A bold, warming fire cider made by infusing raw apple cider vinegar with fresh horseradish, ginger, turmeric, garlic, citrus, jalapeños, herbs, and whole spices, then sweetened with raw honey after straining. Spicy, tangy, and deeply aromatic.
400grams fresh horseradish root peeled and sliced into thin rounds or half-moons
400grams fresh gingerscrubbed well, skin left on, sliced thinly
400grams fresh turmericscrubbed well, skin left on, sliced thinly
3medium red onionspeeled and cut into wedges
3whole garlic bulbsloose papery skin removed, cut in half crosswise
Peppers and Citrus
7jalapeñossliced into rounds with seeds (adjust to taste)
3oranges sliced into rounds with peel on
3lemonssliced into rounds with peel on, obvious seeds removed
Fresh Herbs
7sprigs rosemary
11sprigs fresh thyme
7fresh sage leaves
Whole Spices
4cinnamon sticks
3tablespoonswhole black peppercorns
13whole cloves
3whole star anise
Liquid and Sweetener
Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegarenough to completely cover all ingredients
Raw honeyto taste (added only after straining)
Instructions
Wash the horseradish, ginger, turmeric, oranges, and lemons thoroughly. Peel the horseradish and slice it into thin rounds or half-moons. Scrub the ginger well, leave the skin on, and slice it thinly. Scrub the turmeric well, leave the skin on, and slice it thinly.
Peel the red onions and cut them into wedges. Remove the loose outer papery skin from the garlic bulbs, leave the tighter inner skin in place, then cut each whole garlic bulb in half crosswise so the cloves are exposed.
Slice the jalapeños into rounds, leaving the seeds in. Slice the oranges and lemons into rounds, keeping the peel on. Remove any obvious lemon seeds.
Leave the rosemary and thyme sprigs whole. Leave the sage leaves whole.
Add the ingredients to a clean 8-liter glass jar in this order: horseradish, ginger, turmeric, onions, garlic, jalapeños, black peppercorns, cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, thyme, sage, then the orange and lemon slices.
Slowly pour in enough raw apple cider vinegar to completely cover all the ingredients. Press the ingredients down gently to release any trapped air pockets.
Place a clean fermentation weight on top so the ingredients remain below the vinegar. Make sure everything is submerged and leave a little headspace at the top of the jar.
Close the jar securely with the lid. If using a metal lid, place a piece of parchment paper between the lid and the jar to prevent prolonged contact between the vinegar and the metal.
Store in a cool, dark place for 3 to 4 weeks. Check the jar regularly to make sure the ingredients stay submerged. Gently shake or swirl the jar every day or two. If the lid becomes very tight or pressure seems to be building, briefly open it to release the pressure, then close it again.
After 3 to 4 weeks, strain the fire cider through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl, pressing the solids well to extract as much liquid as possible.
Stir in raw honey to taste only after the cider has been strained. Transfer to clean bottles or jars and refrigerate.
Notes
Horseradish substitute: If fresh horseradish is hard to find, use extra fresh ginger for a milder version, or a small amount of prepared plain horseradish with no cream or added flavorings. Fresh horseradish is still the best choice for the classic sharp flavor.
Keep everything submerged below the vinegar at all times. Use a fermentation weight if needed. Anything sitting above the vinegar can spoil.
Do not add the honey at the beginning. It goes in only after the fire cider has finished infusing and has been strained.
If using a metal lid, place parchment paper or another food-safe barrier between the vinegar and the metal to prevent prolonged contact.
The yield will vary depending on the size of your produce and how much vinegar you use. Expect roughly 1.5 to 2 quarts of strained fire cider from this batch.
Once strained and sweetened, store the finished fire cider in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.