Are you obsessed about your health? I’m curious. And I confess, I am.
Likely it’s because I have had type 1 diabetes for the past 38.5 years and I’ve survived breast cancer twice. Plus, like a lot of people, I HATE HATE HATE getting a cold or flu. Knock on wood, I rarely get a cold or flu. WHEW!!! I also don’t get a flu shot. I have gotten them and weirdly they cause me to almost instantly get sick. Yuck.
Instead I’m obsessed with drinking enough water with fresh lemon in it and drinking healthy teas. My preferred brand of tea is Yogi teas that have all kinds of great varieties for winter health. I also work very hard to get 8 to 9 hours a night of sleep. Keeping my immune system strong is key to staying well. I’m pretty sure my daily meditation practice and my walking 1 hour a day all winter helps too! (Thanks Sam my athlete dog!)
Additionally, I go to acupuncture 3 to 4 times a month. That is my secret ingredient for superior wellness. Acupuncture is excellent at reminding the body to be well.
A few weeks ago, my teacher colleague friend Montana offered a Folk School class on winter remedies at Great River School. I ended up being the only one who wanted to go to the first class. There will be another class in January 2020. I strongly encourage you to go!
We made two items: Elderberry Syrup and Fire Cider. Elderberry Syrup has a good amount of local honey in it and is a bit too sweet for my taste. However, Fire Cider has captured my attention. I LOVE IT! I love it so much that this past weekend I made more of it right in my own kitchen.
Squeezing the elderberry mix Boiling the elderberry syrup
The recipe I followed is from FoodiewithFamily.com. I mixed their recipe with the one that Montana used that is from HERBalachia.com.
Fire Cider recipe with my modifications Onions for Fire Cider Discovering the wonder of horseradish Ginger magic
The key Fire Cider ingredients are:
- Horseradish
- Ginger root
- Onion
- Garlic
- Habanero or jalapeno peppers
- Lemon
Optional items are:
- Orange
- Turmeric
Both Montana and I used organic items for all the Fire Cider we made. Might as well make sure the healthy tonic you are making is really super healthy on all fronts.
Take a look at the description of Fire Cider that Rebecca of FoodiewithFamily gives in her recipe, as she gives an outstanding, referenced description of exactly what each ingredient in Fire Cider is good for doing to help you stay well. In short, all these ingredients from the horseradish to the onion to the lemon and the ginger will keep you healthy all winter long.
Extra bonus, Fire Cider TASTES REALLY REALLY GOOD!!! It didn’t take all that long to make it. About an hour of my time last weekend. I did use my tiny little food processor to cut up the horseradish and the ginger which saved a lot of chopping time!
I’m waiting for 3 to 4 weeks and then I shall be drinking a few tablespoons of my homemade Fire Cider every day all winter long!
Make some yourself and let me know how you like it!
My housemate would love this! Perhaps she might be interested in making it. Definitely going to pass this on to her
Cathy,
Let me know if she makes it and in 3 – 4 weeks when it’s ready, let me know what you think of it!!! I promise it really is easy to make!!