Traditional Fire Cider Recipe (Half-Gallon Batch)
A potent, traditional herbal tonic made with horseradish, ginger, garlic, onion, and hot peppers infused in apple cider vinegar. This immune-supporting remedy has been used for decades to ward off colds, flu, and seasonal illness.
Equipment
- 1 half-gallon glass jar (64 oz)
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Plastic Wide Mouth Lid or cover metal with parchment paper
- 1 Cheescloth
Materials
The Essential Base:
- 4-5 cups raw apple cider vinegar with the "mother"
- ½ cup fresh horseradish root chopped or grated
- ½ cup fresh ginger root chopped or sliced
- 1 whole head garlic 10–12 cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped (I like red)
- 2-4 whole hot peppers cayenne, jalapeño, habanero, chopped (or 1–2 teaspoons ground cayenne)
Traditional Add-Ins:
- ¼ cup fresh turmeric root chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried turmeric powder)
- 1 whole lemon sliced (zest and all)
- 1 whole orange sliced (optional)
- ½-1 whole grapefruit sliced (optional)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 handful fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
Optional Powerhouse Additions:
- 3-4 tablespoons dried elderberries
- 2 tablespoons dried echinacea root
- 2 tablespoons dried astragalus root
- 2-3 whole cinnamon sticks *ceylon
- 2-3 whole star anise
- 3-4 sage leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves dried
After Straining:
- ½-1 cup raw local honey to taste
Instructions
- Prep Your Ingredients. Chop or grate all fresh roots and vegetables. The smaller you chop them, the more surface area for the vinegar to extract from. Slice citrus into rounds. If using fresh herbs, give them a rough chop or bruise them to release their oils.
- Layer everything into your jar. Add all the chopped roots, vegetables, herbs, spices, and citrus to your half-gallon jar. Pack it in—you want it full but not so tight that the vinegar can't circulate.
- Cover completely with vinegar. Pour raw apple cider vinegar over all the ingredients until everything is fully submerged by at least 2–3 inches. You may need more or less depending on how tightly you packed the jar. Everything must stay below the vinegar line to prevent mold.
- Protect your lid. If using a metal lid, place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between the jar and lid to prevent the vinegar from corroding the metal. Plastic lids work great for this.
- Seal and store. Put the lid on tightly. Store the jar in a dark, cool place (kitchen cupboard, pantry) at room temperature.
- Shake daily. Shake the jar every day for 3–4 weeks to help with the maceration process. This helps extract more compounds from the herbs and keeps everything mixing.
- Steep for 3–6 weeks. The longer it steeps, the stronger it gets. Minimum is 3 weeks, but 4–6 weeks is ideal for maximum potency.
- Strain thoroughly. After steeping, strain out all the solids using a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Squeeze every last drop from the pulp—that's where the good stuff is.
- Add honey. Warm the honey slightly (only if you need to. Just enough to make it pourable—don't overheat or you'll destroy its beneficial properties), then stir it into the strained vinegar. Start with ½ cup and taste. Add more until it reaches your desired sweetness. Your fire cider should taste hot, spicy, and sweet.
- Bottle and store. Transfer to clean glass bottles with tight-fitting lids. Fire cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry, but it's better to store in the refrigerator if you have room.