The weather has taken a much more delightful turn for the better here in southern Alberta and I’m really enjoying the sunshine and brilliant blue skies. Hopefully I can store up all this beneficial vitamin D to fall back on when the next round of snowstorms arrive!
I’ve been trying out a few new things in the kitchen this month, sampling some recipes that I had gathered over the last year. So many yummy dishes, so little time! As I was going through some papers, I found a little yellow sticky note with a few ingredients scribbled on it – an incomplete recipe for ginger syrup. As I had a tub full of whole gingerroot sitting in the freezer waiting to be used up, I thought I ought to give the idea a chance. I experimented with the ratio of sweetener to water, and substituted honey for the sugar listed on the note. This is what I came up with:
Ginger Syrup
3 cups water
3/4 cup local honey
8 ounces gingerroot (fresh or frozen), unpeeled, chopped into 2-inch pieces
Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and slowly simmer for up to 1 hour. The syrup should thicken and reduce somewhat. Strain off the gingerroot and allow the syrup to cool. To store, pour the syrup into bottles or a Mason jar, and seal tightly. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
You can add the syrup to sparkling spring water or club soda, or put a little bit in your tea (it’s especially good with green or white teas). Adjust to taste – a little goes a long way!
