I’ve had a love/hate relationship with ginger my whole life. Having never tasted “real” ginger until a year or so ago, I always thought ginger lived in the nasty little gingerbread men at Christmas and the yukky gingersnap cookies that are smashed and hidden in desserts.
One day while in the produce section I snagged one of the gnarly roots for myself. The first thing made with ginger was simple ginger tea. It was okay, and I made a couple of cups then the root molded and had to be composted.
This went on for several months and I read a recipe that called for ginger, lemon, and honey. Hmmmmm……that sounds healthy and good.
So, back to the hidden corner of the produce section for more ginger–only by this time I had read that we do not want to consume ginger from China–it is very likely contaminated with heavy metals. The ginger I spy in the supermarket sure enough, is from China. On the next trip to Knoxville I go to Earth Fare and grab a root and a few organic lemons. I had also read that ginger and lemon both freeze well–great!
To make one cup of this yummy beverage, use a 1 inch piece of peeled ginger and 2-3 slices of lemon
Just chop the ginger into approximately 1 inch chunks, and peel it and slice it into really thin slices before you drop it in a small saucepan. The thin slices allow for more surface area to infuse into the water.
Thin slices here……
Now add the lemons to the pan. Note: I’m making a pitcher of tea here so the recipe has been multiplied by 8. For each cup of tea I use about 1-1/4 cups of water to allow for evaporation.
Pour the water in over top of lemon and ginger, bring to almost a boil then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes. If you’re going to drink it hot, pour yourself a cup, sweeten to taste with honey, and enjoy immediately. If you’re making a pitcher for iced tea–which by the way is VERY refreshing and delicious–sweeten while the tea is still warm, let it cool, pour into a pitcher and place in the fridge.
One of the best things about this is that both lemon slices and ginger can be frozen with no ill effects…..yay! So, the extra lemon slices and ginger chunks (unpeeled) are placed in ziplock bags and placed in the freezer for future use. No more molded ginger root.
When I’m ready to make a cup or pitcher of tea I take out what I need, drop the ginger pieces whole in the hot water to thaw just a few minutes so it can be peeled, then proceed with recipe as usual.
That’s a good thing when you live where the only ginger in town is from China and the lemons are coated with wax.
Oh, did I mention that the drink is super healthy too?
Update 9/8/14: The ginger root pieces still have quite a bit of “ooomph” to them even after making this tea…..what to do with all that goodness? I’ll have to figure it out!
Wild Things Farm 