So today I did not go home to pick the grapes of my childhood, but chose to make a new kind of booze: gentiane! We set off early and drove up above tree line to find where the yellow gentiane grows. Funily enough it grows in Verbier thanks to the Pierre Avoi which is limestone and this plant that can attain 2 meters is a fan of limestone. 
We got out the pick-axes and dug out the roots which can weigh up to 7-8 kilos. They are hard to extract whole as they break off easily. Once we decided we had enough to go blind with, we cleaned them and cut them. Then we filled up a 60 liter bucket with them and put a hermetical lid on them. In a few days we will cover them with water and a bit less than a kilo of sugar. They will bathe in a shady spot till February when they will take a trip to the distillery and be made into the alcohol. And voilà, santé!
I kept some roots to dry out and make into powder for teas. Medicinally this queen of sourness has been traditionally used as a general tonic and stimilant for the stomach. It contributes to our natural defenses and builds up our white blood cells. It is used for gastric troubles and loss of apetite, or to revive a tired organism.