This week for the discussion circle, we're going to do something a little different. This is especially for those of you heading into winter and spending less time in your gardens, but may fancy a herbal project that can nourish and support you through the winter months.

We're going to make an oxymel!

An oxymel, to put it simply, is a herbal extract made out of raw honey and apple cider vinegar, both of which have benefits just on their own! They are used to extract the supportive benefits of herbs. The most famous oxymel you may have heard of is fire cider, popularised by Rosemary Gladstar.

You'll have to do more research to find out exactly HOW to make an oxymel, as discovery is half the joy! You'll find some information here to get you started. However, the general rule of thumb is one part herbs to three parts of vinegar and honey. Feel free to taste - if it's too sweet for you, add more honey, and vice verse. It's a very forgiving way to make medicine and you can play around with it to match your needs.

Now, what can you make an oxymel with?

That's up to you! Here's a few questions to ask yourself first:

Are you making it for a specific need, like sleep or immunity? If so, what herbs would suit here? What would go well together?
Are you making it for a nourishing, yummy salad dressing? If so, what tastes darn good together?

For this challenge, we'll be going for two weeks, to give you time to make a post.

We'd love to know all or some of the answers to the following questions:

What was your thinking behind this recipe?
What did you discover?
Did you buy the herbs or cultivate them yourself?
What benefits do they have (sources please)?
What is your relationship with these herbs?
How did you find the TASTE?
What problems did you run across?
Have you made oxymels before?

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The Prizes

Don't forget to spread the word by reblogging and sharing this post, and engaging with others. The more that join in and post in the community, the higher your chances are of winning HIVE!

50 HIVE (if over 20 posts)
25 HIVE (if over 10 posts)
10 HIVE (if over 5 posts)
5 HIVE (if under 5 posts)

We reserve the right to not award prizes at all, if the quality is low. However, we haven't found this so far - you guys are awesome!

Congratulations to Hive account@parauri who wins a small beneficiary on this post for their entries in last week's discussion circle. We appreciate the quality of your discussion!