Since before the holidays, it seems that at least one person in our family has been fighting a cold. It’s an unusual one too. You feel like you’re getting better and then hours later you’re back to feeling awful. And sometimes you wake up feeling badly but then by afternoon you think it’s gone, only to start over again the next day. So we’ve been drinking copious amounts of tea, especially Lemon Ginger tea.
Several years ago a friend gave me the recipe for this tea and it’s a favorite. There are several different versions of the tea online, but this one is our favorite.
Lemon Ginger Tea
10 slices of fresh ginger
5 slices of lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
1/3 c. honey
8 c. water
Boil the ginger, slices, lemon slices, and cinnamon sticks in the water. Once the water boils, turn the heat off and let the tea steep for 10 minutes. I’m not very precise on this, but I have found that if I allow it to steep for more than 20 minutes the ginger is a little too strong for the Littles. Strain the tea and compost the lemon and ginger slices, I’ve found that I can often reuse the cinnamon sticks so I set them aside to dry out. Stir in the honey while the tea is hot.
We sip this all day. I like it hot and will reheat a cup as needed (on the stove or in the microwave). The younger children like it chilled, especially if I allowed the tea to steep too long.
Here’s a nice variation to try if you’d like:
Pomegranate Ginger Tea
10 slices of fresh ginger
5 slices of lemon
Seeds from 1/4 of a pomegranate
1/3 c. honey
8 c. water
Crush the pomegranate seeds a bit to release the juice (I do this in a bowl, not on a cutting board). Boil the ginger, slices, lemon slices, and crushed pomegranate seeds in the water. Once the water boils, turn the heat off and let the tea steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea. Stir in the honey while the tea is hot.