Hibiscus Pomegranate Fire Cider Recipe
Written by Juliet Blankespoor with Meghan Gemma
Photographed by Juliet Blankespoor
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Fire Cider Benefits
One of my favorite ways to use hibiscus (oh, count the ways!) is in fire cider. Fire cider is basically a spicy herbal vinegar, often sweetened with a little honey. It’s taken by the dropperful or spoonful, depending on the cider’s strength and imbiber’s palette.
Fire cider helps to clear out the sinuses and wake up the immune and circulatory systems. It can be taken to ward off a cold or other respiratory infection. Those with poor circulation can ingest fire cider tonically. The recipe I share below is especially beneficial for high blood pressure and atherosclerosis due to the bioflavonoids in the hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and pomegranate (Punica granatum), along with the medicinal attributes of garlic (Allium sativum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale).
As you may imagine, fire cider can potentially aggravate heartburn, peptic ulcers, and gastrointestinal inflammation. In addition, it will be too heating on a long-term basis for those with fiery constitutions (Pitta).
Hibiscus Pomegranate “Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe
This is my household’s go-to fire cider recipe. Milder and sweeter than other fire cider recipes, hibiscus pomegranate fire cider makes a great gift for the herbally uninitiated. I promise, I won’t tell if your fire cider finds its way into the loving embrace of bubbles and gin. However, I most certainly wouldn’t condone, under any circumstances, the mixing of fire cider with tequila and pomegranate juice, served in a martini glass with a salted rim.
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Hibiscus Pomegranate Orange Fire Cider.
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Why is it “cheater” fire cider?
Typically, fire cider is made by placing the ingredients in a glass jar and letting them sit for a moon’s passing or for six weeks. This recipe, on the other hand, is a one-day affair.
If you happen to have more time, and want to maximize your ingredients and make a stronger cider, you can complete Step 1, adding the hibiscus, and let the slurry sit for a month. The juicy pomegranate-orange mixture can be added right before straining; after a month, you can finish the recipe below, skipping the heating part.
This recipe makes eight to nine bottles (8 ounces) and should be refrigerated for longer-term storage. If you are making the recipe just for yourself, I recommend making a fourth of all the ingredients (yielding about 16 ounces of fire cider, or a pint). It may keep unrefrigerated for a short period, but the extra liquid from the pomegranate and oranges may dilute the vinegar enough to allow microbial growth.
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Hibiscus fire cider ingredients.
Hibiscus Pomegranate “Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Double boiler or nested pots
- Cheesecloth or potato ricer
Ingredients
- 64 ounces apple cider vinegar
- 10 ounces honey - Use less for a more savory vinegar.
- 2 medium onions
- 2 large garlic bulbs
- 4 ounces fresh ginger root
- 2 ounces fresh turmeric root
- 5 ounces horseradish root
- 2 large pomegranates - When ripe they are plump, succulent, and garnet in color. Can substitute with 4 ounces of pomegranate juice for 1 pomegranate.
- 2 oranges
- ½ ounce dried whole cayenne peppers - Can substitute 1 tablespoon of dried cayenne powder for 1/2 an ounce of whole peppers.
- 1.25 ounce dried hibiscus flowers - Cut and sifted.
Directions
- Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne peppers. Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover. I prefer a glass blender if it is available. Work in two batches. Blend carefully with the lid on and take care not to let fumes or slurry get in your eyes.
- Place the slurried spiciness from both batches into a double boiler. Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot inside a bigger pot or saucepan and use a couple of upside-down mason jar rings to keep the inside pot off the bottom of the outer one. Add a little water to the outside pot and voilà—double boiler! Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the slurry and keep the heat on low, with the lid on! Let the mixture heat on low; don’t let it get above 120°F (49°C) for three hours, stirring occasionally. Again, be careful with the fumes!!!!
- Meanwhile, back at the bat cave, peel your oranges and deseed the pomegranates, sneaking off a nibble or two. Put on an old apron and mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.
- After a couple of hours, taste the slurry. If it’s too mild for your fire cider pleasure, this is your chance to add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cooking time, turn off the heat, and add the hibiscus and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color—if it’s too light, add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red hue, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. You’ll need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will lose a great deal of the medicine. (Don’t use your bare hands to squeeze out the cider or you’ll burn/irritate your skin.) Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved.
