The weather’s cooling down, everyone’s dusting off the jackets and scarves, and little ones are coming home with snotty noses and the latest version of whatever the fashionable illness at daycare/kinder/school is going around, amirite?
You want to warm up, you want to boost your immune system, and you want to eat pickled ginger.
Ok that could just be me, but if you’re a card-carrying member of the first two – get stuck into this honey/lemon/ginger concoction and stay warm WHILE warding off lurgies. That’s some superhero tea shit!
My recipe for when the lurgy has already hit is here – it’s got a big boost of turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties, cayenne for its stimulating properties (and the fact that its heat helps counteract my sore throat – no scientific evidence but it works so I keep it!) and coconut oil for antioxidants/anti-fungal/anti-viral/general radness. Feel free to add these if you want!
So to one cup of boiling water, I add a squeeze of lemon, a tablespoonful of honey, a couple of pieces of the pickled ginger with the apple cider vinegar as a base. Sometimes I leave it, sometimes I jazz it up a la the aforementioned cold and flu tonic. Tastes good, is hydrating, and doubles as an excellent hand warmer.
To pickle ginger, I slice fresh ginger very finely (a mandolin would be good – the slicer, not the musical instrument though some serenading wouldn’t go astray), and add it to a small mason jar with apple cider vinegar and a pinch of sugar (rapadura and coconut sugar are good too). To make about half a cup (which keeps for ages) I do equal amounts ginger and apple cider vinegar. Keeps in the fridge for ages, and always there when you need a boost… or a nibble.
How are you staying warm now the cooler weather is here?
tracie c. says
how much do i love this post!
i was having some terrible indigestion/gas/digestive issues 2 weeks ago, to the point where i was in so much pain i was waking in the night and it was seriously shitting with my sleep cycle.
my husband was so concerned he jumped on the computer and found… lemon, ginger and honey. it worked! i am ALL IN!!!! the tummy issue has been resolved and i’ve kept the brew because it’s soooo good.
i’ve been drinking it at 3pm instead of cruising for sugar and i have a big cup after dinner. i love it!
thank you for the picking recipe what a good idea. i will try it out!
Veggie Mama says
And lucky it tastes good too! I hope you feel better soon x
Keri Krieger says
Love this!! In bed with a head cold and went hunting for the ginger in the fridge….. I KNOW your in there somewhere… and yup there it is all wizening and weird… thinking to myself HOW do you keep this damn stuff…. and now I know! Thank you clever lady. And hurrah there’s apple cider vinegar for extra points… Ahhh choo! xx
Veggie Mama says
hahah it was exactly that situation that made me think about pickling it. Because seriously, I NEVER keep it in the freezer!