Flavors of Fall! Ayurvedic Pumpkin Spiced Cider Recipe
Halloween has its roots in the Celtic druid festival Samhain (pronounced Saa.wn). This festival is celebrated at the end of summer as the cool, dark days of autumn begin to creep into the natural world. In the evening of Samhain, the ancient Celts would ceremoniously connect and commune with their ancestors and otherworldly spirits. Interestingly, both the Celts and Ayurvedic medicine have something in common as both recognized that fall is an auspicious time of year to honor the cycle of death and those that have gone before us.
In regards to Ayurveda, this ancient Indian medical system also identifies fall and early winter as vata season due to the light, dry, mobile and cold energy that takes center stage in our external and internal environments. We can observe the transition into vata season quite literally as the trees begin to shed their leaves, the land becomes emptied as harvest time ensues, and like the earth, we too are left feeling spacious and sensitive to the world around us. These etheric sensations point towards a heightened amount of vata dosha, which when connected with, can help strengthen our awareness of the spirit realm, our own mortality and the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth.
If you celebrate Samhain, we wish you a blessed festival that gives you the space to connect with your ancestral roots and spirits from another realm. If you celebrate Halloween, we wish you a ghoulish good time and we hope that you get more treats than tricks!
Speaking of treats, no matter how you celebrate this festive time of year, we think that cozying up with the flavors of fall is a must! Below we share with you an Ayurvedic recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Cider. This autumn-inspired sweet and spicy beverage is simple to make and includes a healthy dose of our PAAVANI Golden Milk powder which will help to further support you through the cold, spooky and vata increasing nights ahead.
Ayurvedic Pumpkin Spiced Cider Recipe
From an Ayurvedic perspective, this recipe is considered to be vata pacifying. To make it more pitta pacifying, we recommend omitting the 4 cinnamon sticks and orange peel from the recipe. This cider can be kapha increasing if consumed in excess by kapha types. To help make this recipe more pacifying to kapha dosha, we recommend adding 2 cups of water during the heating process to help reduce the cider’s sweetness.
Pumpkin Syrup Ingredients:
Cider Ingredients:
6 cups unfiltered apple cider or freshly juiced apples
1 sliced apple
orange peel from one orange
lemon peel from one lemon
4 cinnamons sticks
Directions:
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In a saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, water and PAAVANI Golden Milk powder. Bring to a boil. Once the mixture begins to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- While your pumpkin syrup simmers, add the cider ingredients into your crockpot.
- Once the pumpkin syrup has finished simmering, transfer it into the slow cooker and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 hour, allowing the warm fall fragrances to envelop your home.
- Serve with garnishes like apple &/or orange slices and cinnamon sticks. You may even sprinkle a light dusting of PAAVANI Golden Milk powder on top.