Potent natural flu and cold remedy: Fire cider thieves vinegar

The flu is going around lately and I'm sure you've heard- it's no joke this year. Folks, young and old, are having a really rough go of it after coming down with the virus.

So far, we've managed to avoid it at our house. I believe that we have 1) the grace of God and 2) mother nature's medicine cabinet to thank for that as we keep our kitchen stocked with healthy foods, immune boosting herbs and homemade remedies.

Making medicine appeals to me for so many reasons. For starters, it's fun. I could spend hours upon hours learning about different plants and their healing properties. It's also really practical. When I create a remedy in my kitchen it's usually very affordable and I know exactly what's in it. Plus, there's just something freeing about being able to grow everything I need to make it.

One of my favorites is a healing vinegar that combines two recipes praised for their immune system strengthening properties. I take the veggie goodness from "Fire Cider" and combine it with the herbal potency of "Four Thieves Vinegar" to create a spicy herbal concoction crafted to knock the spunk out of those nasty microbes and send them running for the hills.
This type of remedy is centuries old and has as many variations as interesting stories behind it.

Here's how I do it:

First, I gather my ingredients- the fresher the better. Organic is preferred.

Horseradish root
Ginger root
Turmeric root
Black peppercorns
Jalapeños
Cayenne peppers
Garlic
Onion
Lemon
Rosemary
Peppermint
Sage
Thyme
Cinnamon
Lavender
Apple Cider Vinegar ("with the mother")
Honey

*These ingredients are my personal preference but can be tweaked based on what's in season or what you can get your hands on.

I chop all the veggies into small pieces and use a large grater to get all roots the size I want. I slice the lemon horizontally into rounds and put one round in each jar.

Beware: You will most likely cry. I always cry. Even in a well ventilated area, the medley of spicy air that forms when the juices of horseradish, peppers and onion are released is intense. It will be SO worth it though. Just power through those tears and keep choppin!
For goodness sake, wear gloves and whatever you do don't rub your eyes or any other sensitive areas. If you don't wear gloves your hands could become raw and feel sunburned for a day or two.

If you survive the chopping (Yay, go you! You're officially a health warrior!) you are ready to add everything to your glass jars. I say glass is a must because plastic will leach and that's going to take away some healthy goodness from your final product.

Layer all your ingredients in the jars. For the veggies, I eyeball how much I need to evenly distribute them all among my jars. It doesn't have to be exact. I usually use about 1 Tbs of each dried herb per jar.
You want to leave about two inches or more of empty space in the top of the jar before you fill it with vinegar so your plants remain submerged.

People always ask me how much of each ingredient to buy or to use. I don't have a good answer to that. There's sort of an art to it and no exact amount needed to achieve desirable results. I lay out more jars than I think I'll need and, once I get everything chopped, I estimate how many to use in order to fit all my ingredients.

Once your plant material is layered in the jars, fill them to the top with vinegar. Close the jars with a lid that won't corrode. I put parchment paper between the lids of my ball jars and the glass because those lids can become rusty. I don't want the metal to get into my vinegar.

Write the date on them somewhere so you don't forget how long they've been steeping.

Now you wait. And shake.
Commence shaking and waiting!

Keep your jars in a cool dark place for 4 to 6 weeks and give them each a vigorous shaking every day.

After 4 to 6 weeks, separate the plant matter from the vinegar with a strainer. Jar or bottle up the vinegar and discard the plant material.
I like to mix the vinegar with local honey to make it more palatable. You can take that mixture by itself as a preventive measure for immune support or at the first signs of sickness. I'll also take colloidal silver if I really feel like I'm coming down with something.

I am obligated to say that this is not evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent or cure any illness. This is not medical advice. If you are sick, go see a doctor.
{insert eye roll here}

The final product is very flavorful and, in addition to boosting health, can be added to various recipes and salad dressings for extra zest.

This vinegar will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months or out on the counter for about 3 months.

Enjoy & happy concocting!

My dad is a bee keeper. I love helping him harvest honey. Bees are incredible.