Spring has a way of offering exactly what we need. A spring cleaning for the body after a winter of over-indulging and low activity. The first plants pushing through your lawn right now - the ones most people are pulling out and throwing away - are some of the most mineral-rich food and medicine available to you. No supplement aisle required.
This is one of my favorite things to make this time of year. It is simple, it is beautiful in the jar, and six weeks from now it becomes the base of a salad dressing that will make you want to eat a bowl of greens every single day.
WHAT IS AN OXYMEL
The word comes from the Latin oxymeli - oxy for acid, mel for honey. An oxymel is simply a preparation made with vinegar and honey, and it is one of the oldest delivery vehicles in the herbal tradition. Medieval apothecaries kept it on their shelves. It was considered both food and medicine, and the combination of acid and sweet makes bitter or strong-tasting herbs far more palatable.
A traditional oxymel is made at a 1:1 ratio of apple cider vinegar to honey. For this one, I shifted that ratio a bit - 2 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part honey - because I want to use it as a salad dressing base, and I want that bright, tangy acidity to come through.
There is also a very practical reason to lean into the vinegar here. Of all the common herbal menstrua - water, alcohol, vinegar - vinegar is the superior solvent for minerals. Water and alcohol simply do not pull minerals the way acid does. And these plants are loaded with them.
THE PLANTS
I gathered everything from my yard on a morning when they were fresh and at their peak. A bowl full of bright yellow dandelion flowers, jagged dandelion leaves, and the soft fuzzy tops of purple dead nettle just coming into bloom. I added stinging nettle because it is one of the most mineral-dense plants you can find growing freely, packed with iron, calcium, magnesium, and silica. And I added dried hawthorn berries because I love them - deep red, slightly tart, and rich in flavonoids that support the heart and circulation.
What you have here is whole-plant dandelion - root, leaf, and flower - working together. The root is liver-supportive. The leaf is a gentle diuretic and mineral source. The flower brings its own quiet brightness. The nettles amplify the mineral depth. The hawthorn adds its color and its medicine. The purple dead nettle, which most people overlook entirely, is surprisingly nutritious.
Right now, while spring is here, these plants are in your yard. This is the moment.
A NOTE ON WILTING
Before packing the jar, I spread everything out on a tray and let it wilt for several hours. Fresh plant material holds a lot of moisture, and excess water introduced into your oxymel can dilute the preparation or invite spoilage. You do not need the plants to be completely dry - just wilted, soft, and reduced. A few hours on a tray out of the sun is enough. (I always dry dandelion flowers upside down so they don't fluff up).
HOW TO MAKE IT
What you need:
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Dandelion root (chopped or dried)
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Dandelion leaf
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Dandelion flower
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Purple dead nettle
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Stinging nettle
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Dried hawthorn berries
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Raw apple cider vinegar
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Raw honey
The ratio: 2 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part honey (or 1:1 for a sweeter and traditional oxymel)
Let your fresh plants wilt for several hours before using. Pack your herbs loosely into a clean mason jar. Warm your honey very gently if needed to make it pourable, then add your vinegar and honey over the herbs. Stir to combine. Make sure the plant material is fully submerged. Cap the jar - use a plastic lid or place a piece of parchment between the jar and a metal lid, since vinegar will corrode metal over time.
Set it somewhere you will see it. Give it a gentle shake every few days. Let it extract for six weeks.
The finished oxymel will be amber and deeply colored from the hawthorn berries, fragrant with the flowers, and tart and bright. Strain it well and store it in a clean jar.
THE DRESSING
This is so good!
To your oxymel base, add:
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Good olive oil
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A spoonful of mustard
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Fresh lemon juice and zest
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Salt and pepper
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Minced or pressed garlic
Shake or whisk to emulsify. Taste it. Adjust. Pour it over a salad (add some fresh dandelion greens for an added bitter bite). It is equally good drizzled over roasted vegetables still warm from the oven. Or as a marinade on salmon.
Did I mention how delicious it is? You will look for an excuse to use this dressing.
This oxymel also appears in the purple dead nettle blog, where we go deeper into that particular plant. So much of the time we see many plants growing together at the same time that work synergistically. Dandelion and nettle are definitely spring allies.