Headwaters Homestead

Fall is in the air, that means cold season is too! Fire cider is a warming, invigorating tonic that is a must have for any home apothecary. This fermented brew is filled with naturally occurring probiotics, supporting gut health and digestion, helps boost the immune system, and contains several ingredients that help support overall health and wellness.

Made with a robust dose of herbs, vegetables, & fruits, fire cider is a spicy, tangy, & pungent oxymel (vinegar & honey-based) concoction that can be used daily to maintain health all throughout the year. Fire cider contains many organically sourced vitamins & nutrients (when made organically making it chemical & preservative free as well) and is gluten free!

• Antibacterial/Natural Antibiotic – Garlic and ginger have strong antibacterial properties making this tonic a wonderful remedy for strep throat, chest infections, coughs, and congestion brought on by the common cold & flu.
• Improves Immune System – The alliin, a compound found within garlic, turns to allicin when crushed or chewed is known to provide multiple health benefits. This compound has been found to kill fungus & bacteria.
• Antifungal – Fire Cider’s ingredients, garlic, onion, & ginger, all possess strong antifungal properties. The active ingredient in ginger (gingerols & shogaols) also assists the liver in halting the overgrowth of candida in the body.
• Antiviral – The allium family consisting of garlic & onions have been found to be “a useful compound in the treatment of arthritis, toothache, chronic cough, constipation, parasitic infestation, snake and insect bites, gynecologic diseases, as well as in infectious diseases (as an antibiotic)” according to this study.
• Improve Heart Health – The sulphur rich antifungal properties of garlic & onion assist in lowering high blood pressure, removes plaque from arteries, raises the HDL levels (positive cholesterol), and lowers the bad (LDL). Horseradish and hot peppers are known to improve the circulatory system & energize the body.
• Antioxidant – Fire cider is jam-packed with allyl cysteine, alliin, allyl disulfide, glucosinolate, Polyphenols, Vitamin C, Flavonoids, tannins, and curcumins, all known to possess antioxidant properties. Go ahead, take a minute to Google all those!
• Anti-inflammatory – Why are anti-inflammatories so useful? As stated in our article, “Golden Paste! Why You & Your Pets Will Benefit”, “Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection, disease, and exposure to chemicals.  Chronic inflammation is when the body’s response hangs around long after the ailment itself is resolved”. Horseradish and turmeric are among the best anti-inflammatory agents Mother Nature has to offer.
• Pain Reduction –   Turmerics Curcumin, a bioactive compound, is a natural pain reducer. Curcumin can reduce pain much the same as Ibuprofen/Tylenol and acts like anti-inflammatory drugs called cox-2 inhibitors.
• Digestive Aid – Horseradish strongly stimulates the digestive juices, ginger eases stomach upset & nausea, and cayenne is a digestive aid to stimulate gastric juices.
• https://www.itsmysustainablelife.com/fire-cider-its-many-benefits/

How to make fire cider

1 small ginger root- cut into pieces
1 medium onion chopped
10 cloves garlic chopped
2 jalapeno peppers- sliced into rings
1 lemon- sliced
1 lime- sliced
Several rosemary sprigs or 2 T dried rosemary
Several sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 qt Apple Cider vinegar
Raw honey to taste

Put all ingredients (except honey) in a large jar and top with apple cider vinegar. Cover and place out of direct sunlight to ferment, opening your jar once every couple of days to “burp” and swish the ingredients around to mix up the bits that have settled on the bottom. After about 6 weeks, strain and remove all solids. Return liquid to jar and add honey to taste. Drink daily or as needed at the onset of any cold like symptoms, coughing or sore throat. https://youtu.be/9WTqVwQNDxs

I doubled the recipe to almost fill this one gallon jar and omitted horseradish because we did not have any on hand. One of the good things about fire cider is that it is made several different ways, using different ingredients but has all the same health benefits. As I was “burping” the jar today, I said to Todd, “Babe! You have to come smell this, but gently! Don’t huff it because it will probably burn. Just waft it toward your nose!” It smells delicious!

As with any new recipe, please do your own research if you have any concerns about your personal health, food allergies, etc.

-A note on green garlic!!

It is perfectly normal for your garlic to turn green. I was alarmed at first and thought I had ruined the whole batch. After consulting some friends and an article that Todd sent me, it is a natural reaction from being exposed to the acidic environment. Read more about it here —> https://revolutionfermentation.com/en/blogs/fermented-vegetables/why-does-garlic-turn-blue-green/