- Place in sterilized, clear-glass jars, label, and refrigerate. Dosage is 1 teaspoon (5 ml) as needed.
Notes
Left: Blending the cider ingredients; Right: Large homemade double boiler.
Straining the hibiscus fire cider.
Left: Straining with a ceramic coffee strainer and straining cloth; Right: Adding the honey to the strained cider.
Fire Cider Recipe Extravaganza
A few decades ago, beloved American herbalist Rosemary Gladstar came up with the name fire cider and subsequently shared her recipe with students over the years, many of whom developed and sold their own version. Recently, the term fire cider became the subject of a contentious debate, as one herbal company (without regard to Rosemary Gladstar’s wishes) was able to obtain a trademark for the name fire cider. Thankfully the trademark has been revoked, and we can all legally use this classic herbal term once more!
Want Rosemary’s favorite fire cider recipes? She’s just published Fire Cider!, a book of 101 zesty recipes from her own kitchen and beyond. A number of culinary herbal virtuosos are featured in the book, including your truly. For your own copy, we recommend buying directly from Rosemary herself. You can do so here.
More excited about recipes you can click on right now? Here are some of our spiciest picks:
References
- American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed. (CRC Press; 2013).
- Mahmoud, B. M., Ali, H. M., Homeida, M. M., and Bennett, J. L. “Significant Reduction in Chloroquine Bioavailability following Coadministration with the Sudanese Beverages Aradaib, Karkadi and Lemon.” Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 33, no. 5 (1994): 1005–1009
Meet Our Contributors:
JULIET BLANKESPOOR is the founder, primary instructor, and Creative Director of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, an online school serving thousands of students from around the globe. She's a professional plant-human matchmaker and bonafide plant geek, with a degree in botany and over 30 years of experience teaching and writing about herbalism, medicine making, and organic herb cultivation. Juliet’s lifelong captivation with medicinal weeds and herb gardening has birthed many botanical enterprises over the decades, including an herbal nursery and a farm-to-apothecary herbal products business.
These days, she channels her botanical obsession through her writing and photography in her online programs, on her personal blog Castanea, and in her new book, The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies. Juliet and her family reside in a home overrun with houseplants and books in Asheville, North Carolina.
MEGHAN GEMMA is one of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine's primary instructors through her written lessons, sharing herbal and wild foods wisdom from the flowery heart of the school to an ever-wider field of herbalists, gardeners, healers, and plant lovers.
She began her journey with the Chestnut School in 2010—as an intern and manager at the Chestnut Herb Nursery and then as a plant-smitten student “back in the day” when the school’s programs were taught in the field, and later she became part of the school’s writing team. Meghan lives in the Ivy Creek watershed, just north of Asheville, North Carolina.
Interested in becoming a contributor?
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Desiree says:
I was wondering if this can be frozen in cubes to help it last longer? Or would freezing negate any of the benefits? Just thinking if I make a large batch, if family then say they don’t want it (they aren’t always on board with herbal stuff but have been getting better), can I freeze it rather than lose it.
Christine Borosh says:
You can refrigerate it for several months, but it can also be frozen if you’ll need to store it for even longer than that.
Tomi says:
I keep looking at this recipe to make, but I have a question. If I were make this using the slow method and not hearing it, could I just chop everything up like a traditional fire cider rather than making the slurry? Would it hurt to add some fresh, frozen, or dried hawthorn berries to it? I love hibiscus and really want to add some heart support herb to it and I have hawthorn berries. I know fire cider recipes can be very forgiving, but wasn’t sure if the vinegar would affect the hawthorn.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Melissa Quercia says:
If you choose to use the slow method, you can skip making the slurry and chop everything instead if you prefer. You can certainly add Hawthorne, whether it’s fresh, frozen, or dried, depending on which form you have available. Enjoy!
Yvette says:
I have some Hibiscus Roselle buds-looks like what you’ve used here.
Mine aren’t dried yet-in the fridge.
Do I need to dry them first, in order to use them in your recipe?
