in the diabolical healthcare landscape of the US, I think home remedies and basic herbalist how-to is a very important resource… so i’m sharing one of my favorite medicinal concoctions: fire cider, a vinegar extraction tincture that I make for myself, friends & family who - despite the dragon’s breath - all swear by it for its immune system support.
available as a free digital download you can print yourself for another week, otherwise I'll mail you a physical copy for a few bucks via store.
I try to always have fire cider on hand during the colder months. Fire cider is vinegar infused with warming, expectorant (mucus-clearing) herbs to help clear out gunk from our respiratory system. It's great for clearing up congestion and helping with wet coughs. Since pretty much everyone in my house tends towards wet cold symptoms (congestion/runny nose, coughing up mucus, etc.), we go through a lot of this stuff every cold and flu season.
I take a shot of fire cider as soon as I feel congestion or a wet cough coming on, or if I've been around someone I know is sick. While it doesn't always keep me from getting sick, I do think it helps speed up my recovery and keep my symptoms less severe.
A lot of fire cider recipes online and in herbalism books call for less common herbs that need to be purchased online or from a speciality herb shop. This year, I decided to make a batch with only herbs you can buy cheaply at most grocery stores. Here's the recipe for my fellow herbalists on a budget!
You will need:
A quart mason jar
1 whole head of fresh garlic, peeled and roughly chopped, OR 3 spoonfuls of pre-minced jarred garlic
3 knobs of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, roughly chopped, OR 3 spoonfuls of store-bought ginger paste
1 package fresh thyme OR 2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 package fresh sage OR 2 tablespoons dried sage
1 quart apple cider vinegar
There are two methods I've used to make this cider. The traditional method is a slow infusion that takes 2+ weeks, but I've also developed a fast infusion method for when I feel a cold coming on and need a batch of fire cider ASAP.
Traditional Method:
Add your herbs to a clean mason jar. Pour the vinegar over the herbs and fill the jar to the top. Put a lid on the jar. (Vinegar will corrode metal lids, so either use a plastic lid or place a square of parchment paper between your jar and the metal lid.)
Place the jar in a cool, dark place and allow it to infuse for at least 2 weeks and up to 1 month. You can strain the herbs out to store at room temperature, or you can do what I do and store the whole thing in the fridge, herbs and all.
If you leave the herbs in, you can keep this batch of fire cider going all winter by topping the jar up with more vinegar every time it gets below halfway full.
Fast Infusion Method:
Add the herbs to the mason jar like you would for the traditional method. Instead of adding vinegar, fill the jar halfway with boiling water. Let sit for 2-3 hours.
Once the water has cooled down to room temperature, fill the jar the rest of the way with vinegar. Let it sit overnight and then either strain the herbs out or store the whole thing in the fridge.
To use the fire cider, take a shot glassful whenever you feel cold symptoms coming on. If you made your cider with the traditional method, you can dilute it with water if your stomach doesn't handle acid well. You can also mix in some honey to improve the taste.
Please note that fire cider and other folk remedies are not a replacement for medical care. I highly recommend staying up to date on your flu and COVID-19 vaccines in addition to using remedies like this.
Stayed home all day and got some inside work done lol. The bee yard isn't finished but I can't open the hives in cold weather, and we got a sudden onset of chill for the next day or two.
My sister sent me a bunch of Canadian snacks lol! She just went up to whistler with her boyfriend.
I finished up my batch of fire cider to bring to my customer at the bee club tomorrow too!
I saw your fire cider and was curious what is it and how do you make it?
Hello!
Fire cider is an infused vinegar. You take things like diced onions and jalapenos, garlic, black peppercorns, ginger, horseradish, and sometimes other ingredients (turmeric, citrus fruits, etc.) and cover them in apple cider vinegar for a month-ish. Then you sweeten it with honey, drink it straight, or add it to other drinks.
I primarily use it magically as a protecting and cleansing agent. I do a lot of big spirit work and magic in the fall and early winter, and I'm one of those people who picks up a lot of "gunk" over time. If I don't make a regular effort to clear it away, it bogs me down and makes my work less effective and more costly. I'll mix a teaspoon into hot water with honey or sometimes into a cup of tea and drink it. If I'm in a pinch, it also makes a very aggressive banish-cleanse combo (just gotta be super careful about how I use it, because it's fucking spicy, and it will cast spell of Fire In My Fucking Eyeballs.).
