Unpacking a Berlin Wall of books and Making Fire Cider in cider country...

Where did May run away to? Somewhere in the middle of the month it just scampered off...

We've done lots. We've painted and we've planted and sanded and cleaned, unpacked some of the Berlin Wall of boxes that we'd stacked in Hannah's bedroom and installed the contents (mostly books) in their rightful place. We've forged new friendships, celebrated, and even stayed away for one night. The days are long and light and we can get so much done, but sometimes we want to runaway...Just for a little bit. Not too far, or we'll never get things finished. 

It's amazing if we follow our instinct and answer when we're called, that stepping out of the door for a mini adventure, finding felled trees that look like old ladies bones or restoring fallen nests in a  cider orchard; that when we come back home to the mundane jobs, everything looks a whole lot easier than it did half an hour before...

With all those cider apples and the best local organic raw cider vinegar complete with 'the mother,' I couldn't resist making up a batch of fire cider ready for next autumn...

Fire Cider

Ingredients:

Here's a basic list but you may like to add other extra ingredient like, fresh orange juice or spices like, star anise, cinnamon or black pepper corns; or fresh aromatic herbs like rosemary and thyme :-

• Raw organic cider vinegar I can find locally produced here
• Raw organic honey
• Garlic
• Onion
• Horse radish root
• Ginger root
• Turmeric root. I didn't have any fresh root and so used ground turmeric. It's not as a good as the fresh root as the turmeric is cooked before grinding, but it's the next best thing
• Jalapeno chilli
• Organic lemons

You can find the quantities that you need here. Basically you just pour the cider vinegar into a clean vessel, chop up all the vegetables and add them to the bottle, along with the honey and lemon juice. Seal and then leave in a cool dark place for it to brew. This takes about four to six weeks. If you are using a jar with a metal lid you need to line it with baking parchment so prevent the vinegar from spoiling it.

Once brewed, strain off the vegetables. Then take a small glass of the tonic every day to boost your immune system and ward off evil germs... 

Like old friends it felt good to see all those books in line and have a bottle of something wholesome brewing in the cupboard ready for chilly winter days...