G is for Ginger

When I was in junior high, I loved the Spice Girls. I wore my hair like Baby Spice, bought baby doll dresses, sang and made up dance routines to all of their songs and wouldn’t relent until my father bought me a pair of platform running shoes. My favourite was Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell.

In my grade eight yearbook there were cartoons drawn of our whole class and mine was made to look like Ginger because I had red hair and big boobs. I did not mind the comparison at all! My life was took on new meaning when I finally got to see my idol in concert last year at the Air Canada Centre.

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I may or may not have cried more than once. And while I could spend a whole post talking about the Spice Girls, I actually wanted to talk about the benefits of the ginger root!

Ginger has been used in China for over 2,000 used as a flavoring and for its medicinal properties. Studies have shown that ginger has amazing health benefits including antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory compounds and provide a calming effect on your tummy.

And it just tastes good.

I love it in stir fries, soups, desserts and tea. My friend Charis (who also has red hair) has a wicked recipe for ginger tea that she gave me permission to share with all of you. It seems that everyone has a cold right now, and this tea can help to provide comfort and perhaps some other benefits that Charis alluded to… So here it is!

Wickedly Wonderful Ginger Tea
or, Who said there's no cure for the common cold?

The amount of ingredients is up to you, depending on how gingery you like it. The more ginger, the better it is. Make a big batch to last you a couple of days when you're sick.

1. Put some water on to boil in a biggish saucepan. (2 quarts?)
2. Take a 3 or 4 inch piece of ginger, skin and all. Rinse under the tap then grate it, and put it all into the boiling water.
3. Add as much sweetener as you need (agave would work well here)
4. Take a lemon, rinse then squeeze out juice. Add juice, seeds and all, to pot.
5. Boil the hell out of it for 10 minutes...
6. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
7. Put it through a sieve to get the skins and seeds out.
8. Enjoy the hot, hot, deliciously hot tea!

Benefits:
- Clears sinuses
- Soothes throat
- Clears chest
- Gives you instant energy
- Gets you dates (not really but you can try making it for people who are sick and watch them start to fall in love with you)

Charis has forced made me this tea on many occasion, and while I can’t attest to it’s ability to get you dates, I can say that it has provided a ton of cold relief. Hooray for ginger!