Fire Cider! One of the great folk medicines. Fire cider is made by infusing vinegar for several weeks with vegetables, herbs, and spices, and then sweetening the infusion with honey. Many people swear by its ability to support their immune systems during cold and flu season. Part of the beauty of fire cider is it can be made out of whatever you've got in the kitchen or pantry. It's also a really simple activity to do with your kids!
What You'll need:
Ingredients including (but not limited to) horseradish, onion, garlic, lemon/orange/grapefruit (squeezed and/or chopped), rosemary, thyme, parsley, 1-2 hot peppers, turmeric, ginger root, hibiscus, cranberries, white pine needles, or whatever other immune supporting herbs and foods you can think of. There are lots of interesting fire cider recipes online!
*One or more mason jars with lids
*Apple cider vinegar
*Parchment paper
*Something to label the jars with
Start by chopping up all the ingredients and pack them into a large glass jar (I use a half gallon mason jar, but you can do smaller batches). There are many options for easy chopping for small children. Very young kids could even use a butter knife or their hands to rip the tender green herbs. They could also help juice the citrus. I’d recommend an adult or older child deal with the horseradish root!
Once you’ve chopped everything, pack the ingredients into the jar. They should reach up to almost the top of the jar, but don’t pack them in too tightly, as there needs to be room for the vinegar. Then, fill up the remaining space in the jar with apple cider vinegar, and cap the jar. I like to use parchment paper in between the jar and the lid so the vinegar doesn’t abrade the metal.
Next, you and your children can shake everything up in the jar. You can do this for as long as you like! When together you decide that things have been sufficiently mixed, label the jar and put it in a safe place. Every couple of days (or once a week), you or your child can shake the jar again to re-mix things.
After 4-6 weeks, you can strain everything out of the vinegar and add honey to taste. Now you have fire cider! I like to use mine to make salad dressing, but you can use a shot of it as a morning tonic, mix a little bit in with some seltzer water, or use in any recipe that calls for vinegar. Don’t worry if your child doesn’t like it—it’s pretty spicy. It’s still a fun activity to do all together, and your child might enjoy contributing to the family medicine cabinet even if they don’t want to try the fire cider!