July 10th, 2017

In the winter, I drink copious amounts of hot tea.  I am a tea maker.  I drink tea to stay in balance, which results in optimal health.  I drink tea in lieu of taking vitamins, minerals, supplements and pharmaceutical medicines.  Steeping plants in water is, in fact, the original medicine, it’s “traditional medicine”.
When I say tea, I don’t mean “Camellia sinensis”, the Asian tree that we cannot grow here.  I mean a mixture of over 100 roots, leaves, flowers and seeds that I call my Apothecary.
In summer months I still drink copious amounts of tea, but they transform into a variety of cold and room-temperature beverages.  My most recent experiment is making Sangria with a variety of herbs.  The traditional tincture was an infusion of herbs into wine.
The summer drinks that I am most grateful for are Kombucha, the “new hippie craze” and Switchel, the “old farmer drink”.  Both drinks are sweet and sour and filled with herbs that support the body in keeping cool or keeping balanced.  With the presence of vinegar in Switchel and Kombucha, both drinks support digestive function and support alkaline balancing.  As we know, it’s an acidic environment that promotes infection and disease.
On the 3rd of July I was at Tommy’s with friends.  It was hot and I did not feel like drinking alcohol.  I’d been drinking water all day, but it wasn’t doing it for me.  I had a sudden idea, I ran out and grabbed some Kombuchas to share with my friends.  After we drank our Kombuchas, we all felt much better.  We needed some nourishment, electrolytes and deeper hydration.
This is one of numerous examples where plants have come to my rescue!
 
Simple Switchel Recipe:
1 gallon water
.5 to 1 cup sweetener (maple, honey, molasses)
1/3 to ½ cup  rawapple cider vinegar
1-3 T herbs such as mint, ginger, monarda, lemongrass, hibiscus, etc.