fire cider recipe

When Winter rolls in, the days are shorter, it gets colder, and the snuggly, warm clothes come out. It’s the perfect time for bringing out the recipes for cold and flu season. Fire Cider is not only an amazing tonic for colds, flu, sinus issues, and other sicknesses, but it’s delicious and can be taken preventatively, or added to your favorite oil and used as a dressing!

This is one of my favorite recipes for this time of year. And the cool thing is that you can add whatever you feel is right for you to this recipe and make it your own.

I like to just get to the good stuff, so here it is. My recipe for fire cider. I say MY loosely here because I did not invent this idea. It’s been around for a very long time. This is just how I do it. :)

What You will need:

1 half-gallon Mason Jar- Sanitized

1 Large Horseradish Root- 9 or more inches in length

Lots of Garlic- I use at least 3 whole heads

1 Large Onion

Ginger

Turmeric (If you like it)

1 Orange

1 Meyer Lemon (or lemon of your choice)

Jalapenos

Habaneros

Peppercorns

Cayenne (If you like it)

Apple Cider Vinegar- a little less than a half gallon.

Raw Honey

Optional ingredients: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, or any herbs that suit your fancy. You can play around here.

The amounts of all these will vary depending on your taste, their size to begin with, and how much you can fit in the jar.

-Begin by making sure your ingredients are clean and dry. I choose Organic wherever possible.

-First, peel and chop up your Horseradish into small pieces and put them into your sanitized jar. I start with around 9 inches of the root. You can always add more at the end if you have more space. The smaller the pieces are, the more surface space you have for the ACV to extract the medicinal qualities.

-Next, peel your garlic and chop or slice it finely. Drop it into the jar.

-Do the same with the Ginger and Turmeric You can play with your ratios. I like to use lots of Ginger, but remember it has a very strong and sometimes overpowering flavor. You can always start with a smaller amount and move up. I start with around 6 inches of each. Once again, you can always add more if you have more space at the end.

-Peel and chop/slice up your onion, and pop it into your jar.

-Thinly slice your orange and lemon with the peel on, and place them into the jar. I like to lay them on the inside of the walls of the jar to leave the most space in the middle of my jar. Maybe it just looks nice, I’m not sure why.

-Add your Jalapenos and Habaneros. You can either slice them up or pop them in whole. I have done both. I use 2 of each, or sometimes I just use 4 Habaneros, but you can play around with it and add whatever amount you like.

-Next, shake in some peppercorns. Once again, do what feels right for you, I probably add about a quarter cup.

-Add your Cayenne if you choose to use it. For this size jar, I use only about half a teaspoon. This ingredient is optional and totally up to you and your love of spice!

-Your jar is probably pretty full by now and here is where you can pop in your herbs of choice. I like to put fresh Rosemary from the garden in at this point. You can use whatever dried herbs you like. Thyme is also a great choice for her medicinal qualities! Put in a few sprigs, and add additional Garlic, Ginger, or Horseradish to your liking. This is the time for filling your jar up with more ingredients if you have more space for it. Essentially, you are filling your jar up almost to the top (right around the curve at the top of the jar), maybe leaving an inch at the very top.

-After your jar is packed with foods and herbs, Pour over it with your ACV. Fill it all the way to the top. Place your cap over the top, then put a square of fabric, wax paper, or paper towel over the cap, and screw the lid on over it. This is to keep the lid from rusting. Et Voila! You are now extracting the medicinal qualities of each food and herb into your Apple Cider Vinegar! Place your jar in a cool dark place for around 4 weeks. This depends on your taste. I like to get all the good stuff I can out, so I leave it for 4- 6 weeks. **The Apple Cider Vinegar will break down the cellular walls of the food fairly quickly, so you definitely don’t need to leave it longer than that. Everything will just get mushy.

-When the time is up, strain it out through some cheesecloth over a sieve into a clean jar or bowl, then add Raw Honey to taste. Hot and sweet, just how we like it!!

Things to keep in mind…

*Check your jar now and then. The foods will most likely soak up some of the ACV, so you may need to top off your jar with a little more. Just open the jar real quick, top it off, and recap it. You want to keep the foods fully submerged in the ACV. If everything is clean and sanitized, to begin with, you should not have any problems with mold.

*You do not have to make a full half-gallon jar of Fire Cider. If you would like to make a quart or smaller, go for it! Just slim down your ingredients.

*Feel free to leave out or add whatever you like. This is Your creation, This is how I do it, and just an idea of where to begin.

*This recipe really gets the blood moving! Make sure whoever you share this with doesn’t have an allergy to any of the ingredients, and that they like the heat.

Bonus- You can add your finished fire cider to oil and use it as a salad dressing! Yum!

So what is great about all of these ingredients? These are only a few of the reasons to use these wonderful medicinal foods…

Horseradish is excellent for getting the blood moving, warms you up, aids in digestion, and is great for sinus infections.

Garlic is an all-around amazing medicine. It has been used for hundreds of years to keep up immunity and fight off bacterial and viral infections.

Onions have been used for centuries as a healing remedy. Packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Great for coughs and colds.

Ginger aids in digestion and is anti-inflammatory.

Enjoy!