In Donata's Kitchen

Entry #13: On the making and sharing of Fire Cider

In 2023 I made Fire Cider for friends and family like this:

Fire Cider 

The great herbalist and wise woman Rosemary Gladstar coined the term Fire Cider in the early 1980’s. It became a widely used winter tonic for boosting immunity and killing viruses for the herbally conscious. The original recipe was given for free. In 2012 a large company invested in making ACV tonics wanted to manufacture it, bottle it, and trademark the name. An uprising ensued. Fire Cider should remain a tradition, not a trademark, the herbalists said. I was lucky to be a part of the insurgence against trademarking. I gathered with local herbalists in solidarity in November of 2012 where we convened in the kitchen of a local herb farmer to make batches of fire cider together, posting our efforts on social media. By 2019, through a series of contentious legal battles, the term Fire Cider was ruled generic and no company holds the trademark. February 2nd, for reasons I can’t quite confirm, (is this the day the legal battle was settled for fire cider? no, that was finally decided on October 2019) is now deemed World Fire Cider Day. I still make mine in the autumn so that it is steeped well by flu season!

I have recently learned that the Amish make a remedy very similar to this remedy. They call it Super Tonic. Records show that this concoction has been an important part of their apothecaries since the 1880s. It is said that families passed the bottle around at dinnertime taking a tablespoonful each winter evening keeping their families virus free. They get together and make their remedy in the fall, steeping it for 6 months before decanting. They make enough to last a whole year. What a wonderful healing tradition to partake of together!

This year I did as I typically do, I like to make my fire cider in the fall, when an abundance of garlic and onion are ready. I dug up my horse radish roots in the moist soil of autumn, appreciating the hummus created within its wild root tendrils as the soil has had time to compost the dead foliage of summer’s leaves.

I made my Fire Cider in the middle of October. I do believe it is the prettiest batch of Fire Cider I’ve made to date. I keep my Fire Cider very herb forward. I’ve used what the garden had to give this year: horseradish, thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram, garlic, purple cayenne chilis. I purchased locally what I didn’t have myself. The raw apple cider vinegar (ACV) is made with apples grown in the Snohomish River Valley, made and bottled in Maltby, from the Maltby Produce Market. I used their onions too. The Ginger came from I don’t know where, but it was plump and moist and smelled oh so fresh.

I have made Fire Cider since 2009, in time for my children to trust the use of it to aid their immune system through the cold and flu season. I would keep our brew in a crystal decanter on the counter top and they would pour themselves a shot as soon as they felt the sniffles come on, or after being in a group of kids with the sniffles. It’s not exactly a pleasant experience to chug a shot of this potent elixir, but the benefits far outweigh the risks. Do note, that it will definitely engage your digestive system into action. 

Take fire cider as a straight shot, or take a tablespoon or two. Mix a tablespoon or two into hot water. Or mix your tablespoon with a bit of honey. Imbibe a few times a day until you’re feeling your body is in the clear. Stop using it if it causes stomach upset, of course.

Sometimes I make Fire Cider like this:

fire cider, 2022

Strong horse radish just out of the garden

Ginger

Garlic

Onion

Jalapenos

Lemon

Rosemary

Thyme

Cute jars from the thrift store

Chop em up

Poor in the vinegar

Let sit…

Decant into a fancy container and force the kids to take shots when they feel cruddy