Whether it's cooking, baking, tree trimming, hosting family and friends, writing cards into the night or doing double-duty at work in advance of holiday time off, it's easy to get run down this time of year. We all know it's important to eat healthily, stay physically active and get plenty of sleep, but we tend to burn the proverbial candle at both ends.
No one wants to spend the holidays sniffling and sneezing or in bed with the flu. I'm taking a preventive measure, thanks to Carly and Dave Dougherty at Food and Ferments, in Truxton: Fireside Tonic.
I sampled it recently at the Food and Ferments stand in the F Shed at the Central New York Regional Market, headed home with a bottle ($12) and have been drinking a straight-up shot of it every morning for health and wellness, along with a mug of warm lemon water.
My first thought on tasting Fireside Tonic was that it would make a great flavor enhancer for Bloody Marys. It's savory and super-flavorful, with a bit of heat that warms you from the inside as it goes down. Instructions on the bottle recommend drinking it "as is,'' adding a little to water, juice, tea, marinades and dressings and mixing it in creative cocktails. If you like pickle juice or "drinking vinegars,'' as so many people do these days, you probably will like Fireside Tonic.
Fireside Tonic is just a small part of the Food and Ferments product line. The Doughertys are perhaps best known for their sauerkrauts (including interesting flavors like curry kraut and rosemary and lemon kraut), kimchi (salted and fermented vegetable medley) and kombucha (tangy, fermented teas, in flavors like cherry lime and lavender blueberry) that are rich in probiotics and good for your gut. They also offer beet Kvass (another healthy tonic, popular in eastern Europe) and fermented pickle juice.
Find Food and Ferments every Saturday at the CNY Regional Market. Their products are also available at some local stores and online.
