"Welcome to the neighborhood! Would you like some horseradish?" I knew we'd moved to the right little country town when the tender-hearted young man, whose house we’d just purchased, took the time to invite the neighbors over and facilitate our introduction. These were his best friends. And he was giving them away to us.
When Teresa offered me some fresh horseradish from her garden, I knew then and there we would be fast friends too. I had no earthly idea what to do with the horseradish. But I knew we would be friends, just the same.
Since then, we’ve spent several years sharing healthy tips and advice with each other over the barbed-wire fence. Some are age-old recipes we learned from Great Grandma. Some are products we've discovered that can't be beat. Some tips are down-right weird and some might just save our lives someday, or at least give us a good laugh, which as we all know, is often the best medicine anyway.
So the Welcome Wagon Committee’s horseradish bestowal came with an invitation; tea-time in Teresa’s warm, cozy kitchen for a cooking lesson of sorts. She called it "Supertonic" and told me it would cure (or kill) anything that might ail me. "Sign me up!" I said. I'd had my share of runny noses and sore throats over the last year. I was ready for some serious immune-boosting, germ-killing, blood-pumping magic. And I'd already ruled out whiskey.
This recipe changed my life! Well, not really, but it sure has helped my family avoid many un-necessary doses of cold medicine and antibiotics. The basic formula of supertonic dates back to the plagues in medieval Europe. It has been reported to increase blood circulation and act as a broad spectrum antibiotic to destroy bacteria. In addition the ingredients serve as a potent anti-viral and anti-fungal formula.
SUPERTONIC
In a blender:
1 ginger root (peeled) (yes, the whole thing!)
1-2 horseradish roots (scrubbed) (or 2-3 TBSP if using from the jar)
6-10 garlic cloves (peeled)
2 red or yellow chili peppers (not bell peppers)
1 onion (peeled)
cover with apple cider vinegar & blend
Adjust all ingredients for potency.
Store in a glass jar in the fridge all winter long! And DO NOT confuse with the applesauce.
Take 1 TBSP per day with food during cold season (more if you feel a cold coming on). You can also mix with sour cream for the kids as a chip dip, or use in soups or as a meat marinade.
If the thought of getting out the blender for anything other than a milk-shake or margarita frightens you, then visit the website that inspired our recipe: www.herbdoc.com. You can order a bottle or ten of supertonic that comes complete with dosage instructions and your very own eye-dropper!
As is true with many recipes, fresh is best! So don’t be afraid to try your hand at making your own fresh batch and experimenting on your family. They’ll think you’re weird but better to be healthy and weird than just plain weird. My kids like to take it straight and compete with Dad to see who can keep from squishing and screwing up their face like they've just sucked on a lemon. Laughter usually ensues and the sniffles haven't visited our home in a long, long time.
I know. Most women get together and eat spoonfuls of cookie dough or sip wine. But this little coffee klatch in Teresa’s kitchen was so much fun we've continued it in various forms ever since.
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