Nourishing Ginger Brew

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Ginger Brew

It seems like so many people become ill this time of year. Right around Thanksgiving in 2012 I battled an awful cold for what seemed like weeks. After sniffling and coughing and going through numerous boxes of Kleenex, I finally decided it was time to make a jar of “ginger brew.” My daughter’s friend who served in the Peace Corps somewhere in Africa gave her this recipe, and since ginger speaks to me, I thought I’d give it a try. In addition ginger has been used for centuries for its healing properties – it purportedly clears up sinuses and can rid the body of throat and nose congestion. Sign me up!

This formula can be doubled or tripled if you want a more substantial amount of the concentrate. Basically, just combine the ingredients for this recipe, keep it in the refrigerator then pour about two ounces in a large tea mug and fill it with seven ounces of boiling water. Believe me, this instantly stopped my nagging cough and opened my sinuses big time.

If you make this in the summer, it can be diluted with ice water, or added to sparkling water or even juice. It is heavy on the ginger flavor (translate as “peppery” or spicy) so if you aren’t a ginger lover, use less concentrate.

Ginger Brew Ingredients

Ginger Brew

Yield: 2 cups of concentrate which makes about 8 glasses of tea or cold brew

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 Tbsp fresh grated ginger (I don’t peel it)
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 7 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick (2 ½ inches long)
• 1 lime, squeezed (use the juice only)
• ½ juice orange, squeezed (use the juice only)
• 1 cup cold water

 Instructions:

Pour boiling water over the grated ginger, sugar, cloves and cinnamon Stir, cover and keep in a glass bowl or measuring cup and place in a warm place covered for an hour. If it is sunny, put it on the window sill. This time of year I keep it in a warm oven (90 degrees).

After the hour, strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Add the lime juice, orange juice and cold water. Again, keep the mix in a glass container and cover it, then keep it in a warm place for another hour. Strain the liquid and don’t pour the sediment at the bottom of the container through the strainer-discard it. The mix should be pretty clear.

Store covered in the refrigerator. This will keep for 7-10 days.

Cook’s notes: According to Rachel, ginger is great for digestion and all of the spices in this mix are “warming” and excellent for the winter time.