Fire Cider

As a mother of a wild three year old who goes to daycare I am always on the lookout for a way to boost the immune system. I love her so much but she is a walking petri dish and wonderful little vector. Though my background is in Chinese herbs and there are lots of wonderful options I also have Appalachia in my blood and so I also like to look to folk medicine and eastern herbs.

While looking around for elderberries and elderberry syrup on the world wide web I ran into something called Fire Cider. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this because just like elderberry syrup it is a go to for may herbalist. It is pretty simple. It’s an apple cider vinegar infusion that contains immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, decongestant, and spicy circulatory mover. The only tricky part about fire cider is that it takes a month to mature so you kinda gotta plan ahead.

There are all kinds of recipes out there. A simple search for Fire Cider on the web will get you all sorts of variations. The one that I am going to share is from a great website called mommypotamus.com

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup peeled and shredded/diced ginger root

• ½ cup peeled and shredded/diced horseradish root

• ½ cup peeled and diced turmeric OR 1/4 cup additional ginger and 1/4 cup additional horseradish

• ½ cup white onion, chopped

• ¼ cup minced or crushed garlic cloves

• 2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped

• Zest and juice from 2 organic lemons

• Raw apple cider vinegar

• Raw, organic honey to taste

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS

• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme (optional)

• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns

EQUIPMENT

• Quart-sized jar

• Wax paper

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the ginger, horseradish, onion, garlic, jalapeno and lemon juice/zest to a quart-sized jar. Pack them down lightly so that the jar is about 3/4 full. Use a fermenting weight to hold down the veggies/roots, or place heavy roots at the top so that they will weigh down the herbs and jalapenos (which float). Pour a generous amount apple cider vinegar over the roots/vegetables. You want everything to stay under the liquid to prevent spoilage. Keep in mind that some of the roots will expand a little so top it off well.

If you’re using a metal lid, line it with wax paper so that the vinegar doesn’t corrode it, then put the lid on. Place in a dark, room temperature cabinet for 2-4 weeks. (A month is best)

When the cider is ready, shake well and then strain the roots/veggies using a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve. Add honey to taste and store in the fridge.

Note: Mountain Rose Herbs suggests that you used the strained veggies in stir fry or spring rolls. Yum!

Let me know what you think or if you have used this before.

Since this recipe includes apple cider vinegar I wanted to include a link to an article from momlovesbest.com about the benefits of apple cider vinegar and using it during pregnancy. Read it here!