Fire Cider Tonic

[dma1974]

I set some fire cider to steep back in January too. I found it really easy to make and I sub'd ground cayenne for fresh too. So far so good! I opened it early, at about 5 weeks and I think it's fine. I used some the other day and had the same results as everyone else described. I froze all my extra roots, horseradish and ginger, and I'll be setting another batch or two hopefully this weekend so I'll have more for the next round of allergies and summer colds.

It definitely helped clear my cough, thinned the mucus and I breathed easier for at least a few hours. I haven't been taking it regularly bc my cold is easing. I really wish I could get my almost-four-year old to take it. Her little eyes have been red and swollen and she even scratches/rubs them in her sleep; and her little nose is so stuffy. Has anyone else had success with getting your young children to take this stuff? Perhaps with honey? What ratio of fire cider:honey would any of you recomend for a small child? Sounds cruel doesn't it? Can't be any worse than using crap that doesn't work or makes her tired and cranky.

Personally I love the heat from it. It was way less than I expected. Everything I'd read suggested it was intollerably hot. Maybe that happens after a full eight weeks?

 

[Dawn419]

dma,

I noticed a difference in the increased "heat" of the tonic after 8 weeks of steeping, but I'm a wuss when it comes to hot stuff! Hubby loves hot stuff and this doesn't bother him at all.

I'm not taking it daily but at least several times a week and have yet to catch anything that the family has been passing around! "Hiding" it in my food has helped me deal with the heat and I love it as a tea with honey. The honey really seems to tone down the heat. I use about a quarter of a teaspoon of honey but don't know that one couldn't use more than that.

I'm getting the ingredients together to make another batch of this for future use.

 

[dma1974]

Hopefully my next batch, or the one after that will be able to sit for the full eight weeks. My first batch was make in a quart jar so it yeilded about 2/3 of that. From the looks of that, if I were full-on sick and taking 4-5 shots of that a day, I'd need a full quart for one round of illness. So, yeah, I'm making two batches next time

I'm thinking that if I have to break into the first of the two that the second will have a chance to sit for eight weeks. I doubt I'll have to do that but it's noce to feel organized and planned

ETA that I'm going to use fresh cayenne peppers this time. I like the powder just fine but I want to see if there's a difference. Oh- and for the powdered kind, I used about a tablespoon or more. Dried spices aren't as potent as fresh and it takes more to get the full effect from them in cooking, so why not in fire-cider? Anyone using powdered cayenne, I would suggest using a tablespoon instead of the teaspoon the recipe calls for.

One more thing- Fire cider's smell and taste remind me of eating a fresh seafood platter. Delicious!!! Its like a little treat.

 

[hqueen13]

Thanks for the feedback! I need to put a batch together!

Interesting on the seafood comment... Old Bay anyone?? LOL

I am suspecting I am going to have to mix it into honey and hot water to make a tea to get it down. I'm not a huge fan of spicy things. Just never learned to eat them.

 

[ORChick]

Hopefully my next batch, or the one after that will be able to sit for the full eight weeks. My first batch was make in a quart jar so it yeilded about 2/3 of that. From the looks of that, if I were full-on sick and taking 4-5 shots of that a day, I'd need a full quart for one round of illness. So, yeah, I'm making two batches next time

I'm thinking that if I have to break into the first of the two that the second will have a chance to sit for eight weeks. I doubt I'll have to do that but it's noce to feel organized and planned

ETA that I'm going to use fresh cayenne peppers this time. I like the powder just fine but I want to see if there's a difference. Oh- and for the powdered kind, I used about a tablespoon or more. Dried spices aren't as potent as fresh and it takes more to get the full effect from them in cooking, so why not in fire-cider? Anyone using powdered cayenne, I would suggest using a tablespoon instead of the teaspoon the recipe calls for.

One more thing- Fire cider's smell and taste remind me of eating a fresh seafood platter. Delicious!!! Its like a little treat.

Interesting that you should say this, as I have always read (and found by experience) that the opposite is more often true. Drying concentrates whatever it is that is being dried, and usually it is recommended that one use about half of the dried to replace fresh. Often though drying also either changes or destroys certain elements - consider the difference between fresh and dried parsley or basil - the first loses almost all its flavor, and the second loses some of its flavor notes. I don't use dried parsley at all, and take the difference into consideration when using dried basil. So I usually take every herb/spice on its own merits, dried or fresh, rather than following strict rules; it also depends on how recently they were dried, and in what way the were stored. And with peppers, it must also be considered how well one tolerates spicy things. For some people a tablespoon would be just about enough; for others a teaspoon would be way more than is needed. As this concoction is used as a medicine, and the cayenne is an integral part of its healthful properties, I wouldn't suggest cutting it back any further than absolutely necessary for taste tolerance. But, on the other hand, I also wouldn't blithely suggest doubling or tripling it without knowing the patient's tolerance for spice and heat.

 

[dma1974]

ORChick, thank you for your added knowledge. I guess you could say I'm writing from personal experience. Black pepper in a can isn't as potent as fresh ground; I guess that's a good example. I tollerate spice very well, so that is a factor too. I can see how a full tablespoon might be scary to those who don't tollerate spice as well.

I won't know until my next batch if it made a difference in the heat or not. To be quite honest though, I find horseradish to hold its own in the spice and heat department. By comparison, there isn't much cayenne in the recipe. I would think that it wouldn't have much effect on the heat and level of spiciness as the horseraddish itself.

Mine did make my eyes water but so does a good cocktail sauce.

 

[ORChick]

dma1974 - I agree about the pepper, and actually, now that I have read your post again, I see that you are talking about spices, not herbs. With herbs you should generally consider cutting the amount from fresh to dried by about half (taking into consideration the individual herb). Spices are different, but not because of fresh vs dried, but rather because of whole vs powdered, and also the length of time since grinding. I often forget this as I don't buy my spices ground (except for a few rare exceptions). I won't use pre-ground pepper, for example, and so rarely remember that a lot of people do.
As a note for those who might not know - whole spices will keep for a much longer time than ground, as grinding allows their volatile oils to dissipate. I buy spices by the pound, and keep them in screw top jars on a cool, dark shelf - not in the kitchen! - refilling my smaller spice containers in the kitchen from these jars. I find that they keep very well for at least a couple of years. Some people keep them in the freezer, and that might be better but I don't have room. A small coffee grinder does a good job grinding them - just don't use it for both coffee and spices!
I haven't made up a batch of the fire cider yet, but rather fancy that I will like it on the spicy side as well.

 

[Denim Deb]

I dunno. It could make for some really interesting flavored coffee or spices!

 

[ORChick]

I dunno. It could make for some really interesting flavored coffee or spices!

I did it once (once!). I don't remember why I needed to, but I did. So I cleaned the spice grinder as well as I could - ground a handful of rice to pick up any residual powder (the usual way to clean it out between spices). It wasn't enough, and curry flavored coffee was not a hit!

 

[hqueen13]

We actually have a grinder that you can WASH the grinding bowl, though I think if I were switching between things like that the rice is probably a good idea, too!

Very interesting on the whole spices! I can't wait until I have the space to be able to do things like this!!

Now, I really need to remember to write down the ingredients before we go to the store!