Making Fire Cider

It’s Fire Cider Season. This classic herbal tonic is a mainstay at our house and is fun and simple to make.

There are so many variations to this recipe and all of them are right. Fire Cider has been around for decades and is a fantastic way to keep your immune system healthy and circulation strong. This remedy is warming so is a great winter tonic to prepare to ease your way in to the changing season.

There are so many variations to this recipe and all of them are right. Fire Cider has been around for decades and is a fantastic way to keep your immune system healthy and circulation strong. What exactly IS Fire Cider ? Essentially it is a spicy blend of apple cider vinegar and immune boosting herbs such as onions, garlic, ginger coupled with circulatory and sinus opening herbs like horseradish, peppers and turmeric. A small shot glass daily is an easy way to stave off colds, viruses and winter chills or add into soups, salads and even Bloody Mary’s!

making fire cider with herbal immersion students

Typically used as fall and winter tonic, September is a good time to get your Fire Cider started. I recommend making one now to strain in a month and after you’ve strained the first batch, make another. These tonic remedies will go fast in your house as friends and family discover the benefits and the taste.

You can enjoy fire cider as a dressing for salads, sip it as a tonic, take a tablespoon everyday for an immune system boost, or use however feels right for you!

What’s so great about Fire Cider is you get to create the recipe to your tastes. If you cannot tolerate salsas and other hot foods, omit the peppers and soften the heat with orange peel and conifer needles. Love the sinus opening aspects of horseradish? Add as much as you need to get those sinuses open!

 These measurements are approximate. Basic rule of thumb for me is to start with a base of 1/3 filled with chopped red onion, a layer of ginger, horseradish, turmeric and then get creative with the remaining ingredients.

Fire Cider Recipe:

You will need:

1 medium organic red onion, chopped

6 - 10 cloves of peeled organic garlic, minced or chopped

1 - 2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped

Zest and juice from 1 Organic lemon or orange

1/2 cup Organic ginger root, freshly grated

1/2 cup Organic horseradish root, freshly grated

Organic raw unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Bragg’s)

1/4-1/2 cup raw, local honey

1 inch freshly grated turmeric or one tablespoon powdered turmeric (optional)

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper powdered (optional)

Fresh rosemary, thyme, conifer needles (optional)

Elderberries, fresh or frozen, de-stemmed (optional)

Directions

1.    Chop ingredients and add to a quart canning jar. Be creative with your roots, fruits, and herbs and

2.    Pour the apple cider vinegar until all of the ingredients are covered and the vinegar reaches the jar's top. Use a chopstick to make sure all the ingredients are covered in vinegar and moist.

3.    Use a piece of natural parchment paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal, or a plastic lid if you have one. Shake well.

4.    Store in a dark, cool place for a month, shaking the jar everyday to keep the remedy infusing.

5.    After one month, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, strain into a clean glass jar.

6.    Add honey to taste (start with the smaller amount.) Stir it up to combine.

Let us know how yours turned out! We love hearing from you.