Colds and Flu and Autumnal Blues - Try a Little Fire

(This is an edited version of an article that appeared in our newsletter a few years ago. It seemed appropriate to run for Fire Cider Day)

Autumn is rolling through, and the chill of the changing season is creeping in more and more.  With the fluctuating weather, flu's, colds, and a general feeling of ennui become more prevalent . There's an age old remedy you may have heard about. It uses the many healthful benefits of apple cider vinegar, onions, garlic, ginger, horseradish and honey to kick start your immune system and fight off the nasties. It's an easy remedy to make at home, useful for your health and for cooking!  It's Fire Cider!

You can find my general recipe for fire cider here. There's also a link for a great video from Rosemary Gladstar, the first herbalist to publicly, freely, and openly share her fabulous recipe.

Fire Cider has a biting, tangy sweet flavor. And it's easily adaptable to your personal preferences. Once you make your fiery cider blend, what can you do with it beside fend off a cold? Oh so very much! It's unique flavor makes it a great addition in many recipes.

• Use it when making a vinaigrette dressing. It adds a nice warmth with just that little touch of sweetness.  
• Making some Bloody Mary's? Add a splash of this fiery blend.   
• When I'm making taco's or macaroni & pasta, I like to add a splash to the meat to boost the flavor.
• It is fabulous as part of a marinade!
• Use the fire cider as part of an amazing barbecue sauce.
• Add a splash with a little extra honey to some seltzer and you have a surprisingly refreshing and revitalizing soda.

Let your imagination go and you can find dozens of ways to make fire cider a healthy and tasty part of your cooking routine.  Fight off the flu and kick up the flavor with some home made Fire Cider.

Before the Season of "Everything Pumpkin" - Take time to Savor the Apple

I do adore pumpkins. Soon enough it will be the Season of Everything Pumpkin. But for me, September is the season of the apple.


Apples are the glorious gifts of late summer and early fall. There are so many varieties to choose from, and in New Jersey we have a plethora of pick your own farms. Some apples, like Cortlands, are on the sweeter side. Empires are great for eating raw and have a bit of tartness. Fuji's are wonderfully sweet and last a very long time. Granny Smiths are lovely if you prefer the tartness of apples. Jonathans are great for making applesauce, but not for baking because the mush. Yorks are great for baking. I could go on and on, since there are over 100 types of apples grown for commercial use. Actually, there are over 7,000 types of apples grown world wide, but that would take us rather far afield.

There is so much that apples give us. Not just for eating and cooling. On these first cool nights as summer fades to autumn, there is nothing like some warmed apple cider with a cinnamon stick in it. Around here, Delicious Orchards has the best cider. A great place for pick your own apples is Terhune Orchards. They also make some yummy apple wine. And of course there are the amazing benefits of apple cider vinegar.  We use it in many of our products because it is so good for you on the inside and on the out. Ooh - and I've recently discovered the fun of hard cider, but that again is another story.

Apples are packed with nutrition and fiber. They contain lots of vitamins like A, B, and C. They have antioxidant components, quercetin, collagen, and elastic which make then wonderful for your skin, boost your energy, and aid in digestion.

Applying apples to your outsides might seem strange - but your skin will certainly appreciate it. Here are a few quick tops to try:

• Take a nice fresh apple and run it through the blender with just a little water or green tea. Take that fabulous smelling mush and rub it in to your skin after a hot day. Rinse with cool water and you'll be washing away the heat and damage you've imposed on your face.
• Kick the apple treatment up a little by blending apple mush with honey and make yourself a skin loving face mask. It will brighten and soften your skin.
• Use a little apple mush or gently run a slice of apple under your eyes to help alleviate those dark circles. 
• After shampooing, pour some apple juice through your hair and then rinse. It will help with dandruff and add some nice shine.
• The pectin and tannin in apples helps soothe bug bites. Rub a piece of apple on a bite or apply a little mush.

Of course the best thing you can do with an apple, especially fresh and in season, is eat one a day. It may help keep the doctor away, and it will definitely taste great and make you happy.

Put Out Cold Season with a litte Fire in Your Cider

Actually - it's a little fire in your apple cider vinegar.

For a number of years I've been studying about herbs and their power. About 15 years ago, I came across the well-known recipe from Rosemary Gladstar, a renown herbalist and healer, and in general a very cool lady. To tell you the truth, the recipe didn't sound very yummy, but it did sound mighty powerful to fight colds and sinus problems. So I gave it a shot. The original recipe for fire cider from Rosemary follows. 

• 1 part Garlic
  
• 1 part Horseradish
• 1 part Onions
• ½ part Fresh ginger
• Cayenne to taste (just a few grains will do)
• Honey to taste
• Apple Cider Vinegar.

Chop fresh garlic, onions, and grate the horseradish and fresh ginger. The amounts and proportions vary according to your particular taste. You can always adjust the flavors in future batches. Chop enough of the first four ingredients to fill a quart jar approximately half full. Put in wide mouth quart jar and cover with Apple Cider vinegar (keep vinegar about two to three inches above the herbs). Add cayenne to taste (just a small amount or will be too hot!). Let sit at least 4 weeks. Strain well, squishing out all the goodness, and discard spent herbs. Add honey to taste, 1/4 cup at a time (add the honey after you strain the rest of the herbs). Raw honey is best if you have it. Don't use store bought honey unless you are 100% sure it's real honey.

Fire cider should taste hot, spicy and sweet.

You can see Rosemary make her recipe here. Plus she explains the benefits of all the ingredients.

This is the way I first made my fire cider. There are lots of recipes available, and all have their own slight variation.

My recipe has changed over the course of time as well. I like to add a few cinnamon sticks, a handful of dried elderberries, a sliced orange &/or lemon, turmeric (I can never seem to find it fresh so I use a teaspoon of powdered), a dried thai dragon pepper or two, and extra ginger. Sometimes I'll add some astragalus root or licorice root.

Something else I do now - I store the infused fiery apple cider separately and add the honey as needed. One of the reasons I do that is to have the chance to use an assortment of infused honey's, depending on how I'm using my brew.

You'll find a number of ways to use fire cider in our newsletter. However, it's main use in our home is still to help battle those bugs of winter. I particularly use it when my sinuses are acting up.

This wonderful winter tonic is a remedy that was found in many kitchens in years past. With it's many uses, it's something that is easy, healthy and fun to make.