Kitchen Witchery - Fire Cider
A seasonal favorite, fire cider is a traditional warming tonic that supports circulation, digestion, and the body’s normal seasonal defenses. Fire cider is warming, dispersing, stimulating, and moving, and it’s super easy to make. It can be enjoyed by the whole family. Especially if they enjoy pungent, spicy and invigorating flavors.
It’s best used when someone feels:
Chilled, sluggish, or congested
The first hint of a cold
Heavy digestion after a rich meal
Sinus stuffiness with thick mucus
In need of a little circulatory “spark”
From a Chinese medicine perspective, the classic preparation is acrid and warming, with an ability to disperse exterior cold, transform cold-phlegm, warm the middle jiao, and move stuck Qi.
Fire cider is more appropriate for a cold, damp, boggy presentation than for someone who is already hot, dry, inflamed, reflux-prone, or Yin deficient. (Folks with GERD should not take fire cider as it can be aggravating.)
To make a jar at home, fill a glass mason jar with sliced citrus fruits, chopped chili peppers, sliced or grated horseradish (this batch used daikon), garlic, onions, ginger, and garden herbs like rosemary, turmeric, thyme, or sage, cover it with apple cider vinegar, tighten down the mason jar lid and give the jar a little shake. Store your jar in a cool, dark place, and give it the occasional shake, then strain and enjoy after at least a month.
While it rests, your cider is creating a microbiome-friendly tonic that can be taken in hot water with honey to aid digestion and give a gentle boost to immunity.
Once strained, fire cider will store in the fridge for 6-9 months. It can be enjoyed on its own, added to bone broth, or added to a cocktail for a zesty kick.