This sounds scrumptious and I’d love to give it a try!
Thank you
Melissa Quercia says:
It’s wonderful that you were able to grow your own hibiscus, Yvette! It is best to dry them first before using them in this recipe. We hope you enjoy it!
Alex says:
My first year trying fire ciders. Making and consuming. I have made one so far, the traditional way of letting it sit for quite some time. Then this recipe came into my inbox and i just made it last night. It was so easy and ingredients were easy to get. Well, the horseradish came out of a jar since it was not available.
I did use Pomegranate juice and added a bit more hibiscus.. I also had run out of Apple Cider Vinegar and did not have the full 32 oz for ½ batch, When it was done, I naturally tried some, and by good golly, that is one tasty cider.
Thank you for posting and writing about it.
Melissa Quercia says:
We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Alex!
Rachel Blackledge says:
I made the slow cooked version and the horseradish is too strong and my daughter says the vinegar is too strong. How can I safely dilute it or tone those down? More honey, lemon juice?
Melissa Quercia says:
The best way to dilute these flavors is to add each dose to a bit of water before consuming. Next time you make this recipe, feel free to adjust the amount of horseradish to suit your personal preferences. Since the base of fire cider is vinegar, the vinegar flavor is inevitable, but you can also add honey to taste. Feel free to play around with the ratios to suit your preferences!
Pam Clifford says:
Can you please explain “cut and sifted” for the hibiscus flowers? I would love to try this recipe and have 6 hibiscus plants that will be producing lots of blooms in the next few months. I should use the blooms? Dry them? The “cut and sift”?
Melissa Quercia says:
The term “cut and sifted” refers to hibiscus that has been cut into pieces and looks like this, rather than being whole like this. It’s important to ensure that the hibiscus plants you have are Hibiscus sabdariffa, which is the specific species highlighted in this recipe. Although there are many other species of hibiscus, they cannot be used as a substitute in this recipe. Hibiscus sabdariffa is the only hibiscus species that has a red calyx. The calyx is the part that is used, but it’s commonly sold and described as “flowers”. If you do indeed have Hibiscus sabdariffa plants, you will want to harvest the calyx while it is still red, shortly after the petals have fallen off. After you pick the calyx, separate it from the ovary in the center, and then chop the calyces and dry them. Once they are dry, they are ready to be used in the recipe!
Tracy Campanaro says:
I can not seem to find fresh horseradish root. Is horseradish root powder okay and how much should I use?
Christine Borosh says:
If you can find dried horseradish, that could be used instead of fresh for making fire cider. The powder can just be harder to strain out at the end and will leave some sediment in the final preparation, so keep that in mind. When substituting a dried ingredient when a recipe calls for fresh, the general recommendation is to use 1/3 the amount of the dried ingredient by weight. So, if a recipe calls for 3 ounces of a fresh herb, you would use 1 ounce of that herb dried instead. I hope this helps. Enjoy making the fire cider!
Tracy Campanaro says:
Thanks Christine! I’ll remember to shake the jar before using it.
Shileen says:
I am in the process of making your fire cider right now. Within 15 minutes it went above 120° and it’s cooling … It went up to like 135 maybe 140. Is it ruined? Should I start over?
Christine Borosh says:
As long as it doesn’t smell burnt, it should be ok if it got a little hotter for a short period of time. Just be really cautious with the vinegar fumes.
Shileen Nixon says:
Thanks! Yeah it seems to be fine. Not burned at all. 😊
Liz MEHR says:
I am having trouble keeping my double boiler under 120 degrees. i have turned it off and am waiting for temperature to move closer to 110. I don’t know if it is just my oven or maybe someone has some advice for me please.
Thank you!
Christine Borosh says:
Sometimes heating preparations like this on the stove necessitates a bit of babysitting. The lowest setting on my stove is too high, so I also need to turn the burner on and off throughout the process to maintain the correct temperature. One thing that you can try in the future to make the process more hands-off is using a crockpot if you have one. First, it is a good idea to test the temperature because we’ve found that the temperature settings can really vary widely between different models. Heat some water in your crockpot on the lowest setting and take a temperature reading after a couple of hours to ensure that yours won’t get too hot.
