Are you looking for a simple and natural tip to strengthen your well-being routine before the first cold weather? Oxymel could well become your new ally. This traditional remedy combines honey, vinegar and garden herbs.
October is the perfect time to start your preparation and enjoy it throughout the season.
The simple recipe for making your own oxymel
Behind this slightly mysterious name – sometimes translated as “sour honey” across the Rhine – hides an ultra-accessible formula. The principle is based on a mixture of equal parts of honey and cider vinegar, in which fresh or dried plants are infused. To start, count on 100 ml of honey, 100 ml of cider vinegar and around 50 g of aromatic herbs.
Preparation only takes a few minutes:
- Take a glass jar previously sterilized in boiling water;
- Pour in the honey (if necessary, soften it gently in a bain-marie);
- Add the plants or spices of your choice;
- Complete with cider vinegar, ideally unfiltered and with its mother vinegar.
Make sure the herbs remain well submerged under the liquid to avoid any mold. Close the jar, mix gently and store in a cool place, away from light. Leave to macerate for at least two weeks, or even three weeks for a softer and more balanced taste. Remember to shake the jar every two or three days to diffuse the aromas well.
Thyme, sage, rosemary: which plants to put in your jar?
The advantage of this recipe lies in its great modularity. In autumn, thyme, rosemary and sage remain easy to harvest. They bring a very aromatic note, perfect to accompany a roast dish or to flavor a warm drink when you wake up. If you prefer more floral aromas, lemon balm or a few lavender flowers sweeten the mixture.
To vary the pleasures, the German specialist site Mein Kraeuterkeller suggests combining wild fennel, chamomile and mugwort, a combination traditionally popular for soothing digestive discomfort.
How to consume and store this precious syrup?
Once maceration is complete, filter the liquid using a fine strainer and pour it into a clean bottle. To use it daily, dilute a teaspoon of oxymel in a glass of water or lukewarm tea – avoid boiling water to preserve the benefits of honey. In the kitchen, it easily enhances a vinaigrette, a marinade or oven-roasted fall vegetables.
Stored in a cool place and away from light, oxymel will keep easily for several months. If hygiene is perfect and the lid does not risk oxidizing on contact with acidity (avoid bare metal), some specialists suggest a conservation of up to two years. Consuming it between the beginning of autumn and spring, however, remains the best way to take full advantage of all its properties.