Honey, Lemon, & Ginger Tea

Unfortunately, we've had some opportunities to try out a homemade remedy I read about a while ago.  It soothes a sore throat, eases coughs, warms your chilled body, & tastes very yummy!  It is also delicious to drink just because, even if you aren't sick. 

Honey & lemon and honey, lemon, & ginger

When someone is sick or just wants a yummy drink, I get requests for "Honey, Lemon, Ginger Tea" which is so-named because it is made of honey, lemons, & ginger... you can also make it with just honey & lemons, if you prefer or if you don't have any ginger.  You add some of the yummy mixture to a mug of warm water, & voila, smiles all around!

I use organic lemons because you leave the peels intact & since right now organic lemons are the same price or almost the same as conventional lemons, it just makes sense to use organic.  If you don't have organic lemons you can use non-organic ones too.

The original recipes I found called for more lemons, but no matter how long I let it set for, it never got thick as others said their concoctions did (they said theirs got to be like a marmalade, but mine were always like water).  I found when I use one lemon instead of two I get a thicker consistency (although still not as thick as a marmalade), plus there is more mixture in the jar without the extra lemon slices taking up space.

Feel free to experiment to find if you like more or less lemons, ginger or not, etc!

Ingredients:

- 1 (or 2) medium size sliced lemon - I try to remove as many seeds as I can while slicing, but I don't worry too much if I miss any, which I usually do.

- OPTIONAL - fresh sliced or grated ginger (I usually use about 2 pieces the size of my pointer finger) - I Imagine you could also use ginger powder, etc.

- 2 1/2 - 4 cups of honey (local, raw honey is ideal, but you can use what you have access to) - I use 2 1/2 c honey when I make the lemon & honey and approx 3 1/2 - 4 c of honey when I make the lemon, honey, &  ginger as I use a larger glass jar to allow room for the space the ginger takes up.

How-to:

Grated ginger... see the stringy strands at the top??

1. Slice the lemons (removing as many seeds as possible, but don't stress about missing some) & put them in your glass jar (sometimes I just cut them into slices & sometimes I slice them & then cut the slices in 1/2... do whatever works best for you)

2. If using ginger, slice, dice, or grate it & add it to the glass jar & gently mix it w/the lemon slices (**warning** when grated I found that ginger has these string-like things in some of the pieces, & they kind of look like hair, so if that will gross you out, stick with slicing and/or dicing rather than shredding it... you may just want to trust me on this one, okay?!)

Lemon & ginger before adding the honey

3. Add honey almost to the top

4. Stir w/a butter knife, chopstick, or spoon to mix it together

5. Screw the lid on tight

6. Place in fridge overnight (the lemons will rise to the top of the jar & if you are type A, like I am, it will irritate you, but rest assured it will still turn out wonderfully even if you don't keep stirring it & trying to get the lemons to stop from rising... yes, I did that my 1st batch until I finally gave up... & yes, it DID still turn out, much to my relief!)

7. Wait patiently (or not so patiently ;0) for morning to come!

8. Stir mixture, add 1-3 TSP to a mug of warm-hot water, stir, & enjoy the yummy goodness!!

Ready to stir into some water

-- I usually add 1 tsp to about 4 oz of water & use more of the mixture depending upon how much water I use, so approx. 2 tsp honey lemon to 8 oz of water... but my cup is jumbo in size so I use more of both... I don't drink coffee so this is an awesome drink if I need something to take the edge off of the frigid winter weather, in addition to the other uses I already mentioned ;0)!

For anybody who knows me, you know I like to plan ahead... so one day I was wondering what I was going to when the hot weather arrives... I sure would miss our "tea"... did I mention just how find we are of this?! So when a friend was over I decided to see how it would be liked if it were served by stirring it into room temperature or cold water.... & everybody really liked it... the kids asked for more... so rest assured, if you find you like this as much as we do in the cold months, you won't have to give it up when the warm weather arrives!!

Also, for anybody who just do NOT like plain water, this may help you drink more of it (or some water for those who drink none), so give it a try & let me know how you like it!!


Do you have a favorite warm/hot drink you drink to soothe a sore throat, help relieve a cough, or just to help warm up??  Do you like honey, lemon, and/or ginger??  What do you drink to quench your thirst in warmer weather??  Do you think you will give this a try (it sure is easy & fast enough!!)??