Fire Cider, a traditional vinegar tonic taken for its immune boosting properties, has been made in variations for generations. We make our blend by chopping up garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger, turmeric, lemons, cayenne and jalapeno peppers with apple cider vinegar (ACV). Our ACV is made by a local Amish family. This ACV is organic, raw, and contains the "mother" The “mother” refers to the combination of yeast and bacteria that form during the fermentation period of creating vinegar. While this may not sound appetizing, it offers great probiotic benefits.
Everything is allowed to macerate (or soak) for 6-8 weeks. We put all of the ingredients into our 6-ton press and squeeze every last drop of tonic from the vegetables. We allow the strained mixture to settle for 48 hours and then give it a final strain to remove all the possible sediment. At this point we bottle some for our vegan version of Dragon's Breath Fire Cider. The remaining tonic gets honey added for its anti-microbial and preservative properties.
A small shot glass daily serves as an excellent tonic Or take teaspoons if you feel a cold coming on.
Fire Cider has spent the past few years in the controversial spotlight. Rosemary Gladstar has been teaching people how to make variations of Fire Cider since the 80's. Her intention was to, "bring medicinal herbalism back into people’s kitchens, as part of their food and as a way of being, not just for medicinal purposes. Fire Cider was among those early ‘cross over’ recipes ~ part medicine, part food ~ that was made and shared freely." You can read all about Rosemary's back story with fire cider here. In 2012 a company based in Massachusetts put a trademark on term "Fire Cider." They claim that they own the name and exclusive rights to use the name Fire Cider, despite it already being in circulations for decades prior. With their legal team in tow, this company proceeded to sue three herbalists for continuing to use the name Fire Cider on their products. The herbalists facing legal charges, Mary Blue, Nicole Telkes, and Kathi Langelier, became affectionately known as "The Fire Cider 3." With the support of Rosemary Gladstar, the Fire Cider 3 has spent countless hours defending the generic herbal term fire cider from trademark. The herbal community was in an understandable uproar over the whole situation. Boycotts of the suing company started nationwide; people were gathering in groups to make large batches of "Trademark Free Fire Cider", the hashtag #traditionnottrademark was born. All this and more
to show support to the Fire Cider 3 and the cause. The lawsuit finally went to trial on March 25, 2019 and continued until July 2, 2019. The verdict of the this trial will affect hundreds of herbalists nationwide. If this company wins its case against the Fire Cider 3, My Herbal Apothecary (along with every other company) would have to remove the name Fire Cider from its products label. Our support is with you ladies as we eagerly await the verdict. You too can follow this case and see the outcome here.
Our Fire Cider is featured in the 2019 Autumn Subscription Box. The box was shipped out this week to reach our customers before the first of of Autumn, but is still available here for purchase until supplies run out. If you are interested in a vegan version, please reach out to us to make arrangements prior to purchasing. Thanks for your continued support!!
UPDATE: On 9.24.19 I was contacted by Wix.com (my website platform) and was informed that my website has been disabled due "trademark infringement" It appears that Shire City Herbals, Inc. has reached out to Wix to inform them that me selling a product called Fire Cider is an infringement on their trademark. SO, in order for me to keep my website up and running, I am going to have to remove Fire Cider from my product line. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause anyone.