Fresh Ginger Tea

prep time: 5 minutescook time: 10 minutesservings: 3 large tea cups

During flu season, when everybody around you is coughing and blowing their noses and you start to feel a bit sick yourself or might already caught the bug, this freshly brewed tea will give your immune system a boost. Besides being utterly delicious, this all natural brew is one of the easiest things to put together and it all is done in no time.

As I do not peel any of the ingredients, I would advise getting organic ginger, turmeric and lemon. I simply wash them well before chopping them up and it takes just so much time of your prep time (and is so less messy). In terms of honey, I always buy honey from a local beekeeper. Besides supporting local business you know exactly where it comes from and the product has a short delivery route. My local supermarket actually sells more and more local produce like cheeses, tea, different kinds of vegetable oils, even alcohol...and of course also honey.

This recipe is actually inspired by my mom, who oftentimes brews up fresh ginger tea when she isn't feeling too good. Recently, poor Chris had come down with the flu and I though to give it a try. All you need is a good-sized knob of ginger, a little knob of turmeric (or 1.5 ts of turmeric powder), half a lemon and a teaspoon of honey. Chop up the ginger and turmeric; I leave the turmeric in slices, while I finely julienne the ginger, as this gets more of its flavor out. Watch out, the turmeric can be quite fragrant and of course it stains everything! So be extremely careful while handling this! Use a dark-colored cutting board and wear gloves if you want to protect your fingers from staining!

Slice the lemon and add it to a pot together with the ginger and the turmeric. Add 1 liter of water, cover with a lid and bring the mixture to a boil. I like to keep it boiling for a minute or two before taking it of the stove and straining it. Leave the tea to cool for a couple of minutes before adding the honey. Adding honey to too hot water actually destroys all its good nutrients. Immediately serve the tea or let it cool down and serve it cold, it makes for a refreshing drink!

Just look at that color, doesn't it look amazing? And foremost, it is all natural with lots of great benefits for your health. The lemon is actually a good source of Vitamin C, ginger helps with inflammation and turmeric helps the body fight infection, so this really is a boost for your immune system in a cup!