I first learned of Fire Cider while taking Stephanie Perkinson’s Deeply Rooted Cleanse this winter. It’s a homemade concoction said to prevent cold and flu symptoms and boost your immune system. It’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral, congestion clearing and warming. As soon as Stephanie shared her recipe with the cleanse group I quickly went to my grocery store and bought all the ingredients. For me, I always tend to catch some sort of cold bug whenever seasons change. With Spring finally popping its head out, I knew this homemade preventative would come in handy.
The base ingredients are raw apple cider vinegar and raw honey. There are a ton of variations on how to make Fire Cider, but they all contain some sort of pepper, ginger, onion, horseradish, garlic, citrus and herbs. The resulting taste is strong, spicy, sweet and sour. I was afraid to try it at first thinking it would taste awful! But when I gathered up my courage and took a sip, I was surprised that the taste wasn’t bad, but very, very strong and unlike anything else I’ve tasted before.
Fire cider has been made for generations as a simple and effective remedy to relieve sinus congestion, ward off colds and flus, aid digestion and increase circulation. You can drink it neat, mix it with other beverages and use it in cooking (I plan to use it to make a salad dressing soon!).
- ½ cup fresh grated ginger root
- ½ cup fresh grated horseradish root
- ½ cup fennel, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 head of garlic, smashed
- Juice of one lemon
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp or more of cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Raw apple cider vinegar (I used Bragg’s brand)
- Raw honey to taste
- Cheesecloth
- Quart-sized mason jar
- Prepare all of your ingredients (minus the cider vinegar and honey). Stuff everything into a sanitized glass quart-sized mason jar. Pour the vinegar over the top, filling it all the way up. Use a piece of parchment or wax paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal. Shake well.
- Store in a cool, dark place for one month. Give the jar a few good shakes every day.
- After four weeks, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, pouring the Fire Cider into a clean jar. Then add in ¼ cup of raw honey and stir until dissolved. Take a calming breath and taste your cider for the first time. Add more honey to suit your preferences (I ended up adding a lot more!).
I bottled my Fire Cider and added custom labels and tags in Morocco style from Evermine. I made sure to include a text label with instructions on how to use it for a cold and flu remedy. I plan to gift my bottles to friends and then brew up another batch for myself.
Used In This Project:
- Diamond Labels • I chose the “Morocco” style in Deep Coral.
- Small Diamond Hang Tags • I chose the “Morocco” style in Deep Coral.
- Text Label • I chose the “Morocco” style in Deep Coral.
More Healthy Gift Ideas:
Homemade Kombucha Mason Jar Sprouting Kit Sore Throat Remedy Cold Season Care Package
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Rachel Beyer is an artist, designer and creative maker based in Portland, OR. She loves crafting, party planning and illustration. Rachel runs her own creative blog, Adventures In Making and also has a line of greeting cards, art prints and handmade goodies called Camp Smartypants.
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