Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve in Unity offers fire cider demo, sample

Fire cider isn’t a variation on the caramel-colored apple beverage found at fruit stands each fall.

It’s a trendy health tonic, typically made with apple cider vinegar, and Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve in Unity is ready to reveal how to concoct the liquid.

The free pop-up workshop for adults is set for noon to 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Learning Barn at 744 Walzer Way, on the Saint Vincent College campus. No registration is required.

The resident education horticulturalist will show how to prepare the herbal drink, with the majority of the ingredients having been harvested from the nature reserve’s gardens. Take-home jars of fire cider will be available for the first 25 participants.

Visit wpnr.org or call 724-537-5284 for more information.

Fire cider has been touted as an immunity booster and a respiratory remedy.

As noted in an Old Farmer’s Almanac blog entry, the vinegar serves to extract phytochemicals from ingredients added to the mix, such as ginger and turmeric. These substances have long been associated with aiding digestion, alleviating congestion and warding off infection.

Hot peppers are another common ingredient, perhaps accounting for the “fire” in the name of the tonic.

Fire cider can be used in a variety of ways — as an addition to juice or tea, a sore throat gargle, or in a salad dressing or marinade.

The blog advises checking with a health care professional before ingesting fire cider regularly, to avoid a potential negative effect on certain health conditions or interaction with a prescription medication.