If you’re wondering what the heck a fire cider tonic is, you’ve come to the right place. Fire cider is a delicious tonic made with a base of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar. It is then infused with herbs, roots, and fruits.
For my fire cider I added ginger, garlic, onion, horseradish root, orange, lemon, turmeric, honey, and raw apple cider vinegar. You can also add habanero pepper to your fire cider if you like some spice. I chose to leave it out because I knew my kids wouldn’t like it.
If possible you want to try and use all organic ingredients and be sure to wash them well first. This is because the ingredients are infusing for weeks, so you want your final product as pure as possible.
Did I mention it takes FOUR weeks to infuse. The anticipation is so worth it though when you taste the final product.
You are going to combine all of your ingredients in a large mason jar to infuse. After the four weeks is up, it’s time to strain your fire cider. You can do this using a fine sieve or a cheesecloth placed over a bowl. You are going to slowly pour the liquid through the strainer, squeezing the pulp as you go to get out as much liquid as possible. I suggest letting it strain over the course of 30 minutes or so, to make sure you are maximizing your product.
After your fire cider is completely strained, whisk in your honey. I use upwards of 1/4 cup. Choose a honey that is local to your area for added allergy benefits.
If you are looking for more wellness support to keep your family healthy, check out these popular posts:
5 tips for fighting cold and flu season.
Health benefits of fire cider
Curcumin, the main component in turmeric: “Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses.” Curcumin: the Indian solid gold.
Onion: contains antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and protects against free radical damage in your cells.
Garlic: Contains allicin, one of the active ingredients, which has been shown to have antimicrobial effects
Horseradish: grating the root activates allylisothiocyanate, AIT. This component has antioxidant and superoxide scavenging properties that help protect your cells from damage.
Ginger: has been shown to be effective as an antimicrobial in some respiratory tract infections.
Lemon, Orange: Both are rich in vitamin c, which as been shown to be effective in alleviating cold and flu symptoms and preventing symptoms from manifesting.
How much fire cider should you drink?
The adults in my house drink one tablespoon of fire cider daily during cold and flu season. My toddlers have one teaspoon daily, which I add to water to dilute it a bit. If any of us feel the start of a cold coming on we will up our dose until our symptoms subside.
Take note before making
Horseradish root smells very potent when you’re grating it. It always makes my eyes burn, so beware. I’d also suggest wearing gloves when working with it, unless you want to smell like horseradish for the rest of the day.
Turmeric stains things orange. You can also wear gloves when peeling and chopping this, unless you’re fine with having orange fingers for the rest of the day.
Don’t use a metal lid to cover your fire cider. The fire cider is acidic and can make the lid rust, and you don’t want that leeching into your cider during the infusion process. I use these beeswax wraps
What you need to make fire cider
A food processor
A sturdy grater
A large mason jar
I like to use these beeswax wraps for covering your jars
Strainer or a cheesecloth
Family Friendly Fire Cider Tonic
This fire cider tonic is the perfect immune boost for cold and flu season. Make it now so that you have it on hand all winter long. It's tangy and sweet and both adults and children will enjoy it.
Ingredients
- 1 large orange use whole fruit including peel
- 1 lemon whole fruit including peel
- 6 inches horseradish root well scrubbed
- 6 inches ginger root
- 1 large yellow onion peeled
- 15 cloves of garlic peeled
- 2 inches turmeric root
- 32 oz raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar use more if needed
- 1/4 C local honey
Instructions
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Roughly chop the onion, garlic, orange, and lemon. Add them to two 32oz mason jars, doing your best to dsitribute evenly. Grate the horseradish and add to the jars. Peel and slice ginger and turmeric roots, adding them to the jars. Pour the raw apple cider vinegar into the jars, allowing it to fill the space in between the ingredients until there is no more room for ingredients. Cover your jar with beeswax or a cloth and wrap a rubberband around it to keep the jar secure. Store in a cool dark place while allowing mixture to infuse, shaking the jars once daily.
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After four weeks, place your cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the infused mixture into the cheesecloth, allowing the liquid to drain through into the bowl below. Allow for about thirty minutes, to let all of the liquid drain through. Squeeze the remaining mixture in the cheesecloth to ensure that all of the liquid has been strained out. Whisk in honey to your liquid and store the final product in an airtight container to use throughout the winter months.
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