Easy Fire Cider Recipe
This homemade fire cider is a simple, time-tested folk remedy made from raw apple cider vinegar infused with powerful ingredients like garlic, onion, horseradish, ginger, and chili peppers. Let it steep for a few weeks, strain, and enjoy a warming immune boost all season long.
Equipment
- 1 gallon size jar
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 head of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh horseradish, grated
- 1 large jalapeno or cayenne pepper, sliced (or dried chili flakes to taste)
- 1 zest and juice of 1 lemon or orange
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme
- 1-2 tbsp turmeric (fresh or ground)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- Raw apple cider vinegar (enough to cover everything in your jar)
- Raw honey (to taste, added after steeping)
Instructions
1. Pack Your Jar
- I use a wide-mouth quart mason jar, but you can scale this up or down. Add all your chopped and grated ingredients to the jar. It’s okay if it looks a little chaotic—this is folk medicine, not fine dining!
Pour In the Vinegar
- Fill the jar with raw apple cider vinegar until everything is submerged. If you’re using a metal lid, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between the jar and the lid to avoid corrosion. Or use a plastic jar lid.
Shake and Store
- Give your jar a good shake and set it somewhere cool and dark (a pantry or cupboard works great). Shake it once a day and let it steep for 3 to 4 weeks.
Strain and Sweeten
- After it’s infused, strain out all the solids using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Stir in raw honey to taste—just enough to take the edge off the heat.
Bottle It Up!
- Store your finished fire cider in a clean bottle or jar in the fridge or a cool pantry. It’ll last for months!
How to Use Fire Cider
- I take about a tablespoon each morning as a preventative (diluted in water if I’m feeling delicate). If someone in the family comes down with something, we bump it up to 3x a day. You can also use it in salad dressings, mix it into tea (yes, really), or splash it into soups and broths for a flavor and health boost.