The Master Tonic - Page 6

[sunshinestarr]

Do you keep the tonic in the fridge after you strain it? Or in the cupboard?

TY!

[iamama]

cupboard

[sunshinestarr]

Originally Posted by iamama

cupboard

Thanks!

[ryleigh'smama]

Just got done straining my first batch of Master Tonic. I had three quart jars of stuff, and I got 2.5 quarts of tonic once I strained it. I tried it, I LOVE it. Yummy!!

[IsaFrench]

got side tracked lately (illnesses, kids' activities) and used up all the garlic I had baught for other recipes ... twice ... so need to shop again for some.

can't decide if I'll ferment in salt or do the original cider recipe ...
maybe I should do both and compare !!!!

[MidnightCommando]

I've been on this for a little over a week and I'm hooked. I will never be without MT on hand again! And it sounds like MT is going to be a popular thing around town - I've brought samples into work and people dig it! DP got really sick (the MT destroys his stomach so he cannot take it) for 5 days and I never got it. I even tempted fate by trying to 'catch' his bug

My question is, do you peel your ginger and horseradish roots? I did on my first batch but am reading that peeling takes away a lot of the oils.

Thanks!

p.s this stuff makes me feel ALIVE!!! I can feel blood in my veins and the energy coursing through. Why did I not discover this sooner???

[velcromom]

I haven't been peeling anything.

I've given some to two different people and had good responses... one of them had even already heard of it, maybe word is getting around!

[stilllearning85]

I made this about a year ago but didn't take it as a tonic, just decided I would take it if I got sick, but never did. My husband did tho and used it a little, but not a tablespoon a day. Now that I am pregnant, and H1N1 has officially hit my area, I am going to try using it as a preventative tonic. 1 tbs. a day? or more?
I am also making the fennel and ginger honey syrup that someone posted a recipe for on the first page, just cause it looks yummy and I have everything.
I hope wholefoods in colorado springs has horseradish... anyone know? Or if you live in the springs, do you have any idea where to get it? We only get to the springs 2x a month so I want to make sure I get it when I go on Sat... which is also the new moon and a perfect time to start the tonic!
OR if you know where to get horseradish in Pueblo, that works too! Thanks!!

Update: just made the ginger fennel syrup and OH MY! It is dangerously delicious! May not be able to wait for a cold... ! Tell me it's healthy!

[vermontmomma]

bump.
very interesting so i'm bumping this back up. i've got a little batch brewing right now.
also we swear by soaking strong onion slices in honey overnight for respratory issues, also very tasty in fried rice.

[stilllearning85]

Do you eat the onion slices or take the honey? How often? We are looking for every possible cold/flu prevention rememdy right now cause I don't wanna get the flu shot!

[Junegoddess]

I SWORE I would get this done this month, since I want to get it started on the new moon (which was yesterday, oops) and last month I got sick right when I was going to make it. I have everything on hand... but there is no way on earth I am going to take the time to grate things. Or peel things. Not even the garlic. The only organic garlic I could find has the thinnest, stickiest peels.

Nope. I have a Blendtech blender and I think I know how to use it! I'm going to just BLEND it all.

Hope that works out well. Wish me luck!

[velcromom]

I am curious about the ginger/fennel syrup but can't find the post about it, can you link or recap? thanks!

I'm taking a couple of tbs a day now and have to say I liked it better without the horseradish! I wonder if it works as well though. I like the idea of throwing in some herbs, may try that on the next batch.

[velcromom]

Originally Posted by Junegoddess

I have a Blendtech blender and I think I know how to use it! I'm going to just BLEND it all.

Hope that works out well. Wish me luck!

I just roughly chopped & threw it all into my food processer. No peeling at all.

[Feb2003]

The last two times, I did peel the garlic and onion and remove the stems from my peppers; I used the grater blade and S blade on my food processor.

BUT, now I have a Blendtec and have been thinking about making it in there so please let me know how it goes.

I'm also on the lookout for the ginger-fennel syrup recipe and curious about the onions in honey.

[vermontmomma]

Originally Posted by stilllearning85

Do you eat the onion slices or take the honey? How often? We are looking for every possible cold/flu prevention rememdy right now cause I don't wanna get the flu shot!

both the onion infused honey and the slices are good to take, and cook with. we take as needed to loosen phlem and aid breathing. it's less of a preventative measure in our house as a treatment for when something does happen.

chewing on licorice sticks (the actual sticks/roots not candy) also does much the same and soothes bad coughs.

