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When Ginger Came Flying My WayPosted March 10th, 2010 by Jen in family life, features, health/cooking/foodIt was one of those days when I’m glad to live in a small town; and believe me, there are days when I wish I didn’t. I was shopping at my local grocery store this evening when a friend approached as I lingered over the apples, and with a quick word she tossed a mesh sack of ginger across the produce aisle. In a big city, a lady tossing food at you in the grocery store might cause a riot, but here in my cow-town, it means you’re loved. I barely caught it, but firmly caught the advice she gave me on how to make ginger tea. “Just grate some up in pan of water, heat and simmer it for a bit,” she suggested. She claimed it was great for arthritis, and I wondered if I possibly looked arthritic at the moment. Perhaps frenetic, as my four kids were scattered hither and there, grabbing goat cheese off the shelves and bumping into strangers’ carts. I do remember being told when I was pregnant and facing morning sickness that chewing on a bit of ginger would do a world of good for nausea. I’ve drank plenty of ginger tea, usually a ginger-lemon or ginger-honey variety, but always brewed from a bag. I looked forward to this homemade brew from a rhizome that my little boy thought was a bag of doggie treats. Okay, I confess I was going to say ginger root, but upon further research, I discovered that only “common” people call it a ginger root, as it is botanically not so – it’s a rhizome because whole new ginger plants can self-generate from budded sections, whereas a root will die if split into sections. I had a flashback to that time in my childhood when I went through a phase of wishing I had a different name – the name I had inexplicably chosen was Ginger, and my dear Mom humored me and called me Ginger until I grew tired of it. At any rate, I promptly grated up a pile of ginger (way too much) and threw it in a pan of water and made some tea. With neither lemon or honey on hand, I added molasses to to my brew. Voila, Ginger Molasses Tea, the finest, spiciest, and most aromatic tea I’ve had in a long time! I prepared a cup for my mom, telling her how good it is for her, especially if she has arthritis. She looked at me askance, but with her memory, she doesn’t know if she has arthritis or not. What she does have, however, is apparently much benefited by ginger – poor circulation, migraines, chills, and more. After looking up the health benefits, I realized how grateful I am that my friend send ginger flying my way tonight. Here are some of the benefits of ginger:
Cheers, have a cup of ginger tea!  |
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9 Responses
If only one thing happens to me today–I hope it will be this: that some woman will toss ginger over the produce aisle, to me! What a lovely story! I love the playfulness and the educational-ness!
During our last wine-harvest, I joined my sister-in-law and her friends in the former’s truck (read: home on wheels). Inside the decked out dorm, they were busy brewing up ginger and lemon tea. I knocked the breath right out of me and I ran to the store to buy some gingembre. It always tastes better with friends!
Our small town grocery store doesn’t carry ginger, I fear. But there is a basket of little sticks with yellow innards which the locals make tea from and swear that the tea cure hypertension and other ailments. I’ve yet to try it and your post makes me think I should try it at least once before we move away.
I love ginger too! Not only in cooking (in Asian dishes) but for health reasons. I keep ginger capsules on hand for nausea (sea sickness) and general stomach upset. And I swear by Canada Dry ginger ale when I’m sick.
Never really wanted to be called Ginger though, lol, perhaps because of the air-headedness of Ginger on Gilligan’s Island?
A wonderful “rhizome”… :~D
Kristin, thank you for the story of ginger tea in the truck/house, what an image I received! And thanks for the French word for ginger – gingembre. I’ve been making it twice a day since I got it…mmm.
RazorFamilyFarms, Lacy, I wonder what the little yellow sticks could be? Let me know if you find out!
e-Mom, I love the ginger ale, too, when I have a tummy ache. I don’t know how I came up with the name as a child, because we didn’t have TV and I had never seen Gilligan’s Island until I was little older. If I could just have the properties of ginger, I would be a very blessed girl, indeed. I’m hoping it was a prophetic choice. :-)
Thanks for the tips. I’ll be checking into that. I’ve never drank ginger tea. I hope I like it!
Please tell me where you got your garden stake? It is pictured in a post from 2008. My mom has an old one that she adores but it needs to be updated.
Ginger-hmmm. I’ll be trying it too. I think I even have some in the kitchen.
I like the part about your name changing period-one of my girls was so determined to change her name to Cotton Candy-that her doc even changed it on her file : )
My mom always bought ginger ale when we were nauseous. My doc says to boil ginger and add honey for coughs, and the mid wife in the family makes ginger compresses for to soothe and heal “that” area after birthing. Handy stuff!
Carol, I think I got the garden stakes at my local nursery. I’d check at yours.
Tipper, Cotton Candy – that is so funny!
halfmoon girl, the compress is interesting – If I’d have know this sooner, I would have tried it.
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