Kayla says:
Hello, I saw someone else who made fire cider. What they did with the residual ingredients after squeezing everything out was spread it on a cookie sheet and heat on 150 degrees for several hours. They then recommended putting into capsules. I thought this was a great idea for some people who can’t handle tasting fire cider or like my friend who can’t have chili (causes blisters in her mouth).
Anyway do you see any issue with this process? I love not wasting any of it!
Sarah Sorci says:
Hi, Kayla! This is an interesting idea. Since infusing herbs into vinegar will extract a fair amount of the medicinal constituents from the plant material, I’m wondering if this individual encapsulates spent herbs because they feel that having soaked them in vinegar is beneficial, compared to “fresh” herbs that haven’t gone through an extraction process–or if they just like the idea of getting another use out of the plant material.
So long as the herb is thoroughly dried before encapsulating (to avoid the risk of mold), I don’t see any potential problems with trying this method. If you give it a go, I’d be interested in hearing what you think! Personally, I’d prefer to encapsulate “fresh” herbs that haven’t already been through an herbal extraction if I were going to the trouble (and if I couldn’t tolerate fire cider, I’d just use regular vinegar alongside those capsules if I wanted the added benefits of vinegar). However, I tip my hat to your desire to get the very most out of your herbs 🙂
Kayla says:
I did it! I made about 190 capsules. No taste when taking them just like any pill. I also had some residual that I threw into my lentil tacos as “taco seasoning”. I ran them at 150 degrees for several hours in the oven. I actually lost track of time because I turned it off at bed time woke up and turned it back on. Thank you for the tip of take the shot of apple cider vinegar with it! Makes sense. Thank you again for this wonderful recipe my friends and family are in love!
Sarah Sorci says:
Thanks for following up, Kayla! It sounds like this method is working well for you, and I loved the idea of using the pressed fire cider herb as “taco seasoning” as well. I’m glad you and your loved ones are enjoying this recipe (and the medicinal biproducts, too 🙂
ASHLEY MAPLE says:
I am curious if this could work on low in a crockpot since I don’t think I have pots that will make a good double broiler?
Thank you so much for this recipe!! It’s beautiful!
Christine Borosh says:
You can definitely try using a crockpot instead of a double boiler. However, it is a good idea to test the temperature first because we’ve found that the temperature settings can really vary widely between different models. Heat some water in your crockpot on the lowest setting and take a temperature reading after a couple of hours. If the temperature stays at about 120 degrees or lower, then feel free to use your crockpot for making this recipe! We hope you enjoy it 🙂
Dina Falconi says:
Thank you so much for your good work! Wondering if could tell me what your favorite potato ricer is? Also looking for ones that are not make with aluminum. Thanks! Dina
Sarah Sorci says:
Hi Dina! We recommend the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Potato Ricer to our students. Here’s one place it can be purchased online.
Jeannie Hutchinson says:
Hi, This looks great I love medicinal use of hibiscus and never thought of using it in fire cider. Question about the cheater method…since you are heating it are you loosing any medicinal/nutritional benefits by doing it this way. Would love to try this method to taste it sooner, but am afraid I would be loosing nutritional values by heating it.
Sarah Sorci says:
Great question! The temperature used to prepare the “cheater” fire cider is quite low, at 120 degrees F. If prepared according to the instructions, I feel that the benefits of having this concoction handy when you need it outweigh the risk of losing nutritional or medicinal value. I was delighted to learn that heat can actually increase the flavonoid content of a food, such as flavonoid-rich hibiscus! If you are concerned about using heat, though, feel free to follow the instructions for letting your concoction infuse at room temperature for several weeks instead.
Jeannie says:
Thanks soooo much for the quick reply, and this is good info to hear! With all the covid stuff around I think we will use cheater method lol…excited to make this today! Thanks soooo much!
Amy Lidman says:
How long will it keep fresh in the refrigerator?
Sarah Sorci says:
A safe suggestion would be to use this refrigerated fire cider within six months. You may find that it lasts a year or more in the fridge, but I would watch and sniff for signs of spoilage as it ages.
Ericka Gossett says:
I can’t find turmeric root locally, can dried turmeric be substituted? I’m excited to make this, we grew a LOT of roselle plants this year!
