What is Fire Cider?
Fire Cider is a traditional, folk herbal remedy that was made popular by revered herbalist Rosemary Gladstar.
This vinegar-based herbal infusion is a great remedy to prepare in the early Fall and have on hand throughout the winter months to help stimulate digestion, support the immune system, turn up your internal thermostat and more! While the taste of this powerful preparation may not always be a crowd favourite, we think the benefits that it provides to our health and wellbeing during the colder months are unparralled and certainly make this hot, spicy & tangy cider worth trying.
How to Make & Consume Fire Cider:
Traditional Fire Cider is made with a base of Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Horseradish and Hot Peppers! Because this is a folk recipe and herbalism is a practice unique to each individual - you can use this base and add in any additional herbs or ingredients you may desire. We personally love adding in some Turmeric & Black Pepper to help with inflammation, as well as some Rosemary to further aid digestion as well as to help the circulatory and nervous systems.
We've grown to love the taste of this preparation so much that we typically take it by the spoonful a few times a week - but we know that's most likely not for everyone. Fire Cider can also be consumed with a high quality olive oil as a salad dressing, as a drizzle on top of any savoury food item, in a glass of soda water with some citrus as somewhat of a non-alcoholic spicy margarita or really however your herbal heart desires.
We recommend using fresh onions and garlic when making Fire Cider, but we've got high quality and organic dried options for everything else you'll need including the Horseradish, Turmeric, Peppers & more.
Traditional Fire Cider Recipe (Inspired by Rosemary Gladstar):
- 1 Medium Onion (Chopped)
- 8-10 Cloves of Garlic (Crushed/Chopped)
- 1 Jalapeno (Chopped)
- 1 Lemon (Juice & Zest)
- 1/2 Cup Fresh or Dried Ginger Root
- 1/2 Cup Fresh or Dried Horseradish Root
- 1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Powder
- 2 Tbsp Dried Rosemary Leaves
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Begin by preparing all of your ingredients and placing them in a quart-sized mason jar or similar!
- Once all of the ingredients are in the jar, pour enough ACV in the jar to cover all of the ingredients and the vinegar is near the top of the jar.
- Place a plastic lid on the jar (or use a layer or parchment paper to keep the vinegar from touching the metal) and shake well.
- Store in a cool, dark place and do your best to shake the jar daily.
- After appoximately a month, use a cheescloth or similar to strain out all of the vinegar and pour into a clean jar or bottle (be sure to squeeze out any vinegar that was absorbed into the herbs and vegetables).
- Finally, add in about a 1/4 cup of honey (or to taste) and stir until well combined.
- Serve however desired and enjoy!
Looking for some exciting & different renditions of this traditional recipe? Be sure to check out Rosemary Gladstar's Fire Cider recipe book for a number of different ways you can spruce up your recipe!