I’ve been working on building up my health with daily stinging nettles infusions and have noticed a tremendous difference in how I feel. My post menopausal symptoms are greatly reduced and although I struggle with MCS, I’m feeling stronger. I’m wondering how you feel about an occasional glass of wine. And would organic be the preference.
Karen Joy’s response (apprentice to Susun Weed):
This is so wonderful you are nourishing yourself with nettles, and feeling your strength! Fermented beverages can be quite health promoting, when of quality and modest amount. This is individual however. I trust you to judge whether appropriate for you. Susun and I both favor the homemade wines, with cultures grabbed locally to ferment the juices. They are even better when prepared with local herbs, like Dandelion Wine (see below) or Elderflower champagne.
If buying wines I personally favor the organic moreso for the care of the earth than the worry of how my small amounts will affect me. With MCS I would take an alcoholic beverage cautiously, monitoring myself, and yes, then would favor organic.
If drinking homemade wines you actually help populate your intestines with good flora, increasing your quality of digestion. For some this then helps to lessen allergic type responses.
(apprentice to Susun Weed)
photos: Wise Woman Spiral ©iStockphoto.com / Chuck Spidell | Bridgit ©2003 Lauren Curtis
Dandelion Wine à la Laughing Rock
Our year’s supply for rituals and medicine
2 gallon / 8 liter crock
3-5 quarts / 3-5 liters blossoms
5 quarts / 5 liters water
***
3 pounds / 1.5 kg sugar
1 organic orange
1 organic lemon
***
1 pkg/8 grams live yeast whole wheat bread toast
directions
Find a field of dandelions in bloom on a glorious shining day. Follow the honeybees to the finest flowers. Pick them with a sweeping motion of your parted fingers, like a comb. I leave the green sepals on, but get rid of all stalks.
Back home, put blossoms immediately into a large ceramic, glass, or plastic vessel. Boil water; pour over flowers. Cover your crock with cheesecloth. Stir daily for three days. On the fourth day, strain blossoms from liquid.
Cook liquid with sugar and rind of citrus (omit rind if not organic) for 30-60 minutes. Return to crock. Add citrus juice. When liquid has cooled to blood temperature, soften yeast, spread on toast, and float toast in crock. Cover and let work two days. Strain.
Return liquid to crock for one more day to settle. Filter into very clean bottles and cork lightly. Don’t drink until winter solstice.
Preparation time: A week’s worth of effort yields a drink not only delightful but good for your liver, as well.
excerpted from Healing Wise, pages 151
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