Christine Borosh says:
Sure, dried turmeric can also be used! As a general rule, you can substitute dried herbs for fresh by using 1/3 the amount. In this recipe, that would be about 0.6 ounces or 1/6 cup (which is the same as 8 teaspoons) of dried turmeric root in place of fresh. Have fun making this fire cider recipe with your homegrown roselle!
Amanda says:
I know as a general rule, a person can substitute dried herbs by using 3x’s as much for it’s counterpart. Does this hold true for roselle? Do I use 3.75 ounces?
Sara Kinney says:
If you want to use fresh roselle, you can use 3-4 times the amount of dried herb that’s called for in the recipe. Any amount in the range of 3.75 to 5 ounces fresh hibiscus should work great!
Michelle says:
Wondering if I could use freeze dried pomegranate? Would I add with the the ingredients to let sit for a month to extract their goodness? Or will that just not work?
Christine Borosh says:
We haven’t tried the recipe this way, but that would be a great experiment to try. I think it would still work! Yes, I’d add it in Step 1 and either heat it or let it sit for one month with the other ingredients. Please let us know how it turns out!
catherine jameson says:
I am glad to come across this recipe, I have made a fire cider and did not have horseradish but it was great. Also I have a bee/honey allergy, do you know what else I can use instead of honey?
Christine Borosh says:
Some people choose to omit the honey completely and this makes for a more savory vinegar. If you’d like to add some sweetness to your fire cider, you could try using maple syrup in place of honey or another sweetener you prefer using (cane sugar, agave, brown rice syrup, etc.). Just add in your chosen sweetener to taste at the end. We hope you enjoy this recipe!
Terry says:
What about making the entire recipe and canning it?
Sara Kinney says:
Since there’s a lot of vinegar in it, I think that the recipe would be acidic enough for it to be canned safely. However canning it will likely destroy some of its medicinal constituents, so my preference would be to just keep it in the fridge and use it relatively quickly.
Annette says:
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I was first exposed to Roselle when I lived in the Caribbean where it was exclusively harvested to make “sorrel” (as an individual pointed out earlier in this thread). I loved the refreshing cold drink with a tasty mix of spices. Since I now live in the Virginia mountains (Zone 4 moving into 5, thanks to global warming), I didn’t think I could grow it here but tried it anyway. I get bumper crops (stalks up to 6 feet tall) when I grow them in my hoop house. I experimented this year and put some of the seedlings into the garden and some of them into my hoop house. The ones in the hoop house grew almost twice as tall as the ones outside in the garden. So it really loves heat!. I dry the calyces for juice and tea but also found out from an Asian friend that they are stir fried into savory dishes in Vietnam.
Lisa Jacks says:
Hi. My husband cant have citrus of any kind. Is the effectiveness of this recipe ruined if i leave the citrus off? Or is there something I can substitute in order to have the same profile?
Christine Borosh says:
Omitting the oranges will change the flavor slightly, but the recipe will still turn out great without them!
Joan says:
Where can one buy this already made
Christine Borosh says:
We don’t sell any herbal medicines, so this is not available to purchase. We hope you try out the recipe 🙂
V says:
I grow hibiscus, Zone 7b, that return every year with lovely huge red flowers, but the calyx is not red, but turns tan-brown as it drys … is the flower itself an acceptable replacement for tea? They dry well and I’d love to be able to use them, but only if they are ok to use. Thanks.
Sara Kinney says:
The Roselle hibiscus that we feature here is Hibiscus sabdariffa, and it’s the only hibiscus with a red calyx. There are other species of hibiscus that are also edible, but there are many that aren’t. You’ll need to find out which species you have and then check to see if there is a tradition of it being used as food.
v says:
Thank you. Any idea how I might figure out its pedigree??? The plants were given to me by a friend. No tags, just extra pieces given to me when they cut back their plants. I have no clue how to figure out which sp. I actually have.
