Golden Milk Two Ways

A lot of people I know take turmeric root, a traditional culinary spice, in a capsule as a supplement. The medicinal properties of turmeric's component called curcumin (or curcuminoids) are well documented. Tumeric is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, pain relieving, anti-coagulant, anti-depressant, and reportedly reverses specific disease. I heard there are over 6000 clinical studies about turmeric's healing properties. 

I like to get my daily dose of turmeric in the form of an age-old drink called Golden Milk. There are many online recipes for this mixture of turmeric, ginger root, black pepper, cinnamon, coconut, honey and sometimes other ingredients. There are also turmeric teas, and I bought two delicious blends called "Turmeric Spice" and "Turmeric Truffle" on a recent visit to a fabulous tea shop in Blue Ridge Georgia called Tupelo Tea. I've read that drinking Golden Milk before bed is most beneficial, but I honestly like it any time of day.

BEWARE - the turmeric stains yellow, so don't cut the root or measure the powder on a porous surface or get it on your clothing. Golden milk can also turn a white ceramic mug yellow, but a bit of elbow grease cleans it off.

Below are my two favorite variations for making Golden Milk. The Golden Milk Latte is pictured in the above photo on the right and the Golden Milk drink made from the paste is pictured on the left.

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TUMERIC GINGER GOLDEN MILK LATTE 

I grow turmeric and ginger root and make this frappe-like drink in my Vitamix from the fresh or dried roots I've harvested. Some grocery stores are now selling turmeric root, so you don't need to grow your own. Feel free to vary the quantities to your taste, but don't leave out the pepper - it increases the body's absorption of the tumeric enormously.

Recipe type: Drink
Cuisine: Gluten Free, dairy free, vegetarian, medicinal
Makes: 2-3 servings
NOTE: Ingredients in red type are detailed on the "Ingredients" page of this blog

INGREDIENTS

Fresh tumeric root (equal to about 2 t if chopped)

Fresh ginger root (equal to about 1 T if chopped)
1 T coconut oil
1-2 T honey
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t pepper
2 c milk (I use almond milk, but you can use dairy or coconut or other nut milks)

DIRECTIONS

Combine in a Vitamix and process until the roots are finely chopped and the mixture is smooth. If you want it hot, process until it heats up, about 4 minutes. I like it hot or cold. Also, I use the lesser amount of honey and add some of my homemade stevia extract for a bit more sweetness.

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GOLDEN PASTE 

I make a batch of this paste and leave it in the refrigerator, making it easy to mix up some Golden Milk anytime.

Recipe type: Drink
Cuisine: Gluten Free, dairy free, vegetarian, medicinal
Makes: 1-1/2 c
NOTE: Ingredients in red type are detailed on the "Ingredients" page of this blog

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c ground turmeric
1 T ground cinnamon
1 T ginger root powder
1-1/2 t black pepper
1/2 c coconut oil
1-3/4 c water
1/3 c honey 

DIRECTIONS
Mix everything but the honey in a saucepan, whisking. Heat to just starting to boil. BEWARE - the turmeric stains yellow, so don't let it bubble and splash your clothing (it wipes off the stove surface). Continue to whisk over a low boil for 10 minutes. The mixture will get thick. This cooking process helps make the turmeric less bitter.

Cool the mixture. Add the honey and stir to fully incorporate it. Pour into a glass jar, cover and refrigerate. Keeps for several weeks.

TO USE TO MAKE GOLDEN MILK:
Determine how strong you like your Golden Milk by trying 1 to 2 tsp of the paste per 8-10 oz cup. To dissolve the paste I put it in my mug or pitcher and add just enough very hot water to cover it. Stir well, then fill the mug with milk (I use almond milk; dairy, coconut or nut milk are fine, and can be warmed if desired). 

Some people like to pour the mixed golden milk through a fine sieve, but I don't mind having a little sediment at the bottom of my cup so I skip this step when making one cup. If I make a pitcher of Golden Milk, I use my lovely English tea strainer as I pour into my mug. I like a bit sweeter taste, so I often add some of my homemade stevia extract, but more honey would be fine also.

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Watch for my upcoming post on using the fabulous spices of golden milk to make cookies!
 

How to Grow Ginger

 

I love ginger, and I've wanted to grow my own for years. So much of it in the stores is grown in countries which I don't trust, and if I could grow my own organically it would be great. One year I potted up some healthy USA-grown organic ginger roots from the supermarket and set the pot outdoors in our hot humid summer weather; I barely ended up with more than I had planted. Then I learned about a plant related to the variety of ginger we commonly eat, called "galangal"  (pronounced guh-lang-guh). Used in Thai cooking and in curry seasoning blends, some argue that it tastes different from common ginger, while others use it interchangeably with ginger. Reading that it was successfully grown by home gardeners, I felt it was worth a try. A source I found online seemed to be sold out as soon as they listed some for sale in late winter. But last year I got lucky and here is how it worked for me....

