From the garden to the table, we take a deeper look at herbs, various plants or trees which have active constituents, and we prepare them in the best methods possible to enhance our overall health and well-being. Join us on our journey as we explore the possibilities of each seed, root, bark, leaf, flower and more.
Emily & Dilmar enderle
My husband and I had an overabundance of jalapeno and chili peppers in the summer of 2020. We could not pick them fast enough. Truly it was a joy and made us laugh. Waking up to pick the ones that were ripe and to see the new blooms, brought us into the garden early each morning.
It really began with a question. What will we do with all these peppers?
Of course, we made soups and sauces. We gave some away to the local farmers market. We gave some to family and friends. Then we learned to pickle them. Still we had so many peppers left.
I threw them in Apple Cider Vinegar, researched a bit on what else might go with it such as rosemary or hibiscus sabdariffa, and called it mistakenly a tincture. I later learned this was actually a thing. It is called an acetum or an oxymel, if honey is added, and in the herbal community it is revered as Fire Cider.
Who knew! And so our journey began.
emily enderle
Tincture your tea; Boost your immune system; It's in the trees!
Capsicum annuum 'jalapeno' belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Hot peppers such as this one has capsaicin which is an alkaloid responsible for its spicy taste.
Capsaicin supports the cardiovascular system and may even help with weight loss. It has been known to boost the immune system.
Jalapenos are a good source of fiber, Zinc,Vitamin C and B6.
Fire Cider comes in many shades. Here is one of the recipes I have used for this incredible immune booster:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup ginger root peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup grated horseradish root
8 chili peppers, chopped
1/2 lemon, sliced and organic if you use the peel
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 tablespoon of dried hibiscus sabdariffa
(Do not add hibiscus sabdariffa if you have hypotension.)
Pour Apple Cider Vinegar over the ingredients.
It is important to fill the glass container all the way
to the top so nothing is exposed to air.
Let sit for 4 to 6 weeks then strain the ingredients.
The dose is a tablespoon -- add honey.
Start with a small dose and work up to it. Daily or as needed.
According to the Scoville Scale, Habanero peppers are one of the hottest peppers with a scoville heat unit (SHU) of 100, 000 to 350,000.
It is only superseded by the Ghost peppers at 1 million SHU and Carolina Reapper peppers at 2.2 million SHU.
Scoville heat unit is a measurment of the number of times capsaicin needs to be diluted by sugar-water.
The test came from Wilbur L. Scoville in 1912.
Here is a spicy hot immune boost. Tincture fresh Habanero, Chili powder, and Cinnamon
6 Fresh Habanero peppers cut with seeds
1 Tablespoon of chili powder
1 stick of cinnamon
2 cups of Vodka
Let sit for 6 weeks and shake daily.
Place in a cool, dry and dark place. Strain and use a funnel to pour into a dropper bottle. Start with one drop and work up from there.
This is an herbal preparation, not a drink. Please be gentle with the dose.
It is perfectly okay to put a few drops in a cup of water and add honey.
Pickled Pepper Recipe: In a medium sauce pan combine 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup filtered water, 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 4 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.
Heat to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once at a boil; add 15 sliced jalapenos pressing them so they are submerged under the pickling liquids. Remove the pot off of the heat and let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer the jalapenos into a clean jar. Pour the pickling juices over the jalapenos until you've reached the top of the jar. Let cool at room temperature before securing a lid and putting them into the fridge.
I personally, would treat these as I would any opened jar of jalapenos. They should last a long while if kept refrigerated in the airtight jar.
I enjoyed this exquisite plant in tea and salad before considering it as a tincture.
Glechoma hederacea, Ground Ivy
Actions: astringent, diuretic, gentle stimulant, tonic
Indigenous to Europe and Asia. Introduced to North America as a medicinal and cover plant in the 1800s.
It is an aromatic plant in the mint family, and its tiny lavender flowers are tubular in shape.
Taken for coughs, colds, and bronchitis, it is great for the upper respiratory system.
The antioxidant qualities in the leaves have been known to help expel heavy metals similar to parsley and oregano.
Ground Ivy is High in Vitamin C which helps to boost your immune system. The leaves have many amino acids and fatty acids as well.
Ground Ivy also contains rosmarinic acid. This is a constituent usually found in rosemary. However, both ground ivy and rosemary are from the Lamiaceae family. Many plants in the mint family contain rosmarinic acid which helps to decrease inflammation.
Caution: Ground Ivy is a contraindication to individuals taking blood thinners because of the Vitamin K found in the leaves. Ground Ivy has pulegone which is a naturally occurring organic compound also found in pennyroyal and mentha piperita, and can be a hepatoxin when used for extended amounts of time.
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Tincture recommendation by Michael Moore:
Leaves, fresh plant tincture (1:2) 40% ABV,
5-15 drops as needed.
Standard infusion, 1-3 ounces to 4x a day
Syrup Recipe below
Ground Ivy Syrup with fresh leaves
The first step is a decoction:
Bring 1 part of fresh leaves and 16 parts of water to a boil. Turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes with a tight lid.
Next, let it cool slightly and strain out the leaves. Use half of the original measurement of the water -- sometimes that will be around what you have after simmering. If it is a little less, add distilled water back to bring it to the correct measurement. Then add 8 parts of honey, or add the honey to taste.
Echinacea purpurea
Add second-year roots to glycerine to make a glycerite.
Add flowers, leaves and second-year roots to Vodka for a powerful immune boosting tincture.
Leave a few flowers for the butterflies & bees.