BUT FIRST...a Wildcraft! update!
We have gotten LOADS of emails asking "When can I order Wildcraft!"
For those who have not been keeping up, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game is our new board game that teaches edible and medicinal plants.
The GOOD NEWS is that with the next Herbal Branch, you will be able to order it!
The NOT as good news is that we will be taking pre-orders. The actual game will ship in November.
The other GOOD NEWS is that pre-ordering gets you a discount and a really cool bonus gift...and a copy of the game guaranteed!
So, hold tight... It's coming! We DID get the prototype copy and IT IS COOL!
NOW...on to our regularly scheduled Herbal Branch...
Does it feel like autumn where you live yet?
Well, after a long dry summer, the rains have come early to Washington this year and the autumn chill is in the air.
Yesterday, I made some pumpkin bread from a mix and I find myself looking forward to the Cinderella pumpkins my CSA (community supported agriculture) farm has promised for the first week in October.
Recently, I discovered the perfect drink for this time of seasonal transition, a molasses switchel.
The molasses gives it a deep, rich brown (very fall-like) color, and it has lots of warming gingerroot mixed in as well. Not only that, it’s a great way to get some of your herbally infused vinegars into your diet, giving your body a little extra boost so you can make it through the seasonal transition without ending up with a cold.
Before we get on with the recipe let’s talk for a moment about infusing herbs in vinegar.
Plant leaves, roots, and fruits can all be soaked in vinegar for about 6 weeks and the vinegar will draw out the minerals (and also color and taste).
For the switchel I made this month, I chose to add dandelion root vinegar, made with roots harvested from our garden last fall.
I dug the roots, washed them carefully, chopped them up, and filled a quart mason jar with them. Then I poured apple cider vinegar over them, capped it with a plastic lid and let it sit for 6 weeks before straining it out.
We provide more information on herbal vinegar making in the first Branch of the Roots and Branches course available with the Herbal Medicine Making Kit.
But now, let’s get on to our Switchel Recipe…
Well, you’ll need 3 to 4 quarts of water, 1⁄2 cup of cider vinegar (preferably one you’ve infused with herb minerals), 3⁄4 cups of honey (or 1 1⁄2 cups sugar if you prefer) 1/3 cup of molasses, and 2 ounces of fresh grated gingerroot.