I found an Etsy shop called Magical Mystery Herbs selling fresh live galangal root, grown near me in Athens, Georgia. I ordered 12 ounces last January (I see they are selling it again now; likely it's a seasonal offering). They sell 4 oz. for $9.95. Plump big rhizomes arrived quickly. I set the galangal chunks in water until I had a chance to pot them. Then I cut them into smaller pieces, each with a growth bud or two, buried them in soil, and set the small pots by a sunny indoor window in my dining area. Be forewarned - it takes a lo-o-o-o-ng time before any little green sprouts begin to emerge from the soil (3 months for me). Be patient and keep them watered and warm. Mother Nature understands the proper timing.

Once the plants started to develop green leaves I carefully transplanted them into very large pots, allowing plenty of room for new rhizomes to grow. I tried planting some directly into the soil of my cold frame too. We were past our last average frost date, so I put the pots outdoors. I also decided to bury one large pot in the vegetable garden, with the rim at the soil line. This way, there was less likelihood for the soil to dry out during hot weather.

During our hot, humid, rainy summer, each pot grew more and more stems and long green leaves, about 12-18" tall. The plant buried in the garden showed the best growth… I had to keep pulling away the Seminole pumpkin and sweet potato vines from nearby garden rows!

Before our first fall frost (our average date is Oct. 15), I decided to uproot each galangal pot and see how the roots had multiplied. I was delighted with my harvest! The plant submerged in the garden had grown the best, and the photos of my harvest are from that pot. The roots I planted directly in the garden soil didn't fair as well, but still grew big rhizomes from the small pieces I had started with. And the flavor is so much like common ginger that I don't notice any difference.

I had too much ginger to use all at once, so I kept some growing in their big pots and brought them into my south-facing basement window to continue to grow. I also shared some of the small sprouts with friends to grow their own. I'll separate my potted plants to start the cycle of summer growth again this year, burying each big pot in my garden soil for the best results. I hope to have more and more each year.

The galangal I didn't use fresh immediately was washed clean and frozen in zipper bags. The frozen chunks have all the flavor of fresh, and can be cut or grated easily. Fresh ginger tea is wonderful in winter and even makes a refreshing cold summer drink. The galangal has been delicious in my favorite gingerbread, gingerbread biscotti (where I substituted 1 T fresh grated ginger in place of 1 t of dried gingerroot powder), in sweet breakfast breads, and in stir-fries. I added a small amount of grated fresh gingerroot to my homemade holiday cranberry-orange sauce and one of my guests said it was the best cranberry sauce he had ever eaten. It would be possible to dehydrate thin slices of galangal root too, using the slices chopped finely or making some into dried gingerroot powder in a coffee grinder.

If you too love ginger, don't settle for store-bought any more. Grow your own!

Holiday Gingerbread Biscotti

These are sooooooo yummy, and perfect for Christmas gift-giving or for leaving out on Christmas Eve for Santa! Don't be afraid of making biscotti - there's nothing exotic about the process. If you make cookies from scratch, it's very similiar. I was inspired to create this recipe when I read a ginger snap cookie recipe. I reduced the sweetness a bit and substituted and added some of my preferred ingredients, and these will be at the top of our favorite biscotti list! My recipe is gluten-free, but you can make these with wheat flour, as noted.

Remember, if an ingredient is in RED type, you can find out more about it on the page listed at the top of the blog called "Ingredients". Some of my staples might not be on your shelves, so I sometimes list the conventional ingredient I've substituted for also.

 

Gingerbread Biscotti
Makes about 2 dozen

3/4 c coconut palm sugar
3/4 c coconut oil, melted
1 large egg, beaten and at room temperature
1/4 cup sorghum syrup
2-1/2 c gluten free flour plus 1-1/2 t xanthan gum (or 2-1/2 c wheat flour)
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground dry ginger
1/2 t ground cloves
1/4 t salt
1/2 c buckwheat groats

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.

MIx together the sugar and oil. Add egg and sorghum and blend well. In another bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mixing by hand works fine, in fact I discarded the spoon and literally used my hand for this dough. The dough will be shiny and soft, but not sticky.

Separate the dough into two pieces. Pat each into a fat log, about 10 inches long. I mold the ends into an angle, since I'll be cutting later on a diagonal. Lay each log on the parchment lined sheet, about 4" apart. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the logs from the pan, to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Cut each log on the diagonal, into slices about 1/2" thick. Lay each slice flat on the parchment lined cookie sheet. They can be touching now, since they won't enlarge in the second baking.

Return the baking sheet into the oven and cook the biscotti for another 10-12 minutes, until stiff. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Soothing Tea for Sore Throats

Ginger root has numerous therapeutic properties, and I especially like it for a soothing hot tea when I have a sore throat. It is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, and honey and lemon add to the medicinal benefits. Packaged ginger teas are available, but this is so easy to make and has the nutritional benefits of fresh foods, so it's worth the effort. You'll like this tea even when you don't have any aches, as a hot or iced beverage.

The amounts are approximate; adjust to your tastes. I like my tea strong and not too sweet.

• 3" piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin pieces
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• grated fresh lemon rind (if available)
• 1 T honey

Bring the ginger pieces to a boil in 6 cups of water in a 3-qt. covered saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Add lemon and honey, mix well. Drink and enjoy.

NOTE:  When you buy ginger root, check the sticky label for country of origin. If possible, don't buy any grown in China, since it might have been grown in very polluted soil. Organically grown in the USA is my preference, although hard to find and pricy. When I find some, I buy a lot and freeze it whole for later use.