INGREDIENT FEATURE: Fire Cider
Fire Cider is a powerful herbal folk remedy popularized by esteemed herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar. This infusion, made of warming and wellness-supporting ingredients, is an especially easy way to boost natural health processes, stimulate digestion, and raise your internal thermostat on cold days.
Because this is a folk preparation, the ingredients can change from year to year depending on when you make it, what you’re drawn to, and what's growing around you. Fire cider can be taken straight by the spoonful, added to organic veggie juice (throw in some olives and pickles for a non-alcoholic, healthy bloody Mary!), drizzled on a salad with good olive oil, or splashed in any dish.
Of course at Gnosis, we honor folk medicine and strive to create chocolates which not only contain powerful botanicals, but also draw our attention to traditions of preventative medicine.
This Fall, we have created a modified version of this potent medicine, which we present to you now in our Fire Cider Truffle and Truffle-Style Bar. Cacao, with its phytochemicals and vasodialating properties, works as a wonderful carrier in place of apple cider vinegar to deliver the botanicals. And instead of garlic and onions, we’ve included wildcrafted oil of oregano.
Rosemary’s Original Fire Cider
By Rosemary Gladstar
Herbs & Earth Awareness, Milton, Vermont
This is one of my favorite and most famous recipes. I started making it at the herb school I founded, the California School of Herbal Studies, around 1980, and it quickly became a popular and well-known recipe used as a tonic and also to prevent colds and flus, to stimulate immune function and to aid in circulation. I think it became so quickly popular in part because it was made from common kitchen ingredients that were easy to find and inexpensive. It was also simple and fun to make, and it tasted darn good, with just the right amount of sweet, spicy, sour and pungent. There are hundreds of variations on this recipe. Here’s the original.
I must be honest and admit that I never measure anything! Instead of a measuring cup or a tablespoon, I use a “measuring hand” or a couple of fingers. In the following recipe, “½ cup” equates to approximately “a handful,” more or less. This method works just great for measuring herbs!
INGREDIENTS
½ cup grated fresh horseradish root
½ cup or more chopped onions
¼ cup or more chopped garlic
¼ cup or more grated ginger
Cayenne pepper, fresh (chop it up) or dried (flaked or ground) to taste
Apple cider vinegar (preferably raw and organic)
Sweetener
DIRECTIONS
Place the herbs in a half-gallon Mason jar and add enough vinegar to cover them by 3 to 4 inches. Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Place the jar in a warm spot and let sit for 3 to 4 weeks. Shake the jar every day to help in the maceration process.
After 3 to 4 weeks, strain out the herbs, reserving the liquid. Warm the honey (so that it will mix in well) and add it to the vinegar to taste. “To taste” means your fire cider should be hot, spicy and sweet. “A little bit of honey helps the medicine go down….” The honey also helps cool the heat, moistens, and balances all the fiery ingredients.
Bottle, label and enjoy! Fire cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry. But it’s better to store it in the refrigerator if you have the room.
A small shot glass daily serves as an excellent tonic. Or take fire cider by teaspoons throughout the day if you feel a cold coming on. Take it more frequently, if necessary, to help your immune system do battle.
Text and recipes courtesy of:
Fire Cider!
101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar
For more than 30 years, best-selling author and popular herbalist Rosemary Gladstar has been touting the health benefits of fire cider — a spicy blend of apple cider vinegar, onion, ginger, horseradish, garlic, and other immune-boosting herbs. Her original recipe, inspired by traditional cider vinegar remedies, has given rise to dozens of fire cider formulations created by fans of the tonic who use it to address everyday ills, from colds and flu to leg cramps and hangovers. Fire Cider! is a lively collection of 101 recipes contributed by more than 70 herbal enthusiasts, with energizing versions ranging from Black Currant Fire Cider to Triple Goddess Vinegar, Fire Cider Dark Moonshine, and Bloody Mary Fire Cider. Colorful asides, including tribute songs and amusing anecdotes, capture Gladstar’s passionate desire to pass along the fire cider tradition.