Fire Cider

1/2 gallon jars of Fire Cider just filled.
I love how pretty it looks.

What is Fire Cider? 

Fire cider is a spicy tonic used to prevent and treat colds by supposedly boosting your immune system. It’s also said to improve blood circulation and digestion, among other benefits. Fire cider is a popular yet controversial tonic. It’s used in alternative medicine to boost immunity, fight colds, and to soothe symptoms like cough, congestion, or sore throat, even though skeptics argue that it’s nothing more than a spicy concoction. 

The Benefits of Fire Cider:

 

I personally disagree on the “controversial aspect” from personal experience. I use this and swear by it. I have little kids and kids come with colds… often. Our household has had SEVERAL rounds of various bugs come through this season and did not get even one of them. And if you have littles in your home, you know they are happy to share every bug they get. I make this in mid September so I have it ready to go for cold & flu season but you can make it any time of the year.

Just about every ingredient in it is known to boost immunity, add good flora, kill bacteria and viruses, boost circulation, act as an antioxidant, or act as an anti-inflammatory.

• Fire cider starts with raw apple cider vinegar (also known as ACV), which has become more and more popular as a health drink by itself, which is made from fermented apples and packed with “good” bacteria. 
• Fire cider can boost energy or be invigorating; many people drink it for this reason alone.
• Ginger and ACV are believed to calm indigestion and promote gut health.
• Garlic may have a positive impact on blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Horseradish has been used to treat sinus infections and urinary tract infections.
• Citrus fruits contain Vitamin C which has been used for years to boost immunity.
• Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory. In order to active the benefits of turmeric you will need to include black pepper.
• Honey can ease coughing and improve cholesterol. 

You can look up the health benefits to each ingredient if you are interested.

That said, I am not a doctor, nor do I have conditions that may indicate that use is contradicted (such as acid reflux). You will need to make your own decisions for your health based on your research, conversations with your health professionals and conscious. 

 

Ingredients: 

The Basics: These are the foundation for fire cider. 

• Apple Cider Vinegar (with the Mother)
• Ginger (½  cup shredded, sliced, or chopped per ½ gal jar)
• Turmeric (¼ cup shredded, sliced, or chopped per ½ gal jar)
• Horseradish (¼ cup shredded, sliced, or chopped per ½ gal jar)
• Cayenne Pepper (1-2 whole sliced in ½ per ½ gal jar)
• Onion (1 med sliced or quartered)
• Garlic Cloves (3-4 cloves diced, sliced, or chopped) 

Optional Add-ins: I add all of this to my jars

• Lemon (Sliced or Quartered – 1 whole per ½ gal jar)
• Lime (Sliced or Quartered– 1 whole per ½ gal jar)
• Orange (Sliced or Quartered– 1 whole per ½ gal jar)
• Rosehips (½ cup fresh sliced in half or 1 TBSP dried per ½ gal jar)
• Cranberries (½ cup fresh sliced in half or ¼ cup dried per ½ gal jar)
• Pomegranate Arils (¼ cup fresh per ½ gal jar)
• Oregano (1 tsp dried or 1-2 sprigs fresh per ½ gal jar)
• Rosemary (1 tsp dried or 1-2 sprigs fresh per ½ gal jar)
• Jalapeno (1 whole sliced in ½ per ½ gal jar)
• Chili’s (1 whole sliced in ½ per ½ gal jar)
• Star Anise (3-4 whole per ½ gal jar)
• Whole black peppercorns (1 Tbsp per ½ gal jar

 

Directions: 

• Wash your ingredients first.
• Then put all of your solid ingredients into your clean sterilized jars. I use half gallon jars and do 3 at a time. This usually results in about 6 pints of fire cider in the end. Really pack them in if you need too.
• Then top with Apple Cider Vinegar. It is important that it has the mother in it. I use Bragg’s personally. (you can use pasteurized apple cider vinegar if you prefer) Fill it to about ½ in headspace.
• Place wax paper over the opening and then the lid and then the rim. This will help prevent oxidation of the metal rim from the vinegar.
• Let sit in a cool dark place for 4-6 weeks shaking occasionally. I have let mine sit 6-8 week and actually prefer it that way but 4-6 weeks is enough.
• After 4-6 weeks strain ingredients through a cheese cloth.
• Store the strained liquid in clean sterilized pint mason jars until you are ready to use.  
• (don’t throw out the pulp yet more on that to come below)

 

 To Consume: 

• 1 Tbsp fire cider
• 2-3 tsp honey (trust me you want this, I prefer it closer to 3)
• ½ cup warm (not hot) water
• Mix well until honey is dissolved.
• Drink like a shot 

To be clear this isn’t meant to be a yummy drink; it has some… kick. There is a reason it is called fire cider. I don’t mind the flavor once I add the honey. The moment I feel under the weather, or a bug makes itself known in our home, I start taking fire cider in the morning and before bed. 

Things to consider:

Taken alone, apple cider vinegar is very acidic, which can damage tooth enamel, especially if you’re drinking a shot daily. To minimize the risk, I dilute it with warm water and then swish with water after drinking fire cider.

The super acidic drink may cause more serious damage to the esophagus (particularly if you have acid reflux, GERD or Barrett’s esophagus) or lungs. Again, diluting in water is a safer way to drink fire cider.

Speaking specifically to pregnancy; my particular recipe for fire cider uses raw apple cider vinegar, which is unpasteurized and may contain harmful pathogens though not in my experience. I want the flora in the unpasteurized ACV for my gut. However, it is not advised to consume unpasteurized products during pregnancy.

If you have any health conditions, are on medications, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk with your healthcare provider first.  

 

How Do You Store Fire Cider?

 

Fire cider contains vinegar making it an unsuitable environment for bacteria. Many of the ingredients also inhibit bacteria growth (garlic for example). Vinegar is used to preserve foods. It’s safe to keep in the pantry for several months (in a tightly sealed jar), but it will last even longer if stored in the fridge. 

Now What to do With the Fire Cider Pulp?

Before drinking fire cider, most people strain out the “pulp” This pulp consists of the vegetables/fruits/herbs/spices that were put into the vinegar, which soften considerably during fermentation, usually disintegrating a bit. The pulp still has plenty of flavor and potential benefits, so don’t throw it out!

Some people will mix up pulp into mustard and spreading on a sandwich (depending on which ingredients they use), mix with mayo and use for dipping fries or veggies, mix with jam for a sweet-spicy glaze for meat, or toss some pulp into a stir-fry for a spicy kick.

I usually puree it and then put it into my dehydrator (if I had a freeze dryer, I would use that but I don’t). Once it is fully dried, I powder it in my ninja bullet and put into veggie capsules to capture more of the benefits. I take one capsule in the morning and one at night. With the recipe above I get about 1 pint of powdered fire cider, which is quite a bit.

If you have no interest in saving the pulp for any purpose, you can throw all of it into your compost pile! Your compost pile will also reap the benefits of your fermentation.

 

Stay healthy!