lemon and honey.

Oh, sweet elixir of the gods.

If you've been experiencing any of the persistant sore throat that's been loitering by me for the last few days, there's only one thing to do: boil yourself some water, squeeze in half a lemon and stir in a heaping teaspoon of honey. It's the commonest of remedies for sore throats and still, I have a sneaking suspicion that it gets cast aside in favor of lozenges and bemoaning our collective winter misery. This combo is sunshine in a glass and welcome change from the fire cider I've been swallowing with gusto. Sometimes even the most hardcore herbalist tires of smelling quite so much like a head of garlic.

If you find yourself reaching for a lemon-flavored tea or packet of fizziness, consider giving this a go instead. Lemon zinger, you've got nothing on the real thing.

PS. This honey was made by bees that live way uptown where James teaches.  Turns out the students aren't the only hard working ladies at 116th and Broadway...

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make your own fire cider.

As the weather takes a turn for the chillier side of things, it's nice to have a little something firey to warm things up and ward off germs. When I'm feeling under the weather, I like having natural cold remedies to rely on. All the better if I've made them myself. Rosemary Gladstar's fire cider has been a pantry staple for herbalists for years and I first learned to make it last year when I was still working at the farm. It was a cold-weather savior around this tiny apartment last winter, and we're hoping for a repeat this year.

The concoction packs an impressive punch and just preparing these hard-working ingredients will do wonders to clear your sinuses. Honestly, prepare yourself for some tears. You can change the exact proportions of ingredients depending on your personal taste, but I used these ingredients and proportions:

1 part chopped onion

1 part grated horseradish root (fresh is better, even if it takes searching a few markets to find it)

1 part peeled and diced ginger

1 part garlic

2 cayenne peppers

Enough apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs (I used about 20 oz of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, my favorite)

After a month (or so) of letting everything sit pretty, strain (and discard!) all the herbs and add a few tablespoons of honey--enough to make the cider just a little bit sweet. 

Once it's steeped and strained, you can sip the stuff by the spoonful as a tonic to support immune function and ease winter cold symptoms.* When you need something a little smoother, mix it up with a bit of warm water and extra honey for a spicy tea. If you're feeling adventurous, throw a dash or two on your braising greens for a spicy treat.

*Suffice to say, I'm no doctor and I'm not making any claims to the contrary, but I do hope you'll consider making a little remedy of your own!

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