My little guy just started kindergarten! Ahhh…so what do we need to prepare for? You betcha: cold and flu season. I meant to make a batch of FIRE CIDER last month, but I didn’t, so…here we go!

Fire cider is an old folk traditional recipe said to help ward off colds and flu. Some people drink it every day, but I drink a tablespoon or two daily when I feel like I’m getting sick. I beg Jay to try some, but he is stubborn and can’t get past the fiery taste. I don’t blame him. When I drink it I feel like fire is going to come out of my nose and mouth like a dragon, but I truly believe it works. For us, keeping colds and flu out of the house is essential because Jay’s seizures increase exponentially when he is fighting anything. Rosemary Gladstar, a herbalist, author and superguru, deserves the credit for coining the name “FIRE CIDER” many decades ago, but this traditional drink has been called many names over the years. 

**CAUTION**

1. While I was breastfeeding I drank some and, well, it cleaned my little one right out…and I mean right out. All while we were camping in a tent in the middle of a full campsite and she was SCREAMING…I kinda wanted to die a little.

2. I don’t love hot peppers, so the first time I used them in this recipe I was not aware that you should WEAR GLOVES. I touched my face–and got a little all over myself–so I jumped in the shower! WRONG! Do not add water–it makes it burn so much worse. If you do feel the burn (which is from the compound capsaicin) you need to neutralize it. You can use butter or milk neutralize the acid. You can also use oranges, lemons, limes… Don’t worry though, while it may hurt like the fire blazing in the underworld, it is not actually causing a chemical burn. 

FIRE CIDER INGREDIENTS AND WHY THEY ARE WONDERFUL 

This is a folk recipe, but my gosh the generations before us had a lot of wonderful tricks up their sleeves. As a Nutritionist, I get it. It is a fermented mixture packed full of wonderful goodness and a fabulous probiotic. There are a few main staples that are always great to throw into the mix, but some of the ingredients will depend on what you have on hand. For example, a few years ago when I started to make it, I could not find horseradish anywhere! I scoured stores for the root, and it took me FOREVER to track down raw horseradish. I had the same problem this year, so it looks like we will have to start growing horseradish ourselves!

• GARLIC (Allium sativum) – I mean, why wouldn’t you want garlic in your FIRE CIDER? And, since my fiasco of planting 1000 heads of garlic last year, we have many. In herbal lore, garlic is told to ward off evils and vampires. It’s also nicknamed ‘the poor persons antibiotic.’ Its microbes are also great at fighting the common cold and it’s known to support the immune system with both antiviral and antibacterial properties. Garlic is also loaded with B6, manganese, selenium and vitamin C. Minerals include: phosphorus, copper, iron, potassium and calcium.
• GINGER (Zingiber officinale) Another wonderful antibiotic and anti-inflammatory herb. We always use it in our house to settle an upset stomach.
• TUMERIC (Curcuma longa) Has gained a great mainstream reputation of being a wonder herb. I mean, it’s pretty much the current superfood. I could write a whole blog just on the health benefits of turmeric.
• HORSERADISH ROOT (Armoracia rusticana) One of the five bitter herbs. It is known to help the sinuses as it helps loosen the mucous from them. If you have a baby or toddler with a stuffed up nose, just cut some horseradish up and put it close to their little nose. Although, honestly, you don’t have to be that close to smell a cut horseradish! It is also very high in Vitamin C, which is of course important for fighting colds and flu.
• ONIONS (Allium cepa) – Yep, I’m one of those people who have slept with onions in my socks to try to pull out a fever or a sickness. I’ve also cut onions in half and placed them in a room to try to pull the sickness out. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. But, when you are feeling crappy, it can’t hurt. Onions are another ingredient packed full of Vitamin C, which is great for the immune system. When cutting onions, we wear goggles (unless I want to make my eyes look greener from the tears in my eyes). If you don’t keep goggles in your kitchen, you can cut the onions underwater. What I mean is: submerge the onions underwater in a small bowl (not in an actual pool..though if you do that you’ll need those goggles anyways!)
• HOT PEPPERS  (Capsicum annuum) I use whatever looks hottest at the grocery store. DO NOT GET THE JUICES IN YOUR EYES! OUCH!!! Full of beta carotene and antioxidants. It is also a systemic stimulant, so it gets many of your body systems going. It is also chock-full of many B vitamins.
• LEMON (Citrus limon) LIME (Citrus × aurantiifolia) ORANGE (Citrus X sinensis) All packed full of the antioxidant Vitamin C, which is known to help knock out a cold. The reason I use the peels in many of my recipes is because they contain a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. And, because I use the outside of the fruit, I ALWAYS choose organic to avoid any residues. It’s always best when I grow it myself, or buy from a local farmer whom I trust.
• ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis) Known to be great at treating head colds, it’s an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
• APPLE CIDER VINEGAR or ACV We are extremely lucky to have our very own orchard..which means we have tons of apples! So many apples. We make our own ACV, but if you are buying it from the grocery store, buy one with the mother! ACV is a ferment LOADED with health benefits. Again, I could write an entire blog just on Apple Cider Vinegar and I am sure I will. For this recipe, ACV is what I use to draw out all of the nutrients from the other ingredients to make an infused powerful tonic.
• HONEY There are so many health benefits to honey. SO MANY! It can even help alleviate allergies. I use honey for this recipe as a chaser. It adds some sweetness so I can actually get this concoction down since my taste buds not huge lovers of HOT HOT spices!

