Making fire cider tonic with a local herbalist
“Food is medicine,” April Alexander reminds me as she grates a giant piece of horseradish at her dining room table, her eyes teary from the root’s intense allyl isothiocyanate vapors in the air. “We are what we eat.”
North Fork mother of four, April is passionate about sharing traditional herbal knowledge to empower and connect people with plants, and her fire cider is exactly that in a jar.
April’s curiosity about plants and her life-long passion for what Mother Earth has to offer came full circle when she became an herbalist nearly 15 years ago after traveling to Vermont to study under Rosemary Gladstar and graduating on to become an herbalist through The Science and Art of Herbalism.
She now facilitates classes, workshops, and consultations and crafts her own herbal products ranging from natural beauty to health and wellness through her brand Blooming-Curiosity.
Recently, April began taking orders for her handmade, small-batch fire cider tonic — a staple in her home.
“Fire cider is an oxymel, a mixture of vinegar and honey,” April told us. “Vinegar is one of nature’s gifts and people have been fermenting it for centuries. In biblical times, vinegar was used as an energizing drink and nourishing food, and a disinfectant for wounds… Now add to that horseradish, ginger, garlic, onions, lemons, cayenne, and honey and you get this pungent sweet, tangy concoction that is good for keeping things moving in the colder months when we are eating heavier foods and not getting out as often as we do in summer.”
April shared that fire cider can be tweaked for any season or specific imbalance that you may be experiencing with the addition of medicinal herbs. The cider can be taken as a shot, added to water, used as the vinegar portion in salad dressing, or even as the base of a Bloody Mary!
Best of all, fire cider is kid-safe, and sometimes, even kid-approved.
“In our house, we call it pickle medicine and my kids drink it straight with a water chaser. Personally, I don’t make my fire cider too spicy so that it’s kid-friendly,” April said. “You can always make it spicier for yourself if you’d like by adding more cayenne powder later on. Exposing your kids to different flavors, tastes, and different variables will make them more accustomed to eating things like fire cider.”
How often to drink and when
For adults, April recommends drinking the tonic one teaspoon daily during a healthy period and one teaspoon three times a day during an illness or if you feel like you may be getting sick. For kids over 12 months, half to one teaspoon once a day when healthy, and if an illness is present, increase the dose up to a tablespoon until symptoms decrease. Do not give to children under 12 months as fire cider contains honey.
April’s Basic Fire Cider Recipe (adapted from Rosemary Gladstar’s original recipe)
Ingredients
1 part fresh, horseradish root, grated
1 part or more onions, chopped with skins
Half part, garlic, chopped with skins
Half part ginger, chopped
2 - 3 lemon slices
Whole cayenne pepper, dried, chopped (*See note for powder option)
Apple cider vinegar
Honey to taste
Steps
Prepare produce: grate fresh horseradish root, no peeling needed; cut off ends of onions, coarse chop onion with skins on; separate garlic bulb into cloves, remove loose outer skins, crush with flat end of a knife or cleaver, rough chop with skins in tact; rough chop ginger, no peeling needed; slice lemon; rough chop cayenne pepper (if whole, if using powder, add during next step).
Add all produce to a half gallon Mason jar and cover by 3 to 4 inches with apple cider vinegar.
Secure tightly fitting lid, plastic recommended. If you only have a metal lid, be sure to put wax or parchment paper in between the jar lid and the top of the jar then screw the cap on.
Place in a warm spot and turn daily for 3 to 4 weeks, tasting along the way if desired.
After 3 to 4 weeks, strain contents with a fine mesh strainer (or if using power ingredients, strain through a coffee filter) reserving the liquid. Place liquid back in jar.
Warm honey, add to cider liquid to taste.
Bottle, label with date, and enjoy. Fire cider tonic will keep for several months. Keep refrigerated or stored in a cool pantry.
Don’t feel like making your own but still want to get your tonic on? Email April at april@blooming-curiosity.com to place an order for her handmade fire cider tonic. Follow April on Instagram at @bloomingcuriosity for her upcoming workshops and product releases.