ABC Wednesday

G is for GINGER





My favourite spice....

'Ginger is a tuber that is consumed whole as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale. It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae). Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal.
Ginger cultivation began in Asia and has since spread to West Africa and the Caribbean.[2] It is sometimes called root ginger to distinguish it from other things that share the name ginger.'

And for more information from Wikipedia on the wonderful medicinal attributes of ginger, the delicious ways it adds pleasure to the palate, a little of its history and other bits and pieces about this fine tuber, visit here.

A little ginger tea when the tummy is upset....



Here is a recipe - a great soother for sore throats as well.

Ingredients:
• About a 3 inch piece of ginger root
• 6 Cups of water
• Honey
Directions:
1. Grate the ginger as fine as you can get it, leaving the skin on.
2. Put the ginger in the 6 cups of water and bring to a boil
3. Once the water is boiling, simmer it on low for about 15 – 20 min
4. Use a fine strainer and ladle to pour out the tea into a cup, toss the ginger in the strainer back into the pot
5. Add about a teaspoon of honey or to your likeness.
6. Sip slowly and enjoy!

Ginger is said to contribute to the relief of pain and swelling in arthritis and is a strong and wonderful antioxidant.

And when the summer afternoon is hot and humid and you rest, panting, in the shade, what is more appealing that a glass of ginger beer... and perhaps a gingersnap or two.





When the children were all home and the summers in the orchard were hot we used to refresh ourselves in peach picking time with homemade Rootbeer, or Gingerbeer, - whichever we had been energetic to make in the cool of the morning.

Early in the last century the Chinese who helped build the towns in the valley left a legacy of ginger pots. They weren't the elaborate ones that delight the eye, - very ordinary and practical. We have one which Charles found in the old part of town, and it looks something like this, only a little rougherin construction. It sat on the mantel in our last house for years, but is now in a box, stored away when we down-sized.



Ginger adds zest and comfort to life, and it's all too true, a spoonful a day helps keep the medicine man away.

Here is another Ginger, - equally delightful, loved and admired.



For more Gs go here, where Mrs. Nesbitt and her kind friends host the meme ABC Wednesday.