Christine Borosh says:
I’d suggest checking in with your friend to see if they can help point you in the right direction. There are many ornamental species of hibiscus and the ones sold in plant nurseries and garden supply centers are usually not the same as the species we’re discussing here. Because roselle’s flowers aren’t especially showy, it isn’t commonly sold as an ornamental plant. If you are excited about growing the edible species, you can purchase the seeds here: http://www.southernexposure.com/roselle-thai-red-06-g-p-181.html
ap says:
this hibiscus is known as sorrel in the caribbean, its plentiful in the latter part of the year / Nov. – Dec. There are 3 types, white, red and reddish black. The drink we make is called sorrel – boil or draw with ginger, spices, clove, bay leaf and sweeten to taste and serve with ice or ‘beastly’ cold around the christmas holidays. It can remain without
refrigeration.
Christine Borosh says:
Thanks so much for sharing!
Beverly Sabino says:
Could you use pure pomegranate juice instead of the mashed pomegranates?
Christine Borosh says:
We haven’t tried making it that way before, but I bet that could work. Have fun experimenting with the recipe and let us know how it turns out!
Julie says:
Hi there! May I ask what the shelf life is for this fire cider, if left refrigerated?
Sara Kinney says:
Due to the hibiscus tea and pomegranate juice, there is a lot more water content than in traditional fire cider recipes that only use vinegar and honey. I would keep it refrigerated and aim to use it in a few months.
Jessi Honeycutt says:
I don’t understand 10″ of a man’s thumb width. Is it calling for 10″ of ginger? Of pieces as thick as a man’s thumb? Recipe sounds amazing! I love your writing. Thanks for the info!
Christine Borosh says:
This recipe makes a big batch, so it calls for 10 inches of thumb-width pieces of ginger. You can also halve or quarter all of the ingredients to make a smaller batch to try out the recipe. Happy herb-ing!
Gretchen says:
Been making regular fire cider regularly. Love the idea of this recipe. I’m a bit confused by some answers below (like the tea lasting only a day).
Does this require refrigeration after making using heating method? If so, for how long?
Or can it be stored like regular fire cider in a cool dry place?
Thanx! Can’t wait to try!
Sara Kinney says:
In general, any tea will only keep for about 12 hours or so at room temperature (particularly during the warmer months). There are no preservatives, so other microbes will generally make their way to the party (this is the general idea behind fermentation).
Whichever method you use, the Hisbiscus-Pomegranate fire cider will need to be refrigerated. Due to the hibiscus tea and pomegranate juice, there is a lot more water content than in traditional fire cider recipes that only use vinegar and honey. I would keep it refrigerated and aim to use it in a few months.
I hope you enjoy it!
Dianne says:
Can you use dried hibiscus instead of “real”? Add would adding dried rose hips…and even echinecha be good to add to this to help in the cold and flu season? I make a hot tea with those 3 and it works great. I use the regular Fire Cider and it does scare the bajeebus out of any cold bug that wants to invade my body. Lol
Sara Kinney says:
You can use dried hibiscus. In fact, that’s what the recipe calls for since most people don’t have access to fresh hibiscus. The flavor of dried rose hips would work well in this recipe. You can add Echinacea, but the vinegar won’t extract all of its medicine, and Echinacea isn’t known for its delicious taste! I prefer teas and tinctures for Echinacea, but you can definitely use that herb in conjunction with fire cider for fighting off colds and flu.
Debbie says:
Hi,
What a great blog post, I am following you on FB. You’ve inspired me to try growing Hibiscus sabdariffa as an annual. I’ve been growing Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Lord Baltimore Rose Mallow’ in our hoop house in zone 5b, so far it has come back for the last 2 summers. What do you think about using her for tea or fire cider? Do you have an opinion on the medicinal properties of ‘Lord Baltimore’?
Juliet Blankespoor says:
The recipe calls for 2 large garlic bulbs. I hope you enjoy making this recipe 🙂
Michelle says:
Can I confirm- is it 2 cloves or bulbs of garlic?
Juliet Blankespoor says:
The prepared tea without any preservatives has a very short shelf-life, less than 12 hours at room temperature and up to 3 days refrigerated. The dried herb material itself can be stored for a year or more if kept in dark and dry conditions. Best of luck to you!
