Our first real cold snap - Day 213 - Haiku - on Four Seasons, the coming of winter, and staving off colds and flu

Our first real cold snap
brings the necessity of
mulled apple cider

I don't remember how old I was when I was first introduced to the joys of mulled wine, but I was in my teens, and having read about it in an historical novel, I wanted to try it.

My mom, having long believed that trying the food and drink of different cultures added to educational experience, promptly showed me how to make it, and an addict was born.

And no, I didn't become an alcoholic, and frankly, once mulled wine has been simmering for a while, there is little alcohol left in any case. But I was lulled by the flavors and textures, and it became a favorite holiday drink, and one that I have become somewhat known for over the years.

Years passed, and I found myself on the boards of two charities at the same time, and thus thrust into a melee of holiday parties, at which I was expected to participate fully, which often included bringing some of the food and drink, my contributions usually including a generous crockpot of mulled wine.

And, as everyone attending had to drive home following the festivities, not to mention the presence of a number of children at each event, my mulled wine over the years became converted to mulled cider, which everyone could enjoy, and which, quite frankly, I actually like better as a steady drink over the course of the holiday season.

As I became more knowledgeable of the health-giving properties of many of the ingredients involved, my mulled cider has become not only more tasty, but a far more healing drink, to the extent that I've usually got a pot simmering on the back of the stove during cold weather, and we rarely if ever get sick as a result.

My basic recipe is simple, and easily adapted to individual taste, but always begins with a gallon of unfiltered pure apple cider. Fresh pressed is best, but often unavailable, so pasteurized will do, even though it is not ideal.

The primary ingredients read much like a list of pumpkin pie spices:
one tablespoon each of Ceylon cinnamon*, ginger and turmeric,
a heaping half-teaspoon each of black pepper, nutmeg and cloves,
a pinch each of garlic, cayenne pepper and chipotle pepper,
and in recent years, as a nod to its legendary curative powers, I am including a full teaspoon of freshly ground black seed, aka Nigella sativa.

*Ceylon cinnamon, to the uninitiated, is real cinnamon, long prized for its amazing flavor and health-giving properties, and is more than worth seeking out.

Cassia cinnamon, which is what you'll typically find at the grocery store, has health-giving properties of its own, but pales in comparison, both in nutrients and in flavor, to the real thing.

As just one example, for anyone who is taking cinnamon capsules for health reasons, such as to stabilize blood sugar and/or lose weight, you will get far faster and better results by taking Ceylon cinnamon over cassia cinnamon.

The photo above shows the cider just after all the spices were added, prior to stirring them well into the cider. I typically also add golden raisins, dried cranberries and other dried fruits as desired, which lend both flavor and texture to the mix.

I do NOT add any sweeteners, natural or otherwise, because they are not only unnecessary, but would detract from the flavors already going on. The cider itself is quite sweet enough.

Bring all ingredients to a simmer, and keep at a low simmer for a minimum of an hour. And anyone who knows me is laughing right now, because I rarely serve it until it has been simmering - and extracting - for three hours or more, and sometimes (okay, often) for days.

I add more cider as necessary, and occasionally top up the spices as needed, but that is needed far less frequently as they tend to settle to the bottom anyway.

For anyone questioning the addition of garlic and black pepper, you won't taste the garlic, and its curative powers are more than worth the addition.

Black pepper, as most natural healers already know, acts as a catalyst in making other nutrients more bioavailable, meaning that they are better utilized by the body, so you get better results even with smaller amounts. More bang for your buck, so to speak.

All of the spices I use have all been known for centuries for their curative powers, and are in fact the same spices that I use in making my spiced honey, which is what I turn to anytime I feel like I might be coming down with a cold or flu-type illness.

A spoon or two and I'm in good shape, and I only rarely become ill, even when exposed to numerous people who are in varying stages of illness. Ditto for Marek, who flies frequently.

And, naturally, the biggest bonus is that it is not only highly nutritious, but absolutely delicious, and is always a delightful drink at the end of a long cold day.

I find it a lovely way to celebrate the bounty of the season, to spend an evening by the fire, and to spread good cheer.

There is nothing better than welcoming friends with a hot cup of mulled cider on a cold night, which is a serious bolster to the immune system, and there are a lot of worse ways to spend our energy than to make such a nutritious, restorative and healing drink. ;-)

This post, and all those from now until the end of 2018, I am dedicating to the work of #tarc and #yah, aka @rhondak's nonprofit dog rescue and @sircork's charity @youarehope.

Half the liquid proceeds earned from my posts will be evenly split between the two organizations.

The photo above were taken by me on 16 March 2012, of one of our red foxes hightailing it down our driveway and across the street, most likely using my Canon SX 30 iS camera.

The blurred background, highlighting our two mailboxes, gives a good indication of her speed at the time this was taken.

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