Fire Cider: An Age Old Tradition

When the days begin to shorten and the nights are long and cold, for many of us the winter blues set in and many days are spent fighting off colds and flu viruses. Winter is a magical time to journey within ourselves and vision for the coming year. However, when you laying on the floor clammy and puking or can't get out of bed with achy bones and clogged sinuses it can be quite the challenge to marvel at the beauty and embrace the time of going within. One way people have prevented typical cold and flu viruses over the years is with the traditional preparation of Fire Cider in the fall to last them through the winter. There are infinite variations of this traditional recipe unique to whomever is making it. The common thread that runs through all Fire Ciders are warming, anti-viral herbs. Generally these are your favorite kitchen herbs like hot peppers, ginger, turmeric, horseradish, onions, garlic, citrus, cinnamon, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, ect. These herbs are chopped and grated and put into a glass jar and immersed in apple cider vinegar. The concoction is then put in the refrigerator or buried in the ground and allowed to sit for six weeks with regular shaking. When the six weeks have passed the concoction is strained and the liguid contents are put in the fridge to be taken once a day or when one feels a cold or flu creeping in.

Here is a guideline recipe to make about four quarts of Fire Cider:

1 large ginger root grated
1 large turmeric root grated (dried powder turmeric works as well)
1 large grapefruit (organic is preferable as the rinds are important for all the citrus)
1 horseradish root
1 orange
2 lemons
1 lime
5 bulbs of garlic
1 onion
5-10 hot peppers
A bundle of rosemary sprigs
A bundle of thyme sprigs
A tablespoon of black pepper corns
Raw honey to taste
Apple Cider Vinegar

Optional: whatever inspires you, hibiscus, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ect.

Instructions: cut, grate, chop, grind, all ingredients and place in jars. Cover with vinegar, add honey to taste. Put yhe lid on jars (metal lids will corrode unless parchment paper os places in between them and the vinegar). Shake, shake, shake. Allow to sit in the fridge or a cool dark place for six weeks shaking periodically. After six weeks strain out amd keep the liquid in the fridge to be taken as a shot daily or when desired.

Fire cider can also be added to salad dressings, marinades, and cocktails!