It's that time of year again! If you haven't already got into the preserving groove to store away your family favourite jam, pickles, or dehydrated fruits, etc. this is the season to do it!
Once recipe I tried last year was called Fire Cider. We always have a ridiculous amount of apple cider vinegar in my house which we use for a variety of things - cleaning, hair rinse, making herbal infused vinegar for plantiful products, and my husband has taking to drinking it as a tonic from time to time. We also have lots of fresh apple cider, thanks to our connection with a volunteer organization called Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE). If you want to get your hands on some raw apple cider to make your own apple cider vinegar, connect with these folks and attend one of their apple cider pressing events! They are family friendly, will make your break aw sweat and are all around awesome!
So what is Fire cider? It's a herbal tonic made by brewing apple cider vinegar in a variety of herbs and spices for about 4-6 weeks. I first learned about it in one of my recipe books by Rosemary Gladstar, who has been making it and sharing the recipe since the 1970s. It's a wonderful winter tonic that helps fight off colds and flus and help add natural probiotics to your gut to keep you healthy. The recipe or I should say recipes have been around for ages with variations here and there based on local flora and herbal inclinations.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 Gallon Mason Jar
- 1 Cup Dried Burdock Root
- 1 Orange, chopped, rinds intact
- 1 Lemon, chopped, rinds intact
- 2 Onions
- 5-10 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Large Horseradish Root, Shredded
- 1 Ginger Root, Shredded
- 1/4 Cup of Previously Fermented Jalapeno/Cayenne Mixture (I would use fresh or dried peppers, if available)
- 1/2 Gallon of Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Slices of Apple, According to my 7 year old the apples are the secret ingredient to the recipe
Here is a link to a fun blog post with the above recipe by Heather Bruntil that she makes with her kids.
Enjoy!
Photo credit: Heather Bruntil
