Folk Medicine: Fire Cider

This vinegar tonic has been used for generations as immune support. It takes a month to sit there and work its magic, but you can always buy a batch to start, or make a batch in a slow cooked method. I love the idea of probiotics growing, like a typical fermented veggie, and all the amazing gut benefits that come from it.

A little homeopathic drama… someone in the last decade tried to patent Fire Cider, so that nobody else could use the name in any recipe, and it was faught by a strong group of herbal community members to say, hey, nobody owns this name. Its like someone taking the term Peanut Butter & Jelly out of circulation. It just doesnt work. Everyone’s variation is slightly different, just as every plant and human and season produces different yield. The bacteria created from that soil, those plants, that environment, will never be the same twice.

INGREDIENTS (all organic if possible, and fresh is best)

• 24 oz+ Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

• ½ cup grated horseradish root

• ½ cup+ chopped onions (1/2 to 1 med onion)

• ¼ cup+ chopped garlic (10+ cloves)

• ½ cup+ grated ginger root

• 2 jalopeno peppers, chopped (i left seeds in)

• zest and juice from 1 lemon

• 2 Tbs fresh rosemary (dried is fine too, just less potent)

• 1 Tbs turmeric, grated or sliced

• 1/4 tsp+ cayenne pepper (you can always add more later)

• 1/4 cup (or less) raw local honey (add this after the month of fermentation)

Additional Flavors Ideas for you Fire Cider Creations:

• Thyme

• Star Anise

• Parsley

• Burdock root

• Oregano

• Peppercorns

• Beet Root Powder

• Habanero Pepper

• Chili powder

• Orange

• Grapefruit

• Lime

More Herbal options:

• Reishi mushroom

• Elderflowers

• Rosehips

• Hibiscus

• Cinnamon

• Licorice

• Astragalus

• Shisandra Berries

• Kudzu

• Rhodiola

DIRECTIONS:

24 HOUR version. This gets you something right away, better than simple ACV many people take daily, but without the probiotics that come with waiting for a month. If you need something NOW, put all the ingredients with ratio that matches 24 ounces of Apple Cider Vinegar, and 1 cup of water, in a crockpot, and keep on low overnight. Strain in the morning. Drink a shot daily.

Month long POTENT version: Chop all ingredients, cover with ACV, and close air tight for a month, store in cool, dry place. Shake daily while fermentation takes place for greatest potency.

1. Prepare your roots and herbs in quart sized glass jar (or a few mini jars). If you’ve never grated horseradish, be prepared for a powerful sinus opening experience!

2. Pour the ACV in the jar covering all the ingredients to the top

3. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Use a plastic lid or protect metal from oxidation with natural parchment paper.

4. Place jar in a warm place and let for three to four weeks. Best to shake every day to help break it all down.

5. Strain out the herbs, squeezing out all the liquid you can. Reserve the liquid to drink a tablespoon+ daily. Use the bulk in a broth or juice.

6. Add honey “to taste”. Warm the honey first so it mixes in well. 

7. Fire Cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry. But it’s better to store in the refrigerator if you have room.

Video here

Just like other ferments, this is quick to put together, but takes a months or so to be ready. Some people like to bury their fire cider jar in the ground for a month (stays dark and cool, PERFECT conditions for natural ferments), then dig it up during a great feast to celebrate the changing of the seasons. I like to make a little intention, and think about what i want to be true in a month from now when this is ready to eat. Others like to shake their bottles everyday, pulling that ferment from the dark cabinet to help everything touch as much of the liquid as possible. Do whatever feels right to you.

You’ll find many different varieties of this herbal remedy, but most consist of the same few things: Apple cider vinegar and some heat. Even using the same ingredients can taste very differently every year based on the local conditions. Any ingredients like htis are just used as a starter, as the real beenfits are the probiotics that grow in that month of dark isolation. And every one propagates very differently based on how the base ingredients have been grown in each of their own little ecosystems.

I hate to have to say this, but organic ingredients are important, as you don’t want any more of those pesticides that, by definition, kill life. That is opposite effect we are going for.

In a world where everything is immediate, we can learn a little patience. Most herbal remedies are slow to show effect, but steady in results. We benefit from a little bit every day, rather than a whole bunch in one moment then never again. In that first month of waiting, just like seeing any plant grow from a seed, we can learn to appreciate allowing something natural to take place. We can learn to prep for the long term, not just immediate emergencies.

In that first month while your initial batch is prepping, order a few from different sources to find your favorite ingredients. Maybe you like a bit of honey, maybe you can handle that excessively hot variety. Make some sauerkraut or other ferments every couple weeks so you always have a cheap (and steady) supply of probiotics and these amazing immune boosting remedies.