<![CDATA[RITUAL UNION

It's the time of year our boundaries may need a little extra strengthening. Autumn brushes the leaves over the ground, the veil thins as they say and the spirits of the other side are more likely close. I am reminded to make this year's Fire Cider.

But hold up! Before I go any further, I would like to bring attention to the history of this beneficial people's medicine. Fire Cider was recently trademarked by a company called Shire City Herbals. They are sewing herbalists who were making fire cider long before they knew what it was. In 1980, a well known herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar coined the term in her book and the remedy was widely used for many years. Free Fire Cider has more to say about how you can help this legal issue and why to boycott Shire City Herbal Fire ciders. Anytime you make fire cider and share on social media with your buddies be sure to hashtag #trademarkfreefirecider to spread support for this continued trial!

"Fire Cider is a popular traditional herbal remedy freely shared, made, produced and sold by hundreds of herbalists across the world. The remedy has taken on many different amendments over time, somewhat like chicken soup. Many people have their favorite version, but the base consists of fresh garlic, onions, ginger, horseradish and chile peppers that sit in vinegar for the desired amount of time, are strained, and then a bit of something sweet is usually added at the end. The remedy is used to help warm up the body, and generally acts a stimulant and antimicrobial used during cold and flu season. Recently, a large company decided to trademark the name and is forcing small businesses who have made and sold it to change their product names. Some of the companies and individuals in question have made and sold this remedy for many years longer than the company that trademarked it has even existed. Many people feel this is a dangerous precedent to anyone who creates and shares recipes anywhere on the web or in books and this led to a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office asking that the mark be deemed generic. Until the company agrees to freeing Fire Cider from trademark restriction, a boycott of their product has been launched."

Now.... Where was I???

Here is a photo of my pals who joined in with me just this last week. We all divied up the chopping. I suggest you get your friends/community together and make an afternoon of catching up. It is a great way to span time, listen to music and get to know each other. PLUS ++ boost your immunity!

How To Make Fire Cider

Ingredients (Buy Organic if you can. If not it's ok!)
Choose a jar size of your choice. I like a 64 oz because I want it to last and to share.
Buy the following ingredients in equal amounts (fresh)
Garlic, Horseradish, Ginger, Turmeric, Lemon, Onion optional
Hot Pepper (probably just one, but you decide how much heat you want) Cayenne is fine.
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. This will cover our fresh plant material.
Other ingredients are optional.
Sometimes I will add Beet, Dandelion Leaf, or Prickly Pear!
You will also need a cutting board and a sharp knife.
Honey can be added in later after straining. A little sweet is balancing and delicious. If you use local honey you can work with boosting your immunity to seasonal allergies.
Wear clothes you do not mind staining.

DIRECTIONS ++ PROCESS

Clear your head ++ Enter your heart ++ Ground ++ Give thanks.
This is your Medicine for you and your loved ones.
Place an intention: i.e., for health, well being, resilience.
Get chopping!
+ Chop all ingredients as small as possible if you do not have access to a blender. The smaller the pieces the more surface area and your medicine will be stronger, even tastier. We used a blender so our pieces are kind of big in this photo.
+ Zest your lemon. you probably want to use an organic lemon or skip this one.
+ Fill your jar with equal parts of the ingredients, mindful not as much hot pepper.
+ Squeeze in your lemon. Cover all ingredients with the raw apple cider vinegar.
+ If blending, pour into a blender small amounts at a time. return to the jar making sure liquid covers your chopped ingredients.
+ Cover your lid with wax paper or saran wrap so the lid does not rust. It gets yuck.
Place it somewhere cool and dark. Room temperature is fine. If you want to get extra traditional you can bury it in your yard while it infuses. I like doing this because I find the earth very nurturing and grounding, pun intended.
+ Say whatever prayer you would like to add in and mark your calendar. If you wanted to get extra ritualistic you could sync your medicine making with the moon, full or new, I will appreciate both.
+ In a month you can strain your fire cider.
If you are feeling desperate for some support, it should be ok to nip off of your before then, especially if you did not bury it.
+ When you strain it, pour it over a strainer. Do this over a bowl so you catch any spills. Squeeze out the juice from the roots as much as you can using your hands. I would not press your hands down on the strainer because that causes wear on the strainer.
+ Set aside your fire cider chutney, the physical bits.
+ The liquid is now ready for you to add some honey, according to taste. Better to start with too little. Explore mixing it thoroughly each time and tasting before adding more.
+ When it is just the way you like it, put it in a jar you like and label it with date. Storing it in the fridge will keep it for longer. It should last for over a year! The chutney I keep in the fridge and add in to eggs, skillet food, or soups, it is a great flavor agent. When you run out of fire cider it is there for an immunity boost tea as well.

When to use your fire cider?
When you notice those around you getting sick, take your fire cider to ward off the illness and boost you immunity. A lot of times I will take this as a Yoga teacher when I notice cold/flu season starting. As a preventative, I take it before and after class, sometimes just morning and night. If my partner gets sick, who I live with, or if I am care-taking for someone else who is sick, I take it at least three times a day.
If I feel like I am on the brink of compromised immunity, because I am tired, stressed, emotionally distraught for any reason, I support myself with an immunity boost, 2-3 times a day. Otherwise during cold/flu/allergy season I may just have it once a day.
If there is a lingering sickness, especially respiratory, that lingering cough weeks after, this can help to give it the final kick in the butt out of the system. The elderly can benefit from this in the morning, or those of you having trouble getting moving in the morning. I think I heard Willie Nelson likes some ritual of fire water in the morning, for good reasons though! It is helpful with getting the blood moving and not a bad idea at all!

How much to take?
If you load it into a dropper bottle you can take about a dropper full for maintenance. some people prefer to drink it in 1 oz shots. I do not need that much. I have a special baby ceramic cup that is about a teaspoon amount that I like to ritually use for syrups and vinegar medicines. I enjoy a good ritual object.

If this upsets your stomach to take it straight, which it can if you have a heated or inflamed stomach, or for any other reason, I suggest adding it to water. Adding to some warm water is invigorating.

Let me know if you have questions: email ritualunioncontact@gmail.com
Keep your ears peeled for a free community bonding fire cider making workshop at the Practice Yoga Austin Yoga Church in December of 2018!

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