JEN’s ELDERBERRY FIRE CIDER

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​​RECIPE: JEN’s ELDERBERRY FIRE CIDER - Then The Chat Below

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INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz fresh elder berry smashed a bit with a muddler (Sambucus canadensis or S. nigra) berry -OR - 6oz dried* - simmer these (fresh or dried) for 5 min in a small pan with barely enough water to cover. This neutralizes the seeds which carry a bit of harsh alkaloids
• 4-6 fresh garlic cloves (Allium sativum) unpeeled is fine, rough chopped
• 1/2-1 cup fresh grated horseradish root - depending on your tolerance
• 1-2 fresh onion (Allium spp.), any variety is fine - peeled and chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome, grated or chopped
• 2-3 fresh chili peppers (Capsicum annuum), chopped - seeds are optional but good for thinning secretions. 
• 1-2 sprigs fresh Rosemary branches - remove leaves and chop
• 1 lime zested + juice - you can use lemon instead if you desire
• 1 stick of cinnamon + a few cloves, or sprinkle of each as a powder. Option: add 1 star anise which is lovely and quite antiviral as well. 
• 32 fl oz apple cider vinegar - or more may be needed.
• Honey to taste - added after strained in 1 month.
• 1/2 gallon jar

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients into a clean, half gallon-sized glass jar.
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2. Pour enough apple cider vinegar over the ingredients until they’re completely covered.

3. Cover the jar with parchment paper before capping with a lid or use a plastic lid to prevent corrosion of the metal that will spoil the contents. Seal the jar tightly and shake it well. Check the vinegar level the next day and add more if the level drops, which it does from absorption, or from fairies sipping it is what is said in many traditions. 

4. Let the mixture sit in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks, shaking it 3-5x/week or daily.

5. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth and squeeze the goodness out as best you can.

6. Add honey or other sweetener to taste for finding that tangy-sweetness. This is optional too. You decide.
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7. Pour into clean glass bottles. Label with ingredients and date too.

Store your fire cider in the refrigerator for up to 6-8 months. This helps keep the lovely dark purple color of the elderberry too. It is shelf stable for 3 months outside of the frig. 

DOSING: To use, dilute and sip 1 ounces (2TB / 30ml) in water (or diluted grape juice and water or seltzer 1:1 is delicious). Sip during an acute illness or if you know you’ve been exposed to something every 4-6 hours while awake. Yes, you can take this daily as a preventative tonic or sip slowly to promote good strong digestion before or after meals as well.

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​It’s always a good time to think about stocking the apothecary. ​

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As summer eases on through, it’s honestly been rather brutal with heat and humidity here in New York. Every summer delivers this in New York.

But cooler nights have arrived and late August into September always delivers this welcomed shift. 

The plants change too. Already I can see leaf colors shifting that only come with temperature changes. HERE is why if you're interested in the science. 

We had an amazing boom of a crop of elderberries this year. Now it could be because I pruned for the first time ever last Imbolc. And I will do this every February as it keeps the Elders much stronger I've learned. Berry abundance can also be because we will need them and our gardens and wild places do speak to us this way with abundance at needed times, when of course they have the resources to do so.

We’ve been making this Elderberry Fire Cider recipe for decades now as an easy way to prepare for Autumn, through Winter, and into Spring to meet the challenges our bodies feel with these season changes.

Fall and Spring are harder on the body than deep Summer or Winter. There’s more change, fluctuations, and turbulence that our bodies have to navigate and respond to.
This recipe deserves space in your home apothecary. Make it yours with little changes you’re inspired to make. It becomes a beautiful gift to your loved ones too when you make it in quantity. Go ahead and make a 1/2 gallon or 1 gallon. It will keep in the frig for the whole winter through spring when germs are doing their opportunistic thing and trying to move around among us as we get weary from winter. This will keep you restored and strong. 

Boundaries with the microbial world happen on the daily all day long inside these bodies. And they're not all pathological either. Let’s drink Elderberry Fire Cider to retore some internal balance while we contemplate such things, such as our cellular level agreements. Enjoy! XO-Jen

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