half of the lemon zest with the nettles mixture. Finish cooking the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and drain. (3) Return the sauté pan to the burner over medium heat. Add the pasta and toss with the reserved pasta water and the nettles mixture. Adjust seasoning with the remaining lemon juice and zest, and more black pepper. Finish with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil. Serves 4."

Sweetleaf- Our Herbal Teas make their debute at a well loved coffee shop in Queens

Sweetleaf is a coffee shop in my neighborhood known for single-handedly bringing quality coffee to Queens. In fact everything they do is quality. And so when the owner Freddy approached me to talk teas, I already had several ideas of what would add to their already incredible menu. In particular I wanted to reach out to the pregnant and nursing community- many of whom are my clients in LIC- and who don't have as many good options for a nice coffee shop treat during the childbearing year.

Four unique teas were blended just for Sweetleaf. They include- Mommy-to-Be, Bright Eyes Cleanse, Immune Boost, and Ginger Elderberry Brew. All are good warm or iced, and I like the Mommy Tea with milk and honey. The Immune Boost smells like After Eight mints, and the Bright Eyes Cleanse, designed for computer addicts, has been the biggest seller.

I've been so over joyed with the response from clients and locals for the teas. Look for more teas to come this summer!

Local Calendula- Rooftop Farming

Our first farming experience in NYC! The nettles were given a small plot on the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm to share some medicinal herbs with our community. Of all the plants we tried- Calendula was the star and despite a very hot summer we were able to a lovely harvest of blossom which sold at the farm stand.




Here are two of our favorite things to do with Calendula blossoms:

• Oil Infusion: I love calendula oil for its vulnerary properties. It soothes the skin and heals infections. The golden yellow color brings sunshine to any area that has experienced trauma. To make: Place dried flowers in a jar to fill half way. Cover with high quality oil (I use a blend of castor oil and olive oil for a scar cream) and place in the sun. Shake daily and strain once it has a golden yellow color, about 4-6weeks.
• Facial Mask: Blend 1-2 Tbsp calendula blossoms, 1-2 Tbsp of rolled oats, and 1 tsp of lavender blossoms in a coffee grinder until you get a fine powder. If you have oil skin you can stir in 1-2 tsp green or benonite clay (for oily skin). Then add enough water to make a paste- I like using rose water or other flower-waters. Voila! A great face mask to use up to once a week.
  

Calendula itself has anti-inflammatory, astringent, vulnerary, emollient, antifungal and antiseptic properties. It has traditionally been used for wounds, diaper rash, stings, warts, varicose veins, fungal infections,abscesses, cold sores, bruises, cuts, sprains, sores, scar tissue, muscle soreness and more.