fire cider leftovers

hi everyone, just a question.. what do you do with the garlic and onions, etc after you strain the fire cider?? i hate to through it away. i've thought of whizzing it up in the food processor and then drying it to add to things like mayo or stews. any ideas would be very welcome

Stews, soup, casserole, taco, nori wrap, pasta dishes. That's what I would do too.
John S
PDX OR

Mary, what an awesome question!
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I have to confess my ignorance on this but I read about fire ciders here http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-fire-cider-recipes-from-the-kitchn-199972 and now I want to experiment. It reminds me of grandma's cold recipe, but on steroids! I would bet this could be a great discussion and show and tell.

This blogger mentioned using the strained ingredients in stirfry's and fresh rolls. http://mountainroseblog.com/fire-cider

Here is information and the recipe from the last link:

The standard base ingredients are apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, ginger, horseradish, and hot peppers, but there are plenty of other herbs that can be thrown in for added kick. This year there were lots of spicy jalapenos and vibrant rosemary in the garden, so we used those along with some organic turmeric powder and fresh lemon peel. Some people like to bury their fire cider jar in the ground for a month and then dig it up during a great feast to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

Fire Cider can be taken straight by the spoonful, added to organic veggie juice (throw in some olives and pickles -- a non-alcoholic, health-boosting bloody mary!), splashed in fried rice, or drizzled on a salad with good olive oil. You can also save the strained pulp and mix it with shredded veggies like carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and fresh herbs to make delicious and aromatic stir-fries and spring rolls. We like to take 1 tbsp each morning to help warm up or 3 tbsp if we feel the sniffles coming on.

Time to make the Fire Cider!

Ingredients

   1/2 cup fresh grated organic ginger root
   1/2 cup fresh grated organic horseradish root
   1 medium organic onion, chopped
   10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped
   2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped
   Zest and juice from 1 organic lemon
   Several sprigs of fresh organic rosemary or 2 tbsp of dried rosemary leaves
   1 tbsp organic turmeric powder
   1/4 tsp organic cayenne powder
   organic apple cider vinegar
   raw local honey to taste

Directions

1. Prepare all of your roots, fruits, and herbs and place them in a quart-sized jar. If you've never grated fresh horseradish, be prepared for a powerful sinus opening experience!

2. Use a piece of natural parchment paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal, or a plastic lid if you have one. Shake well.

3. Store in a dark, cool place for a month and remember to shake daily.

4. After one month, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, pouring the vinegar into a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze as much of the liquidy goodness as you can from the pulp while straining.

5. Next comes the honey. Add 1/4 cup of honey and stir until incorporated.

6. Taste your cider and add another 1/4 cup until you reach the desired sweetness.

Herbal Ingredient Variations

These organic herbs and spices would make a wonderful addition to your Fire Cider creations. You can find them all and more in our shop!

Thyme, Horseradish Root Powder, Rosehips, Star Anise, Schisandra Berries, Astragalus, Parsley , Burdock, Oregano, Peppercorns, Beet Root Powder, Habanero Powder, Bird's Eye Chili Powder, Whole Chili Peppers, Orange, Grapefruit, Lime peels/or juice.

i've used the left over from the fire cider to put in with the chicken necks and back and bones ..etc.  when i make a batch of stock... really good!!!  and also a  'SHRUB' for the fire cider.  its 1/3 cup fire  cider...  1/3 cup unsweetened juice.  2 tablespoons of maple syrup in 2 quarts of water.  very refreshing on the hot days of summer... you could even put some salt in it and have a electrolyte drink, i would think....hhmmm maybe i should try that

After straining the liquid off the pulp, would it be OK to pour more vinegar on top for a second brew?  I’m sure the results would be weaker, but still good for flavoring vinegar for cooking.

I haven't actually tested this recipe yet, but this is what I am planning to try:

1 part fire cider solids
1 part shredded cabbage
1 part chopped shrimp
1/2 part shredded carrot

Wrap in a spring roll wrapper and enjoy with your favorite Asian dipping sauce!

NOTE: I shredded my fire cider ingredients - onion, chile pepper, garlic, ginger, horseradish, turmeric - before soaking, with ultimate reuse in some recipe similar to this in mind.  Besides, I figured why not?  The extra surface area surely won't hurt the fire cider soaking.  I also kept additional ingredients - pepper corns, lemon wedges, juniper berries, cloves, allspice, rosemary sprigs - inside a mesh bag while soaking, so that I could easily separate these from my reusable pulp afterwards.

mary jayne richmond wrote:hi everyone, just a question.. what do you do with the garlic and onions, etc after you strain the fire cider?? i hate to through it away. i've thought of whizzing it up in the food processor and then drying it to add to things like mayo or stews.  any ideas would be very welcome

I dry the strained leftovers, grind them up and use a tablespoon of the mix in spiced dal.  It is delicious.

WHen I try to grind the strained leftovers in the blender, it does not really grind them.  Do I need to add some liquid to it?  Should I add vinegar?  Oil?    Or shoudl I dry it in the oven so that it becomes more brittle and then try to put it in the blender?

I dry mine slowly until they are dry enough to grind them in the coffee grinder.

Hi everybody.

What I do with my leftover pulp from the fire cider is I dehydrate the pulp, pulverize it to a powder and add it to size 00 capsules and take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evenings. Each capsule holds 1/4 of a teaspoon of the powder and therefore I get 1 tsp a day of this powerhouse plus the 2 drinks a day as well. I do not know if the capsule help but it can't hurt.

Just my thing.

Remi, welcome to permies!  Thanks for sharing, that is a great idea.

I put my leftover pulp into my nutribullet, and added some more apple cider vinegar and blitzed it.  It was a bit thicker than I would have liked but I put it into an airtight jar and may use it to spoon into dishes, wraps or whatever.

I love learning something new - and I'd never heard of Fire Cider until now!  I can't tell from this thread if it just stays on your counter, or lives in the refrigerator.  Is it something you could jar up and preserve?  Thanks!

Elva Alice Hunter wrote:I love learning something new - and I'd never heard of Fire Cider until now!  I can't tell from this thread if it just stays on your counter, or lives in the refrigerator.  Is it something you could jar up and preserve?  Thanks!

Good question.  Fire Cider does not need refrigeration, nor canning.  It is just a dense herbal infusion in vinegar, so the acetic acid keeps it from going bad.  That is why people ferment vinegar in the first place; it is shelf stable!

Now, as for the left-over solids that are strained out of the Fire Cider once it has soaked for a month - which are the subject of this thread - those I stash in my freezer until I'm ready to use them.

I just added some 'leftovers' to ground beef while making meatballs. Fingers crossed.

Thank you for all of these wonderful ideas!

Susan Hall wrote:I just added some 'leftovers' to ground beef while making meatballs. Fingers crossed.

Those goin' to be some potent meatballs! ; )

How do you use the fresh  Ginger and turmeric that you used in the second Kombucha fermentation?

Welcome to the forum!

Ginger and turmeric go well with rice, chicken, stews, and even stir fries.

They might even make a tasty tea.

I keep the leftovers with some vinegar in a jar and when I make a batch of chutney, liquidise it and incorporate in the chutney.