Farmwife's Journal - October 27th

I can't remember the last time I wrote a "Farmwife's Journal"! But in case you are wondering, I am still a farm wife and here's my journal entry for today. :)

After finishing school with Ben and Jonny, I was ready to tackle my list of things to do.  One thing
I 've had on my list for weeks is to make Fire Cider, both for our family and for my parents.  I got the recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs and altered it a little.  It's an apple cider vinegar tincture that you use for treatment of just about any illness.  It's potent stuff!  I have not made this exact recipe before, but have made some similar recipes. All I did was combine the following:

1 cup of grated ginger
1 cup of grated horseradish root
1 large onion
20 cloves of garlic (I grated them skins and all with my electric grater)
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 lemon  (I keep lemons whole in the freezer, and then I just grated the whole thing while still frozen)
4 tablespoons of rosemary
2 tablespoons of thyme
and 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder all in a half-gallon jar.  Then I covered the whole works with apple cider vinegar and mixed it up well. (All of the ingredients should be organic.) I put a lid on the jar and put it in a dark place for one month.  When it's done, I'll stain out the pulp using a cloth (squeezing well) and will add as much honey as needed.  Then we'll take it by the tablespoon when we feel we are coming down with something.  I will store it in my refrigerator. It will keep longer...like years. 

My Fire Water tincture.

I dug my horseradish, for the above recipe, from my herb garden this afternoon - boy is that potent stuff.  One whiff and your whole head is cleaned out!  Since I had some left over from my Fire Water recipe, I went ahead and made a tincture with that too.  I simply covered the grated horseradish with brandy, capped and labeled the jar, and put in the cupboard.  It will be there for six weeks, and then I will strain it and use it for any head congestion that shows up.  I store my alcohol tinctures in dark bottles (that I usually buy from Mountain Rose Herbs), and keep them in my cupboard.

Along with my kitchen work today, I made a fun treat for Emily and I - pumpkin spice coffee!  A friend brought us a pumpkin pie this past weekend (thank you, Lori!), so we needed some pumpkin coffee to go with it. :) 

Coffee break with my girl.:)

This recipe was inspired by an email I received from the Bulk Herb Store.  I looked at the ingredients and then came up with my own way to make it.  Here's what I did...

Put 8 cups of water in a sauce pan.  Add 2 cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 tablespoon of ginger root (chopped up), 1 teaspoon of cloves, and 1 teaspoon of organic orange flavoring.  Bring this to a boil, reduce heat, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Then put 4 tablespoons of ground coffee in a French press.  Once the tea is done, pour it over the grounds, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of brown sugar.  Push down the press and let it sit for 4 minutes and then add cream and enjoy.

Beauty and her puppies are doing really well!  They are beautiful, and she is an amazing mom.  When one group of puppies has been nursing long enough, she will readjust so the puppies fall off the spigots and that way the other group can latch on. :)  God has given these animals amazing instincts, and it is fascinating to watch!  :)