November 2025 - Magazine - Page 87
November 2025
honey mellows out the flavors of the spices and sour vinegar. If you want to be technical
about it, we9re really making an oxymel.
How to Use Fire Cider
Judging by the ingredients in the recipe, you might not expect it to taste very good. I didn9t
either but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Here9s how to use your new fire cider:
Take a tablespoon once a day (or up to 3 times a day) as needed for immune support
If illness hits, I9ll take a teaspoon every few hours or add a tablespoon to hot water or herbal
tea a few times a day until I feel better.
Drizzle it over salad for a mild peppery and sweet vinaigrette
Add a little oil and use it as a dip for sourdough bread
Use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce
How to Ferment Fire Cider
Some recipes call for putting the fire cider in a warm, sunny location for the vinegar infusion
(which is what I do). The original recipe also calls for a warm spot. Some herbalists however
call for fermenting the vinegar in a cool, dark location. Either will work, but you9ll find it
infuses faster in a warm (not hot) spot.
Here9s how to make it.
Equipment
◼ Fermentation weight (optional but helpful)
◼ Quart size mason jar with lid
Ingredients
◼ ½ medium onion (peeled and roughly chopped)
◼ ½ bulb garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
◼ 1 and ½ inch piece of fresh ginger (grated)
◼ 1 and ½ tsp dried echinacea root (optional)
◼ ½ orange (sliced, optional)
◼ ½ jalapeño (sliced, optional)
◼ 1 tsp cayenne pepper
◼ apple cider vinegar (raw, unfiltered)
◼ raw honey
Instructions
1. Place the onion, garlic, ginger, echinacea root, orange, and jalapeño (if using) into a
quart size Mason jar.
2. Pour enough apple cider vinegar into the jar to fully cover the ingredients. Use a
fermentation weight if you have one to keep everything submerged.
3. Cap tightly and let sit for 234 weeks in a warm spot, shaking the jar daily if possible.
4. After fermentation, strain out and discard the solids, saving the infused vinegar.
5. Measure how much vinegar you have left and stir in an equal amount of raw honey,
plus the cayenne pepper. Mix until fully combined.
6. Store in the refrigerator and shake before using.
Leftover Fire Cider Chutney
Once you9ve strained your fire cider, there9s no need to throw out the herbs and spices.
They also make a delicious chutney that9s great with rice, sourdough toast, or stirred into
soups. Simply pulse the strained plant material in a food processor. Add a little of the fire
cider liquid if necessary to get it to blend. Be sure to leave it chunky and do not blend it
smooth.
If you add more medicinal herbs, like echinacea, it can have a little more of
a bitter taste to it. Play with the ingredients to find your favorites!
