Fire Cider Recipe for Immune Health
There is something wickedly beautiful and wicked healthy brewing in the kitchen: Fire Cider! This spicy, spunky, tangy tonic will help you stay healthy during the winter and cold season - naturally. Ingredients that are already known to be good-for-you healers on their own are infused in raw apple cider vinegar to create a powerful immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, decongestant, circulation and digestion system boosting beverage. A shot a day keeps the doctor away. Cheers!
Servings: 1 quart
Equipment
- Large glass, ceramic, or other non-reactive container for infusing
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow or white onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3-4 tbsp fresh horseradish, grated
- 3-4 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- raw apple cider vinegar (enough to pour over other ingredients and fill the jar)
- raw honey, added later - after weeks of infusion
- cayenne pepper powder, also added later (if other hot peppers aren't added during infusion)
- Optional: citrus, 3-4 tbsp fresh grated turmeric, black pepper, hot chili peppers (instead of cayenne later), and fresh herbs such as oregano, lemon grass, thyme, rosemary, sage, or calendula blooms
Instructions
- Chop or use a food processor to prepare the above-listed onion, garlic, horseradish and ginger - per quart jar. Scale up as needed for larger batches.
- Slice the optional citrus into slices or quarters, e.g. one lemon and/or orange per quart jar.
- Pack your container of choice with the prepared ingredients until it is about ¾ of the way full.
- Pour the ACV over the prepared ingredients until the container is full.
- Place a lid on the container, and store at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks minimum.
- Shake the jar on a daily basis to help the ingredients steep and infuse.
- After a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks, strain the contents of the jar using cheese cloth and/or fine mesh strainer, separating the solids from the liquid. Retain the liquid! Squeeze solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Add honey* into the reserved liquid to taste - we usually do just a couple tablespoons per infused and drained quart jar, Also add chili or cayenne powder to taste, and thoroughly stir to combine. *As a vegan variation, either skip the sweeter or use agave syrup - though it doesn't have the same healing properties as local raw honey.
- Bottle the liquid and store in your refrigerator or a cool dark place. Fire cider should last up to a year or longer. As long as it is doesn't develop mold or a sudden change in flavor or odor, it's still good.
- It is now ready to drink! Enjoy often to stay healthy during the winter months. It is recommended to take 1-2 tablespoons of fire cider per day throughout the fall and winter as a preventative measure. If you are feeling some crud coming on, up your dose to a full 1 oz “shot”! You can repeat a few times a day. You can also use fire cider as a zesty salad dressing! Remember to shake the bottle before pouring to ensure you’re getting all the good stuff that may have settled.