Don Emeka says:
Hi, thanks so much for a well informed research and report on Roselles. I am from Nigeria, West Africa were a large quantity of Roselle flower is cultivated. People only use it prepare a popular drink called “ZOBO”. Because it’s cheap people dont value its medicinal properties and not many go for it. I have initiated a start-up company to begin producing and marketing Roselle Tea because of it’s rich herbal properties. But i am concerned about it’s shelve life- how long it will be possible to store it so as not to expire on time and maintain its medicinal properties. Please what do you advice. Thanks so much!
JRhudy says:
Thank you so much for your reply! This helps me so much, I appreciate what you do!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
I would just put it all in a pot and heat the whole thing (with the lid on!) to about 100-110 degrees. Then turn off the heat and pick up at step 3 – adding in your hibiscus and orange/pomegranate slurry.
JRhudy says:
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I started making it, and did the slow method. However, I forgot to put the hibiscus in at the start. How would you recommend finishing it? Do I have to let this macerate for another month, heat it, or just give it a few days?
Sara Kinney says:
Yes, it should be fine if you let it sit for a month in a relatively cool, dark place. Once you strain it though, you’ll want to keep in the refrigerator for long-term storage.
JEssica says:
Are you able to make this cider by just letting it sit for a few weeks rather than cooking it?
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Yes, this is a cheater recipe, but if you have more time, and want to maximize your ingredients and make a stronger cider, you can complete step 1, and let the slurry sit for a month. After a month, you can finish the recipe below, skipping the heating part.
Tara says:
If you do the slow method – do you need to do anything to ensure that the pomegranate and hibiscus infuse enough? Since it won’t be heated, how long would you recommend letting the pom and hibiscus sit in there before straining?
Juliet Blankespoor says:
If you want to do the slow method, you can add the hibiscus along with the rest of the spices, let is sit for a month, and then add the pomegranate juice at the end.
Gabrielle says:
So it’s ok to have the fresh orange chunks sit for the slow method? I didn’t realize you could use fresh fruits in the slow cider recipe. I suppose that is a silly thing being that all other ingredients as well as the peppers and onions are fresh … haha
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Not all Hibiscus species are used medicinally and I do not have any personal experience with Hibiscus moscheutos. You might want to start growing Hibiscus sabdariffa to use for medicine!
Theresa says:
This is absolutely WONDERFUL! I grew Thai red roselle last summer (in Texas) and knew that I could harvest the calyxes but didn’t really know what to do with them. I left the plant out there to see if it could survive winter in hopes of giving it another go without starting from seed again. Now I’m excited to grow it again! Thank you for the valuable information!
Chrissy says:
I found this recipe after discovering how much I like hibiscus and it sounds really flavoursome however I have a hard time digesting raw onions. I’d like to try my hand at making it with the longer process, do you think the vinegar would tone down the onions enough for easier digestion?
Thanks so much!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Lilian,
I have left the ovary and chopped it all up, dried it and its been fine. This year we have been letting the calyces mature (So they are bigger) and then hand peeling them from the ovary (its kind of woody and large at this point).
Hope that helps!
juliet
lrh says:
thanks so much for all of this wonderful information about roselle! I was wondering – do you usually chop up the green ovary with all the seeds inside? thank you!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Marisa,
The hibiscus gives the vinegar a nice red color, and also imparts its own cardiotonic, anti-microbial, hypocholesterolemic, and hepatic qualities into the vinegar. You could add shiso (Perilla frutescens) of the purple variety or any of the purple basils, and they would color the vinegar purple. Have fun experimenting!
Juliet
Juliet Blankespoor says:
The skies the limit — people use schisandra or elderberries or tulsi even!
Marisa says:
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing Juliet. I am teaching a medicine making class in a few weeks and this recipe is definitely getting added to the menu! Am just curious what other herbs you might consider using besides hisbiscus in this kind of a vinegar? Thanks again!
BJ Tuininga says:
Thank you for sharing the recipe for Fire Cider. This is much appealing then one recently given to me…love the addition of the pomegranate/hibiscus. I shall enjoy making this!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Sorrel beer, sounds yummy – especially a wheat beer – I would love to try it, Alyssa. Hint hint!