HOW TO MAKE THE FIRE CIDER CONCOCTION

Fire cider is really easy to make! I’m slow, so it takes me about an hour to put the fire cider together, even though it could be prepared in about half that time. But take note: it takes a full lunar cycle before it’s really ready. Then, fire cider can be stored for a very long time in the cupboard. I’ve used mine for two to three years, but I’ve read 6 months is a better storage guideline. Like anything, if something seems off, it’s best to toss. (Or compost, we compost everything! There are wonderful nutrients in it or the soil!)

USING THE  MOON – Time and time again, recipes call for using the moon as a guide. I plant garlic under the light of a full moon and also use it to cleanse my crystals. I even start my parasite cleansing under a full moon. (That being said, don’t wait 25 days to make your fire cider just because you missed the full moon. Just get on it because having fire cider on hand for the cold and flu season is a really good idea.)

STEPS FOR MAKING FIRE CIDER

1. Gather fire cider ingredients. 
Gather all of the fire cider ingredients that you want to include.

2. Measure, chop and prepare ingredients. 
I don’t really measure anything–I use a couple onions, a few garlic cloves, a horseradish root or two, multiple peppers, juice from the fruit and some peels. Every time it’s a bit different, and that is perfectly okay. I do crush, grate and cut up the ingredients, but I’ve been tempted to pulverize them in the Vitamix.

3. Find a glass jar or container. 
You will need a big glass jar. We pretty much only use glass since I don’t want any properties of plastic leaching into my ferment. A weighted glass rock can also be useful to help keep the
ingredients down in the jar.

4. Put all the ingredients into the jar.

5. Pour ACV in the jar covering all the ingredients.    

6. Add parchment paper on top of the jar if there is any chance metal will come in contact.

7. Put the lid on.

8. Shake it up!

9. Store it. 
Store your fire cider in a dark cupboard or bury it under the full moon. On the night of the next full moon, it is ready!

10. Strain out all of the liquid into a clean container.
I like to put the concoction into smaller containers so I can give them away as cold and flu fighting care packs. Believe me, my friends now ask for the stuff. When I hear a colleague sniffle, I reach for my fire cider!

11. Add honey to your fire cider.
Some people add the honey right into the fire cider concoction. I normally take a spoonful of honey as a chaser after I have had a tablespoon or two.

***The last few times I’ve made fire cider, I have taken the discarded ingredients, dehydrated them, then blended them all into a fine powder to create a very spicy super spice.

***In the middle of making this blog, guess what happened? You betcha, the little guy caught a cold. Boo!! Knew I should have made the fire cider a month ago!

*** As always, to cover my butt, always, always check with your own doctor, to make sure fire cider would be a good fit for you.

Other than the full moon, what are you waiting for? Try making your own fire cider and let me know what you think (and if it helped you stave off the cold and flu season)!

Becky

Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.