Fire Cider
The recipe below is for one quart jar of fire cider. It’s best to use organic ingredients.
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Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic chopped
- 3-4 tbsp fresh horseradish root grated or chopped. If you can’t find fresh horseradish root, use 2 Tbsp of dried horseradish.
- 3-4 tbsp fresh ginger grated or chopped
- Raw unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar Enough to fill the jar and submerge the other ingredients. Usually you'll need most of a full 32 ounce bottle of AVC per half-gallon jar of fire cider (or 16 ounces per quart jar).
- Raw honey, local of course! Added later, see the instructions below. To make it vegan you can either brave it and go sans-sweetener, or use a natural plant-based replacement like maple or agave syrup.
- Cayenne powder or chili powder also added later
- 3-4 tbsp fresh grated **turmeric rhizome (substitute equivalent in teaspoons if using dried turmeric powder). optional
- Fresh citrus – about one fruit per quart jar. Oranges and lemons are especially delicious in fire cider, although grapefruit and limes are good too. You can juice and zest them, or add slices to the jar. optional
- Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, or lemongrass – a few sprigs per jar is good! optional
- Fresh jalapeno or chili peppers – at least one per jar, scaling up for larger batches or for a heat-loving taste preference. optional
- 1/4 cup dried elderberries or rosehips optional
- Black pepper A pinch of peppercorns or few dashes of ground pepper to each jar helps make the **turmeric more bioavailable.
- A handful of dried calendula flowers
Instructions
- Chop all ingredients. Works best to use a food processor especially for the more fragrant ingredients i.e. horseradish. Wear gloves, using caution, when working with hot peppers.
- Fill the jars. Wide mouth mason jars work best. It should be roughly 2/3 to 3/4 full before adding liquid. DO NOT over fill. DO not add honey or chili powder at this time.
- Add Apple Cider Vinegar. Slowly pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar, knocking out any air bubbles as needed. Everything should be submerged, or minimally floating on top.
- Cover. Cap the jar with either a BPA-free plastic mason jar lid, or high quality food grade stainless steel lid that will not rust. The vinegar will corrode a regular metal jar lid.
- Infuse and shake. Let the fire cider steep (infuse) for 3 to 4 weeks, at room temperature. Choose a location you'll remember to gently shake daily to assist with the infusion process.
- Strain. After a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks, it's time to strain the liquid. This can sit longer, so no pressure if you're busy and need to push off a few days, or weeks. To strain, use a fine mesh stainless steel strainer over a large empty bowl. Line with cheese cloth to facilitate squeezing out the liquid.
- Add Honey. After straining, now you can add the raw honey "to taste." Deanna suggests 1/4 cup honey per half-gallon jar, but follow your own preference. Honey also mellows the spicy flavor. If your honey is cold, place the bottle in a bowl of warm water to soften. Never ever heat honey in a pan - it destroys the nutrients.
- Add cayenne. After thoroughly mixing the honey in, add the cayenne or chili powder, again "to taste." If it's already beyond your spice tolerance, you can skip it, or if you didn't have chilis or jalapenos on hand when starting, you can add the powder now.
- Storage. Place the final mixture in jars or bottles and store in a cool, dark place. Typically it is shelf-stable for several months. Refrigerated may last up to a year. Can refrigerate from the start too, as some prefer it chilled.
Notes
How do I take this? Great question! I haven't read any hard fast rules. I'm sure the internet has lots of ideas. Our protocol at the Bredlau home is to take a "shot" (1 tablespoon) up to 3 times a day when coming down with a bug continuing until well again. It's best to take with some food or chaser. Take straight or dilute in water or juice (best for kids). Often we will take Elderberry Syrup daily through the cold/flu season to keep the immunity fighters powered up, adding fire cider if a bug catches hold.
And there you go! However if this is a bit too much busy hullabaloo, stop in and grab a bottle of Sailor Mercy Fire Cider, which we keep on hand year round.
Eat well, be well!
Eat well, be well!