Alyssa Sacora says:
It is so nice to run across this article. I had the pleasure of discovering “sorrel” in Grenada. The locals make a decoction with cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves, then add the sorrel to steep for 10-15 minutes. It is served strained, cooled, and with a little sugar. There is also a sorrel Carib, a light beer with sorrel added to it. I will be trying my hand at growing it this year. Thanks for the growing instructions.
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Lara,
Im glad you are trying the recipe, I think you will be pleased! The bottles are from kitchen and company in Asheville (new location next to the Michael’s craft supply).Enjoy!
Lara Celeste Mack says:
Juliet! Thank you so much for this recipe! This is going into the stockings and hands of many friends and family this holiday 🙂 I could have sworn that I had seen you write where you got the bottles for this fire cider gift but now I can’t find it anywhere… is there a place to purchase the bottles in Asheville? Thanks and love and wellness to you!
mary giddens says:
I HAVE A DARK REDDISH WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A ROSELLE HIBISCUS. THE LEAVES LOOK LIKE MARIIJUNA, THE FLOWER LOOKS LIKE A HIBISCUS BUT IT HAS ALMOST BLACK FLOWERS, BUT THEY ARE MORE FO A DEEP PURPLE.IT’S FAST GROWING AND QUITE A CONVERSIONAL. PLEASE LET KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE. I WAS WOMDERING IF IT COULD BE KENAF
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Carrie,
Fire cider can last for years, not sure about the shelf life of the hibiscus fire cider refrigerated but maybe up to a year? Im glad you like it!!!
Carrie says:
I just made this, and it’s fantastic. I am a newbie so I just wanted to ask about how long does this keep in the fridge. Also making a regular fire cider and curious what the shelf life on that is as well. Thanks! Just saw the lavender truffle recipe too..
nicole alexander says:
I am going to try all of these things. I discover it a herbal event two months ago,now i drink it every day.
Michael says:
I’ve never got these to grow for a second year, even when kept warm in a greenhouse. They always seem to die after fruiting, even if they haven’t frozen yet. I got some seeds from Baker Creek Seeds and I really like this variety. I’ve tried a bunch of others that I don’t like so much. Malaysia has some interesting varieties I’d like to try, but can’t find any way to get seeds. For germinating seeds, I found that the potting media I mix up tends to rot a lot of the seeds. To get better germination, I’ll fill and tamp a pot about an inch below the rim with my regular soil, sprinkle on the seeds, and then sift some pine bark to get just the really small pieces, and put those on top of the seeds. The pine bark has a lot more and larger pore spaces and doesn’t hold water so much. Certain types of seeds seem to germinate much better when covered with sifted pine bark bits than with a denser soil. I use that method for roselle and Moringa. The Edible Plant Project usually sells plants in the spring. We sold a variety I’m discontinuing last year and switching to Thai red roselle, assuming our seed crop has sufficient viability.
Linda Willis says:
Hi Ann, I’ve been making Kombucha since 02/15 and often make ginger hibiscus kt…my Mom grows them in her garden here in Fla. When I make my kt, I usually put a good handful of dried hibiscus flowers along with some green tea for my 1f, then add sugar….I usually add candied ginger during my 2f, makes a super ruby red scoby. Really good and good for you!
Cory Trusty at Aquarian Bath says:
Beautiful photos. This is one of my favorite herbs. Love it in Kombucha.
Ann Wooledge says:
Hi Cory – I’m intrigued with how you add the hibiscus to your kombucha. Do you used dried and do you place it in the first fermentation or if you carbonate? Thanks very much.
kim calhoun says:
juliet dear, i still have a batch of (super spicy) full moon fire cider i made for gifts two years back and you’ve inspired me to use it as a base to experiment with hibiscus, pomegranate and orange! yay, a whole new creation for gifts this year, with even prettier color and fruity flower goodness 🙂 where’d you get those pretty little bottles?
love, kim
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Kim, that sounds like a good way to revitalize your batch. the bottles are from our local kitchen store – maybe you have one there in the piedmont?
Tizi says:
Making this as I type…Thank you for sharing!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Let me know how you like it!
Asia S. says:
What lovely gifts Juliet, and such perfect day to read about them. It was all wworrthh it!