Kitchen Witchery
Warming Spices
by Johanna Moon
In most cultures around the northern hemisphere this is the time we begin thinking of warm apple ciders, spicy mulled wines, and thick, rich spicy stews. Our heritage knew something about the way herbs bring us immune boosting while the weather turns colder and wetter. In our modern age, instead of taking over the counter medicines, that suppress our immune systems, we can turn to herbs to help with warming and immune boosting properties.
In both Chinese and East Indian herbal medicine, the use of astragalus and ginger, are brought into the daily diet. Chinese grandmothers will throw a piece of astragalus into the rice pot, to help boost the body’s own antiviral defenses. In India, a chai made with fresh ginger would be drunk daily or a broth made with astragalus eaten with one of their meals. In Europe mulled wines and ciders are used, normally consisting of cloves, allspice, dried orange peels, and cinnamon. All of these herbs help warm the body from the inside, helping keep the chill outside of the body. These herbs help keep the internal fires glowing, to help fight the cold from coming inside our bodies.
So can you figure out where this is taking us…That’s right to recipes for chai tea, spicy mulled wines and/or ciders, spicy coffee, and a basic immune boosting broth made from astragalus. Most of these drinks are called decoctions. Meaning the liquid and herbs are put together into a pan, brought to a boil and then simmered for at least 20 minutes or longer together. They are very easy to make and most are cheaper then the pre-packaged teas you find at the store.
Almost all the ingredients you can find at your normal grocery store, or a good bulk bin. Astragalus can be found in the international district or at most Chinese grocery stores, also at Dandelion Botanicals in Ballard.
Basic Chai Tea
Per each Cup (8oz) of boiling water:
- 3 whole cloves
- 4 whole green cardamom pods
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 3 slices of fresh ginger (optional)
Place all herbs into a glass or stainless steel pot with filtered water. Bring to a low boil, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then add ½ cup of skim or low-fat milk, or milk substitute per cup of tea. Reheat the tea. Sweeten with honey or agave, if desired.
Please remember the above recipe is per 1 cup of water.
Mulled Wine and/or Cider
This recipe can be used for both wine and ciders.
- 1 ½ gallon red wine or cider
- 2 tsp. grated cloves
- 1 ½ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- 12 cinnamon sticks
Mix together and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and serve hot. Some people add honey to sweeten the wine or cider. You can also add dried orange peel to this as well.
You can grind the cloves in a coffee grinder. Grind up a handful to keep on hand to add to stews, or hot chocolate. Freshly ground spices, like clove or cinnamon will last up to 6 months in a sealed container, kept in a dark cool place.
To dry your own orange peel, heat your oven to 150° F. Place think strips of orange peel on a baking sheet and place in oven. This can take a few hours, so keep checking until it is dry and breaks when you bend a piece.
Astragalus Broth
- 3 cups of water or vegetable broth
- 1 ounce (about 5 “sticks”) of dried astragalus
- 1 bulb (5 to 10 cloves) fresh garlic, sliced or crushed with the flat of your knife
- Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in pot, making sure everything is covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for several hours, until garlic id soft.
Drink hot. Eat the garlic in the broth, or remove the garlic to spread on toast or hot fresh bread.
If you feel a cold, flu, or virus coming on, drink the whole pot of broth at once. For basic immune booting, drink one to two cups of broth daily, 2 to 5 times a week.
You can use this broth as the base for soups and stews as well. Or just add a few “stick” of astragalus to the rice pot.
Johanna Moon has been a practicing witch for 19 years. During that time she has tried cooking with many different types of herb, as well as making her own incenses, and brews. For many years Johanna Moon has used herbs in her daily life to promote healing by prevention. Recently she has begun a course in to receive a Master Herbology certificate.