Shortly after I moved to the Island, I met Laurisa Rich, who was orchestrating a beautiful winter solstice celebration. Rich is a former sailor, preschool teacher, and lifelong student of using herbs and food for medicinal purposes. With her calm presence, I knew she was someone I wanted to spend time with. During one of our get-togethers, she offered me a jar of fire cider, telling me it is a natural remedy against the flu and common colds. Additionally, it may help relieve nasal congestion, support digestion, warm the body during cold seasons, and boost immunity. A fan of raw apple cider vinegar, I happily took the jar home. I don’t know whether I was just lucky that winter, or if it was this ancient folk remedy, but I remained healthy throughout the season.
A few weeks ago, Rich partnered with Jillayne Wheeler to teach the art of making fire cider at the Chilmark library. (Consult your doctor before drinking fire cider if you are taking blood-thinning medications, because some ingredients may interfere.)
Wheeler’s mission is to intersect soil health and human health by connecting healthcare and food equity systems to regenerative organic agriculture.
There are countless variations in fire cider ingredients. With a base of apple cider vinegar and honey, fire cider recipes typically include horseradish, ginger, turmeric, citrus, and herbs. “The lovely part of these foods is that they have physiological benefits. The onion and garlic, for instance, are antimicrobial and circulation stimulators, which warm your extremities in the winter,” Rich says.
With knives, graters, and cutting boards at hand, we chunked, grated, and chopped the foundational vegetables. The recipe is quite pungent, so you might want lemon peel nearby to rub on your hands, especially after the first two ingredients. The recipe below by Rosemary Gladstar is quite easy, especially because you include the skins of all the ingredients, which contain nutrients.
Fire Cider
- 1 med. organic onion, chopped (immune stimulant, vitamin C, antibacterial, antiviral)
- 10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed (immune and circulatory stimulant, antibacterial, antiviral, expectorant)
- ¼ to ½ cup organic ginger root, grated or finely chopped (warming, circulatory and immune stimulant, decongestant, expectorant, antibacterial)
- ¼ to 1/2 cup organic horseradish root, grated or finely chopped (warming, circulatory, and immune stimulant, astringent to dry up mucous secretions — omit during pregnancy)
- 2 Tbsp. organic turmeric, grated or finely chopped, or 1 Tbsp. organic turmeric powder (anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, anodyne, astringent)
- 2 Tbsp. dried rosemary leaves or ⅓ cup fresh (circulatory stimulant, astringent, antibacterial, calming, expectorant)
- 1 or 2 hot peppers, or ¼ tsp. organic cayenne powder (induces sweating, expectorant, anodyne, stimulant)
- 10 to 15 peppercorns (decongestant, enhances absorption of turmeric compounds, anti-inflammatory)
- 1 or 2 cups organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup local honey
Additional ingredient choices: thyme, rosehips, star anise, elderberries, Schisandra berries, parsley, burdock, oregano, beetroot powder, whole chili peppers, and orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime chunks
Prepare your ingredients, and layer them in a quart-size glass jar. Add apple cider vinegar to the jar to cover ingredients, until level rises to ¼ inch from the rim. Seal with a plastic lid or parchment paper under a metal lid, and shake well.
Infuse in a dim, cool place for three to four weeks; shake daily.
Harvest by straining out the pulp, pouring the infused vinegar into a clear jar or bottle, and squeezing as much liquid as possible from the pulp. (Strain the pulp and blend it with olive oil to dress vegetables or salad, or use as a spice mix).
Add ¼ cup (or to taste) honey. Shake until well-incorporated. Store in the fridge for up to a year.
How to use
Common dosages range from 1 to 2 tsp. to 1 to 2 Tbsp. daily, starting with small doses. If you are getting the cold or flu, take one Tbsp. thrice daily or 1 tsp. every half-hour, or as often as helpful.
Enjoy it straight from the jar with food, by the spoonful or using an eyedropper. You can also add it to juice, kombucha, water, or tea, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and honey to taste.
Just a few of Rich’s tasty fire cider concoctions include:
Fire Cider Tonic
Add to a glass of seltzer: 1 Tbsp fire cider, juice from ½ orange. Garnish with rosemary sprig.
Fire Cider Hot Toddy
Combine in a mug: 1 Tbsp. (or to taste) honey, 2 Tbsp. fire cider, ¾ cup hot water, and an optional 1½ oz. medicinal alcohol. Garnish with lemon slices.
Fire Cider Vinaigrette
1 cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fire cider
2 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
sea salt
pepper
Combine ingredients, and whisk or blend. Dressing keeps well in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to five days.
Fire Cider Glazed Roasted Nuts
¼ cup fire cider
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey, blackstrap molasses, or maple syrup
1 tsp. pink Himalayan salt
1½ cup raw, unsalted nut of choice
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, soaking nuts for an hour. Preheat oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread nuts on a sheet, and roast for 10 minutes, stirring after five minutes. For larger nuts, roast an additional four to six minutes.
Fire Cider Bloody Mary Smoothie
Blend until creamy:
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 stalks chopped celery
½ avocado
½ lime, squeezed
handful of greens
dash of Worcestershire sauce (omit for vegan/vegetarian)
2 tbs. honey-free fire cider
I still have a few weeks to let my ingredients infuse, but I can’t wait to try the cider in different ways. In the meantime, I will check out some fire cider “mocktail” recipes online, as a taste teaser.
