Dawn419 & doc's LSTA: Confounded Computer!!!

[~gd]

Dawn, If you are having trouble keeping your mother of vinegar alive and active you should feed it! vinegar is not its food, it is the waste product of the mother bacteria. Giving it more room to grow without food is not going to help much. The dirty little secret is that she is a alcoholic she lives to break ethanol [ethyl alcohol] down to acetic acid. The best food for ACV is hard apple cider but she will drink just about anything, wine, beer or even hard booze. you just have to be sure there are no preservetives and if using booze not too much because too strong a solutiom of alcohol will kill her. Once she has been fed a little fresh air is needed, if half of the jar is head space the air will keep her alive for slow growth. If you want faster growth give her more air and "feed'.
I know this because i spent a year of my youth in a natural ACV plant.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Dawn, I'm a little jealous of your cool temps...we're still running AC non-stop if we're home. But, we're supposed to get the cool front tonigt - after topping out in the 90's today. The high tomorrow is supposed to be below 69. Shove Cheyenne over and enoy that warm bed!

Great info, gd - thanks for that!

 

[Dawn419]

~gd,

Thank you so much for that valuable information on keeping the vinegar mother alive! I truly appreciate you sharing it!


Speaking of Brrrr:

It got down to 38F @ 5 this morning...woke up from a nightmare about it snowing out! Our high today was 51 and it's been raining of and on all day again. NWS has us under a freeze watch for tonight (low of 36). High tomorrow of 58 and sunshine but a low of 35 and area frost. By Tuesday, our temps should be back to normal with highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's.

While I feel hibernation trying to set in, I am excited about this cold snap and rain as the trees should put on quite a colorful display because of it!

Could have wrung docs' neck when I got up today...he'd turned off the heater when he came to bed this morning but forgot to turn the fan off. It was just a wee bit chilly but 2 cups of coffee warmed me up right quick!

Fire cider tonic marathon is on hold until I get more horseradish and ginger so I'll be baking tonight!

Well, there's a break in the rain so I'm gonna go check the mail, grab docs' uniform and get the outdoor chores done!

Be back later!

 

[Denim Deb]

I need to make some. I feel like I have a nasty cold coming on. Need something to knock it out.

 

[Wannabefree]

I need the recipe I feel the annual bronchitis creeping in on me. It's not anything much at all at the moment, but this weather isn't helping keep it warded off either :/

 

[Dawn419]

Here's the fire cider tonic recipe:

In my opinion, no kitchen should be without fire cider!
This recipe has been credited to many different herbalists, including the late Dr. Christopher, and I've seen many variations of the recipe over the years.

I first learned it from Rosemary Gladstar back in the mid 90's.

Some folks steep this recipe for 2 weeks - others say 2 or 3 months. Personally, I find the flavor and strength I desire by steeping at least 8 weeks. However, if you need it sooner you may certainly use it after just several weeks.

For me Fire Cider is a tonic. I have always been drawn to the flavors of its ingredients and drink small amounts daily starting in the fall and all throughout the winter months.

This recipe is an inexpensive, effective way to treat or stave off colds & flus, and to break up congestion.

Some of the traditional benefits of Fire Cider's ingredients include:

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 Make Fire Cider

Ingredients

1 quart Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Horseradish root grated

1/8 cup of Garlic chopped

1/2 cup of Onion chopped

1/2 cup of Ginger grated

1 tsp Cayenne

Directions

Place all ingredients in a quart jar and cover with Apple Cider Vinegar.

Cover tightly.

Steep for 8 weeks.

Strain into clean jar.

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.

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

Individual tolerance to the heat will vary so you and your familywill want to experiment with quantity.

Personally, I can drink a small shot glass at a time. Others will want only a few drops mixed with honey, or only topically. (I once knew a woman in her late 80's who snorted small amounts from a spoon to clean out her nasal passages!)

Enjoy!

I'll making myself a cup of tea with it, after I eat dinner.

Once dinner is done, I'm going to try that bread recipe and managed to talk myself into doing 2 loaves. Doc will hopefully be bringing home ginger and horseradish roots in the morning so that I can get atleast another half gallon of the tonic made up.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Alright, you've convinced me! I'm going to add this to my list of things to do. Thanks so much for the recipe.

 

[Dawn419]

You are so welcome!

Doc and I were the only ones in the family who didn't get sick last year, due to taking the stuff. We should have caught the crud from them since we see them about twice a week.

Well, dinner is devoured so it's time to get crackin' on the bread...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I can almost smell it from here. Really, what's better than sweet smells from the oven on a cold night? Ahhhhhh...

 

[Denim Deb]

Being able to eat what's cooking.