When Fire Cider is Your Calling

This Girl is on Fire

Around this time of year, you start to see those tiny, and sometimes highly priced bottles of Fire Cider appearing in shops. Seriously, one of those bottles would last a week in this house. 

It is often inaccurately cited that Rosemary Gladstar ‘invented’ Fire Cider Vinegar but that is not strictly true. It is an old folk remedy that was pinned down, adapted and named by Rosemary Gladstar in the herb school kitchen of the California School of Herbal Studies back in 1979-1980. Rosemary, a strong advocate for DIY Folk Herbalism, put the recipe out in the world, so that it could be shared far and wide. People made Fire Cider their own, took out ingredients they didn’t like and added others and that’s the way it should have been forever more. 

Around 2014, a young upstart company called Shire City Herbals, (incidentally not run by herbalists) tried to trademark the name Fire Cider, essentially putting a price on an age-old folk remedy and preventing others from using the name. A group of women herbalists, who became known as the Fire Cider Three believed Fire Cider should for everyone and so ran a campaign, urging people all over the world to boycott the trademarked product and make their own versions of Fire Cider. The three women were called Katheryn Langelier, Nicole Telkes and Mary Blue (it’s surprising how many articles on the subject leave out their names) and had the support of Rosemary Gladstar herself. Shire City Herbals filed a lawsuit against the Fire Cider Three, demanding $100,000 in damages. In 2019 after an arduous court case, the judge finally declared that the term Fire Cider is generic and cannot be trademarked.  

A win for folk herbalism. And we have Katheryn, Nicole, Mary and Rosemary to thank. 

This is why I have decided it is my calling to make a batch of Fire Cider every year and I say those names as I roughly chop the ingredients and put them in the jar. I wish health and healing for those to take this concoction, and for the world and say my thanks to those who fought, so I could make this myself. Not only that, but with our struggling health system, I consider it my duty to work to keep myself and my family as healthy as I can by building up our immune systems. It’s empowering to make Fire Cider and give bottles away and share the recipe with you. Well, I say recipe …. 

Fire Cider is full of ingredients that are anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants, some have a reputation for lowering blood pressure, aiding digestion and at the very least are bursting with vitamins and minerals. I swear by it to get me through the cold and flu season at work and in the three years since I’ve been making Fire Cider, I’ve been ill once and even then I recovered quickly. Before I was getting at least two colds a year, one of which would usually end up on my chest. 

So why not try it yourself? Fire Cider could be your calling too! It is fun to make at home. The ingredients are easy to find growing in your garden, or in the wild, or at least reasonably priced in the shops. The best thing about it is that there are no rules – if you don’t like, or can’t find, something, leave it out. There is no need for scales, for there are no weights and measures. You don’t even have to worry about chopping the ingredients into those cute even little cubes – just chop, skin and all, and throw them in. You will be straining it later, so no one need know that your chopping skills would make Greg Wallace cry – and mine would – believe me. 

Here’s what I put in my 2023 batch of Fire Cider 

Onion 

Horseradish (I’m lucky to have this growing in my garden but have also seen it growing in the wild on Stonedown Lane) 

Garlic (I did well growing garlic this year, so my 2023 batch is heavy on the garlic) 

Ginger 

Fresh Chilli 

Fresh Turmeric (My local health food shop has fresh turmeric – but if you can’t find it, dried will do) 

Sage 

Thyme 

Lemon Balm 

Yarrow (It’s my first year of putting yarrow in Fire Cider - Yarrow seems so prolific this year I can’t help thinking it’s telling me something) 

Rosemary (This will be the last year of the original Crooked Rosemary Bush, how fitting that her last act of service will be in Fire Cider 2023. I have three small cuttings who will bring the spirit of the Crooked Rosemary into the future.) 

Other Suggestions: 

Some people add citrus, honey, rosehips, berries. I’m sure you can come up with other ideas. Give them a try. Fire Cider belongs to all of us, make it your own. 

Method 

Chop some, all or many of these ingredients and fill a large jar until it is three quarters full, then fill to the top with apple cider vinegar. Make sure all the ingredients are covered. Shake whenever you remember, every day if you can. After four weeks, strain the remedy through a muslin cloth, or a clean tea towel, I have even seen people use those mesh drawstring bags you can get from the supermarkets. Pour into a clean jar or bottle and label. 

Take a big spoonful daily over the autumn winter season. Up the dose if you’re feeling a bit sniffly. You can take it neat from the spoon, or a shot glass – or if you prefer you can dilute it into your daily intake of water. 

Further Resources 

Fire Cider!: 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar – by Rosemary Gladstar 

What Is Fire Cider Exactly? (marthastewart.com) 

Fire Cider Goes to Court: Fighting for Folk Herbalism (mountainroseherbs.com) 

Union herbalist wins long-awaited trademark suit in preserving the generic term ‘Fire Cider’ | PenBay Pilot 

Fire Cider Remedy, by Rosemary Gladstar - YouTube 

Autumn Equinox - Time for Fire Cider - YouTube 

Soundtrack to This post 

Girl on Fire, Alicia Keys