But most people use it as a sort of health tonic. It's a folk remedy meant to be taken as an immune booster to prevent illness and help end illnesses quicker. Some folks say it works, others say it's hogwash. Obviously it doesn't replace actual medicine, but for me, I find it helps my sinuses clear and my throat be less irritated compared to when I don't bother with it. If I'm already sick, I won't bother with it, since it can upset the stomach (you shouldn't drink vinegar like this at all if you're prone to acid reflux or ulcers!) and spicy foods can make illness worse. For this, I actually like tossing a teaspoon or two into a big mug of hot, homemade chicken broth. Tasty and fortifying.
As for a recipe, there are a ton you can find online. I don't have a particular recipe so much as a list of ingredients and general ratios. (Though I tend to omit horseradish because I hate it, lmao.) My cider this year includes:
Large yellow onion, diced
Large red onion, diced
Head of garlic, finely minced
Four jalapenos, finely diced
Two-inch knob of ginger, grated
Two-inch piece of turmeric, grated
About one tablespoon of black peppercorns per jar
Apple cider vinegar to cover all ingredients in each jar, about one quart total
The jars will infuse for four weeks. I'll strain them on October 1, right on time for my Big Work of the year to begin.
Beyond the cut is a compilation of inspiration and remedies for resistance building; resources for our resilience, sanity, and liberation in this turbulent time and place:
The COVID-19 pandemic should have shown us that we’re supposed to be meeting needs, not falling in line behind fascist incursions
"By now, the COVID-19 pandemic should have shown us that we’re supposed to rise to the occasion by meeting needs, not fall in line behind fascist incursions.
The same forces that encouraged us to sacrifice the disabled, poor, and unhoused to a distorted idea of “natural selection” now instruct us to ignore the genocide of Palestinians. The same forces that pushed conspiratorial misinformation about public health and vaccination want us to give up on practicing collectivity.
It’s connected because if we cannot be relentless in our determination to interrupt what’s unfolding before us, then we risk it becoming a disturbing norm. It cannot be overstated that this situation and the fight in front of us are unprecedented."
-William C. Anderson / Building Resistance ...
Below, a playlist by Anderson, that I've been enjoying all day:
Music solves many of my problems. It’s a remedy I use to address things I encounter daily. I also use music when it comes to writing; the cr
The next link is one of the single most comprehensive & useful COVID-organzing resources I've found. It's especially relevant for facilitating conversation that builds community without compromising safety and COVID-consciousness.
How To Talk To Your Loved Ones About Covid
And now, here's a lovely fire cider recipe and some herbacious knowledge from my friends @ Plants & Poetry
Just make soup and you’re using plant medicine.
and here's one of my favorite poems of June Jordan's, performed by herself. It feels freshly applicable as we live thru this tyrannical history on repeat:
Another one from the offshoot archive, this 2021 interview with Sylvia Wynter still resonates:
Last month, I had a chance to interview Sylvia Wynter about the pandemic, Black studies, and radicalism in our current moment. What began as
"The cure is that we must enact a transformation of the whole entire society, or else something else will come up. We run into difficulties because of this president who doesn’t believe in science of course, but we must also remember that what is required is a new science. The science we do have has led us to this point, you see!" - Sylvia Wynter
And that transformation, transcendence, healing all of it... it begins with acceptance and adaptation, within me. We are our own first community.
I call up all these things, about healing and transcendence because what else is resilience and resistance building if not adapting internally and externally in ways that promote and create safe and symbiotic living.
This next conversation is more personal. Tony & I joined Keith Hayden on his show The Digital Novelist. I also low key love being referred to as a "power couple" not gonna lie :)
It's one of the favorite (recorded) conversations I've had this year about all the connections in education, comic books, art, censorship, living these times, and the healing power of creative writing. We also discuss @fionastaples and her incredible art:
If you're keen, the anthology we're discussing / it is for sale here. If you want to read it without buying, we'd deeply appreciate putting in a request with your local library.
Word of mouth is how independent artists like us build community and make our living.
Here's one more mood music playlist.
I made this one, it's my current soundtrack for calibrating and centering:
To Use Your Fire Cider Spice Blend:
-Sprinkle it on salads or steamed veggies.
-Sprinkle it on popcorn for a spicy tangy snack.
-Add it to dressings, sauces, and marinades.
-Toss it into stir-fry or other Asian-style dishes.
-Blend it into curry or soups.
-Use it to season your tofu.
