A Cure for The Cold

Who else has this absolute doozy of an autumn cold? I’ve spent the past week with a runny nose feeling like I got hit by a bus. I’ve singlehandedly knocked back half a bottle of elderberry syrup, a sleeve of NyQuil, and nearly a whole box of Sleepy Time Immune Boost tea. On day 8, I’m at a solid 80% save for a sinus headache that has prevailed for 48 hours. HOORAY!

This cold got me back in the swing of caring for my body in the very specific way I do in cold, damp, New England-y (or Western NY) weather. The warm sunny summer helps me temporarily forget that I don’t just walk into autumn and winter with a strong immune system and an internal fireplace. What a life that would be!

Instead, I’ve got yearly routines. Swap the summer clothes for the winter sweaters and thick socks (done). Move the fleece blanket into the bedroom (done). Take out the AC units (decidedly not done. Help! They’re so heavy!).

Some of my bonus items include baking sourdough to stock in the freezer. Prepping sourdough pizza crusts for pizza night. Thanking the farm gods for the seven pounds of tomatoes I got to turn into sauce earlier in October. We’ll be eatin’ good the next few months!

So back to the cold… *sniffle sniffle*. When I was living in Denmark, I was introduced to the daily ginger shot. I stopped at Next Door Cafe every morning on my way to class for three ounces of straight blended ginger and lemon. I didnt get sick for months. Ever since, I’ve been a do or die ginger shot girl. They keep my gut happy, my body warm, and sickness OUT!

Why I never, after all this time, considered just making them myself? I’ll never know. I need a juicer, right? WRONG! I need lots of fancy ingredients, right? WRONG! I’ve been walking into Trader Joes and buying cases of these bad boys like I not only never once made them with my host family in Denmark (I did) but as if my own mother doesn’t have a recipe for them in her cookbooks (she does). This is a new level of formerly untapped ridiculousness on my part. I set to the grocery store with two items on my list.

Ginger root. Lemons. I spent my Friday making 72 ginger shots.

Okay, okay, let me explain. I have recently acquired little silicone molds in the shape of pumpkins (specifically for the purpose of making allergy friendly Reese’s Pumpkins). I had enough ginger shot liquid to make 72 little gingery pumpkins. I filled and promptly froze them, and later dumped them all into a ziplock for easy melting and drinking later. Friends, I fully believe you could make these in any malleable freezer-proof receptacle (NOT in hard plastic/metal/etc… though, as they are sticky and won’t come out). But the little pumpkins? They are SO cute. Not necessary for physical health, but maybe helpful for mental health.

SO. May I recommend making ginger shots part of your autumn turnover, my cold weather friends. I’ll put my *recipe* (if you can even call it that) below. Make to scale for yourself. I know not everyone wants 72 ginger shots hanging out in their freezer. Drink them, enjoy the burn, and avoid the awful cold I have. Perhaps pair them with some apple cinnamon oatmeal, as pictured above? I promise they’ll help.

Cold-Throttling Ginger Shots

• 2lbs ginger root, thoroughly scrubbed down (or peeled if you have the time/energy)
• 4lbs lemons, skin and pith removed (I cut off the top and bottom and sliced around the fruit like I was cool and making a fancy drink garnish. Spoiler alert, I was not cool, nor was I making a fancy drink garnish.)

Prep a large bowl by laying out a large tea towel/cheese cloth/kitchen towel to line it. In batches, blend your ginger and lemons until smooth. I used my Nutribullet. Add your liquid to the towel-lined bowl as you go.

Once everything is blended and added to the bowl, collect your towel ends and pretend you’re a brawny but beautiful milk maiden making cheese in the French Alps. Squeeze out all of the juice from your mixture. This might take a few minutes, and don’t forget to squeeze the pulp around to make sure you get everything. You should be left, in lieu of the beginnings of French chèvre, with about four cups of juice.

Select your receptacle! In my opinion, the weirder the candy/ice mold the better. As you know, I selected pumpkins. I have mustaches back in my childhood home that I will be picking up post haste for my next batch.

Pour your mixture into your receptacles, stirring every few moments. Without stirring, your ginger and lemon will separate and you’ll risk ending up with mostly-just-lemon shots and then mostly-just-ginger shots later. Carefully place your shots in the freezer for about 6-8 hours. Once fully frozen, optionally pop out into a ziplock, pyrex, or other freezer-proof container.

Grab a ginger shot when you want one, pop in the microwave (or let it melt in a glass on the counter… I don’t own a microwave) and take it straight, add to tea, mix with OJ. Enjoy!