[stilllearning85]

Here is the ginger fennel syrup page: http://www.livingawareness.com/coldandfluRecipes.aspx
for the fire cider, I just roughly chopped everything as my food processor sux. I hope that is ok. My hands are still burning from the habaneros I chopped last night. So, I put the pepper seeds in too... am I not going to be able to even drink this stuff? It looks like it is going to be crazy HOT!
How do you make the onion in honey? What are the ratios? Thinly slice the onions? Thanks!

[Aubergine68]

It is pretty hot, yes. But not too hot to take, ime. I have been taking the one ounce shots of the stuff every morning.

I can still feel the tingle on my lips for hours, though...

Just heated up a bowl of boring turkey soup and added some master tonic and a quarter cup of fermented zucchini and cabbage that I have in my fridge. Extremely yummy -- tastes a little like hot and sour soup. I may have killed some of the good stuff with the hot temp. of the soup. Oh well.

[Junegoddess]

Originally Posted by Feb2003

BUT, now I have a Blendtec and have been thinking about making it in there so please let me know how it goes.

Ok... better incredibly late than never. I finally got this done. And I'm sniffling and snorting to prove it.

What I did...

Got out all my ingredients, my two gigantic jars, my Blendtech and my cutting board. Chopped the horseradish (after scrubbing the dirt off... never used real horseradish before, wasn't entirely sure if it needed to be peeled). Decided I'd better wait on blending it, since it's one of the things that can make you cry.
Chopped the ginger and separated the garlic into bulbs (didn't peel). Chucked those in the blender with about two cups of vinegar. Pulsed it until it looked like mush. Scraped it into a bowl.
Chopped the onions (red ones, because they looked the best at the store). Cried like a baby. Plopped them into the blender with some vinegar, pulsed a bit then decided to try the "whole juice" setting. Stopped it a little early once mush had been achieved. Poured it into the bowl with the garlic and ginger. Decided it wasn't too cold to have the screen door open after all.
Plopped the chopped horseradish in... with vinegar... pulsed very slowly. The horseradish was a small challenge, but it did well. I stopped it when it looked shredded... didn't get too mushy. Realized my bowl was much too small, so got out a bigger one.
Then I carefully sliced the stems off my assortment of scary peppers, never touching the cut parts, and placed them one by one into the blender, praying they didn't slip. Some of them are rumored to occasionally burst into flames spontaneously. Blendered them up real quick, and then portioned the hot stuff directly into the jars. Didn't want to trust myself to mix it in well enough... and then I might end up with one jar of molten lava and one jar of mildly spicy.
Glopped the rest into the two jars, topped up with vinegar, and found them a spot in a cupboard.

I think I ended up not using nearly enough vinegar. Not sure what to do about that.

Now I'm staring at the sinkful of scary-spicy dishes... yikes. Next time I'll plan ahead better, maybe.

One note... if you are pregnant or otherwise incontinent, prepare yourself ahead of time. I descended into a sniffling, sneezing, coughing mess thanks to all the vapors, but dared not run to the bathroom until AFTER I had washed my hands FIVE times, just in case I had one molecule of pepper juice on my hands. By that time I kinda needed new pants.
And, wash with cold water... hot water is more likely to spread the spicy oil.

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by Junegoddess

One note... if you are pregnant or otherwise incontinent, prepare yourself ahead of time. I descended into a sniffling, sneezing, coughing mess thanks to all the vapors, but dared not run to the bathroom until AFTER I had washed my hands FIVE times, just in case I had one molecule of pepper juice on my hands. By that time I kinda needed new pants.
And, wash with cold water... hot water is more likely to spread the spicy oil.

at your post!

I did the same thing you did, in terms of portioning into quart jars. I have made this twice and used disposable gloves and safety goggles the second time, which made it much easier.

Someone told me that rubbing alcohol neutralizes the pepper juice off the hands.

I am going to be looking for some gallon jars -- think it will be easier. Next time, I will try digging out my canning funnel to portion into the jars. Dumping the herbs in was fairly messy.

For anyone making a big batch, I used a well-packed quart of each of the processed herbs and a gallon plus a little bit of acv to make 8 quart jars. Last time, I strained after 2 weeks, but this time I'm going to strain it when I use it and not bother with the straining all at once. I've seen fermentation periods ranging from 2 weeks to a year or more in different recipes, so why not?

It is nearing the end of October and my household is still cold and flu free

Anyone notice any weight loss benefit from using the tonic? I have never taken acv for weight loss, but know friends who have. Taking all this heat every day HAS to be doing something to rev up my metabolism, too! My hands and feet aren't cold all the time like they usually are at this time of year.

[stilllearning85]

I tried rubbing my hands with rubbing alcohol 3 times after I cut up the peppers and they still burned! So I dunno about the alcohol theory!