Learning & preserving the traditional knowledge of your ancestors, going back to your roots to replenish your soul and nourish your body and feeling that connection again is important.

I was blessed this week to have a chance to sit down with my husband's grandmother Elsie, also known as Baba & great Baba to all those that adore her.

Elsie's grandparents were from the old country (the Ukraine) and settled in Saskatchewan, Canada sometime in the 1890’s. They brought with them traditional folk medicine.

She was taught many of these traditional skills, many in which were important for the families well-being. Times were tough and many people relied on these skills to remain healthy and to heal the sick. Her earliest and happiest memories are of foraging and gathering from the wild with her family. To this day, at 87 years old, she will climb down into a ditch to collect sour leaf (sorrel) for her favourite soup. It means a lot to Elsie that her grandson (@xwalkran) and I are taking this treasured knowledge and using it.

Nasturtium Seed

Cornucopia of Goodness challenge

For the Cornucopia of Goodness challenge by @naturalmedicine I've decided to share my own recipe for fire cider and the important ritual that goes along with it.

Spending time with Elsie, talking about the rituals and natural medicine of old made this recipe the perfect one to share for this challenge.

She has been concocting her own healing remedy with similar characteristics. In fact, she's been doing this for a year and has not had a cold or flu once. Even more impressive is the fact that this is an old family recipe that her close friends shared with her. The gentleman that shared it is 94 years old. He and his wife takes a spoonful of this remedy daily and has done for decades.

The recipe they use is lemon juice, garlic and honey blended into a syrupy paste. Fire cider takes this one level further by using raw apple cider vinegar and a few more ingredients.

I don't know about you but when a 97 year old is still going out dancing on a Friday night with his lady, I am rather inclined to believe in the magic of these ingredients.

Crab Apples & Rose Hips

Sun Kissed Ginger, Garlic & Horseradish

Mindfulness, Gratitude & Rituals

Brewing up magical concoctions in the kitchen is my passion. When creating your own medicine the ritual and mindful way in which you interact with and gather the ingredients really adds to the overall experience. I tend to think that if you aren't happy when you are working on a project like this you will end of bottling some of that negative energy. So yes, dance, sing and feel gratitude for these beautiful healing ingredients.

Summer Fire Cider with a not so common ingredient: beetroot!! It turned out great and the colour was beautiful.

I like to concoct fire cider during a full moon. I just missed the most recent full moon because I was travelling so this does not always work out but I try. While gathering you should try to take time to observe, appreciate and thank the plants. This is a time to be mindful and not rushed.

If you make the fire cider during the full moon you could set the jar out under the night sky for a while so that it can absorb some of that wonderful moon energy.

Ginger, garlic, horseradish, onion, rose petals, nasturtium seed and flowers, crab apples, rose hips, oregano flowers, basil, rosemary & raw apple cider vinegar.

A Fire Cider For All Seasons

The home remedies that we craft usually involve ingredients that grow on the land around us. We make fire cider at least three times per year. Although the base is always the same, each version is unique with the addition special seasonal ingredients.

In the spring we gather items such as spruce tips, chaga and dandelion root. In the summer we'll move to things like rhubarb, burdock root, herbs, hot peppers, rose petals and other edible flowers. When weather cools and autumn arrives we'll gather items like crab apples, rose hips and nasturtium seeds and whatever else is still growing. This recipe is so versatile!

Nasturtium Seed & flowers, rosemary, basil, jalapeño, rose petals & oregano flowers

The basic ingredients in fire cider are:

raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, horseradish, ginger, onion, lemon, honey. There are no set rules when making fire cider. If garlic is an issue for you, try other powerful ingredients instead. This recipe is just a general guide. You can be as creative as you like. I've never had a batch I didn't like.

10-15 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups fresh ginger root, grated
1/2 cup fresh horseradish root, grated
1 medium onion, chopped
Assorted other ingredients (herbs, roots, flowers, etc)
Juice of one lemon
Raw apple cider vinegar
raw honey to taste

Directions

Wash and prepare all of the items you have gathered and fill your jar 3/4 full.
Cover the ingredients with raw apple cider vinegar. You might need to weigh down the ingredients with a stone or fermenting weight if they keep floating above the vinegar.
Affix a lid, shake and store in a dark place at room temperature and allow the mixture to steep for one moon cycle or several months.

Don't refrigerate as this will diminish some of the beneficial living cultures and flavours of the ingredients.

Strain out the solids, mix with honey and store in a clean jar.

To use the fire cider take a spoonful or a shot glass daily. You can also use it as a base for a vinaigrette dressing, a marinade and other delicious food creations.

You can also find me at: walkerland.ca | Facebook

Folk Medicine: Fire Cider Herbal Tonic