Hawthorn oxymel

Hawthorn season!
You probably know how much I love this time of the year. The ripening of the haw berries officially announces the beginning of Autumn in our region (as officially as natural events count, which for me are as official as it gets).

This year, I decided to try something else other than my beloved hawthorn tincture, and so I turned to an oxymel.

As in most of my herbal preparations, I don’t do much measuring and follow the Folk methods, this particular one learnt from my Herbalism course at The Herbal Academy (heep, my first and only affiliate link ever!).

Below is their own oxymel recipe, which you can find on their blog as well.

Traditional Folk Oxymel Preparation

Ingredients

• Dried herb of choice

• 1 part apple cider vinegar

• 1 part raw honey

Directions

• In a clean, dry pint jar, place enough dried herb to fill ¼ of the way full.

• Cover the herbs with the vinegar and honey until the jar is full or slightly less than full (strive for a ratio of approximately 1:3, herbs to vinegar/honey mixture).

• Stir the mixture with a clean, dry spoon, screw on a tight plastic lid, then shake until well mixed.

• Store the jar in a dark, cool place and shake every couple days.

• Strain the mixture after about two weeks and store in a glass jar.

When working with Hawthorn, I like using the hand blender and give the preparation a good mix before storing away to macerate - this increases the quantity of plant material that is in contact with the menstruum (in this case, it’s the vinegar + honey).

So here’s to happy, supported hearts, loving and gentle, but fierce and knowingly of where they stand and how far, or not, they are wiling to go.

Happy Autumn, friends!