City Girl ~ Country Heart

Crystalized Ginger & Medicinal Honey

04:20, Tuesday, June 24, 2008 .. 0 comments .. Link

My kids LOVE crystalized ginger. I never thought this was strange until my sister tried it and said it was repulsive. While I was visiting family up north I came across a bag of NOW brand crystalized ginger. I bought as it was very reasonably priced, (only $4 for a 12 oz bag). As the bag slowly dwindled away, I thought I'd have to turn to eBay to buy some more, (this is my kid's candy...a little sugary but hey it's ginger and ginger is very good for you).

Alas...I came across the book, "Growing 101 Herbs that Heal," by Tammi Hartung

This little jewel of a book is awesome....I cannot recommend it enough! Inside you will find the directions for making your own medicinal honey and crystalized ginger. (also tons of information of growing, harvesting, preserving ,& using herbs)

I was all over it! I went to the store and bought my ginger, (see picture below if you don't know what ginger looks like).

The next thing you do is peel the outer skin off and slice up the ginger, (I used a carrot peeler & sharp knife).

Place the ginger in a small saucepan and cover it with raw honey, (honey that has not been processed/heated).

Warm over medium/low heat for 20 minutes, (you don't want it to boil though I think I did by mistake on this batch). Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and let the ginger/honey rest in a glass bowl at room temperature for 3 days, covered.

After 3 days, strain out the ginger and reserve the honey in a glass jar. Refrigerate the gingered honey for I believe up to 6 months, but don't quote me on that...it doesn't last that long in our house.

Cover with another piece of wax paper and let set out for 7 days.

After 7 days, fill a Ziploc bag of sugar and drop the ginger pieces inside it to coat them well and seal them with sugar.

Refrigerate the ginger to preserve the freshness. This can be used in cookies or just as a little treat for you or your kids. We love it and it is so much stronger, (which we like) than the store bought crystalized ginger.

I also like doing this because I love Ginger Green tea. I must really love ginger because it is not gingery enough for me. I add the gingered honey to my tea and it is zippy and perfect for my tastes. It also tastes great on toast with cinnamon on top.

Ginger can be used for the following ailments:

arthritis
ulcerative colitis
menstrual discomfort
headaches
fevers from flu & colds
sore throats
heartburn
gas
motion sickness
morning sickness

Did you know that you can take the ginger you buy in the store and grow it in your own garden? My hope is to try this someday...anybody done this before? If so, any tips?

Crystalized Ginger & Medicinal Honey

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