A Classic Winter Remedy: Fire Cider
You may be asking yourself right now, "What the hell is fire cider?" and you wouldn't be the only one in the room asking that same question, more than likely.
Fire cider is a folk preparation, usually made in the winter, and used throughout the winter as a tonic, a warming stimulant, and to kick your immune system in gear when you feel a tickle of illness trying to start. As this is a traditional folk preparation it is made with items that you can usually find in season at the time you make it, so the recipe is more of a guide and less of a "do it this way or else!" recipe.
The base ingredients are apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, ginger, horseradish, and hot peppers. You can add plenty of other herbs in as well or in place of one of the ingredients. Sometimes you may have grown more jalapenos than you could eat, or give away, toss some in here!
Some traditional makers make this at the beginning of the autumn season and bury it in the ground for a month, then strain and use. Others let it sit in a dark cabinet. You do whatever vibes best with you.
Fire cider is taken by the tablespoon-full usually, (this may be diluted in 4-8 oz -120-240 ml, of water or juice if you can not handle taking it by itself. Dilute for children!) but you can also add it to salads as a dressing, tossed into smoothies, add to soup bases, mix with veggies as a drizzle, or toss into whatever you are cooking for dinner that night. Take it daily as a preventative during the winter months and take extra when you feel a tickle of illness coming on. Have fun with the recipe. Let me know how yours turned out, any changes you made, and how it helped you and your family, this winter.
FIRE CIDER RECIPE
1 medium onion, chopped
10 cloves of garlic, crushed/chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of fresh grated ginger root
1/2 cup fresh grated horseradish root
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp organic cayenne powder
Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup raw honey or to taste, upon straining
1- quart sized glass jar
Prepare the roots, herbs, and fruits. Place them in a quart sized glass jar. Horseradish is very strong when grated and will open your sinuses! Be prepared!
Pour the vinegar in until it covers all the ingredients and reaches the top of the jar.
If you have a metal lid, place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the vinegar. This keeps it from reacting to the metal lid and causing you to have to toss the jar of fire cider out. Shake well.
Store in a dark, cool place for one month. Shake daily.
After one month, strain out the pulp and pour the vinegar solution into a new jar.
At this time add the honey and stir until dissolved. Taste and add more, if desired.
This is an amazing classic winter remedy. I make mine in September each year so that its ready in October, right when flu season hits! We all take 1 tbsp daily throughout the winter. I increase it to 3 tbsp daily, IF anyone becomes ill. Since starting this daily during the winter, we have not had but one small cold in years!
Love and Light,
Eir