The other day I was eating out with a new friend of mine.  The toast that came with my omelet had a side of the loveliest ginger jam I’d ever tasted.  It had that wonderful ginger spice but was also smooth and sweet.  It made me think back to my days of guzzling Diet Ginger Ale and how awesome having some of this ginger jam would have been!

Ginger jam seems like another great way to add a bit of ginger into your diet.  A great natural trick for helping a queasy stomach, that ginger spice is found in so many things from drinks to cookies.  Before trying this ginger jam, I’d never had ginger this way.  Recently, Lacuna Loft added ginger to ice cream (it was delicious!) and everyone has had a ginger snap or two in their day.  But ginger jam?  Delectable!

Searching around I found two different recipes…one from Livestrong and another from All Recipes.  I think this is definitely something I’ll have to try this fall.

Have you tasted ginger jam before?  Ever made some ginger jam at home?  What are your favorite ginger treats?  We’d love to know what recipes you love!

We have been so excited to share this strawberry ice cream recipe!  We offered a sneak peek a few weeks ago on Instagram and today we are pumped to tell you how we made it!  The best part of this ice cream recipe? The ginger!  Eat something sweet and sooth a queasy tummy at the same time!

Here’s what you will need:

[list type=”like”]
[list_item]1 cup sugar[/list_item]
[list_item]4 cups strawberries[/list_item]
[list_item]1 1/2 cups milk[/list_item]
[list_item]3 1/4 cup half-n-half[/list_item]
[list_item]a handful of chopped ginger[/list_item]
[list_item]1/4 cup basil[/list_item]
[list_item]1/4 cup lemon balm[/list_item]
[/list]

Start by rinsing the strawberries and slicing the tops off.

Peel a hunk of ginger (you can do this with a spoon!) and slice a handful.  (I did not use the entire hunk of ginger in the below picture!)

Chop some lemon balm and basil.  We took ours straight from Lacuna Loft’s garden!

Pour the cream and milk into a sauce pan.  Add the ginger, lemon balm, and the basil.  When the creamy liquid is warm, add the sugar, and stir until the sugar is fully incorporated and the liquid slightly thicker.

Remove from heat.  Blend the herb-y cream-y, sweet liquid along with the strawberries.  Cool for 4 hours (or overnight).

Pour into your ice cream maker and voila!

As you can see from the above picture, there are small pieces of herbs and ginger in the creamy ice cream.  If you’d like to remove the herbs after you heat the liquid in the sauce pan, and before you blend everything together, that’s fine!

What do you think?  Let us know if you try the recipe!

Several years ago I was put on a months-long course of an antibiotic known to be especially hard on the stomach.  Within a few days nausea became my constant and very unwelcome companion.  The prospect of months of queasiness was completely unappealing but looked pretty inevitable until a good friend bought me a giant box of ginger candies (thanks again, Rachel!).  Some studies have shown that ginger reduces nausea (see here or here for literature reviews), and it definitely works for me.

My course of antibiotics is long over, but my migraines are often accompanied by nausea, so ginger still helps.  My go-to sources are ginger tea and ginger candy, but I also cook with fresh or powdered ginger, drink ginger ale, and am open to pretty much anything else made with real ginger.

Some of my favorite gingery treats (I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning these brands or products; I just like them):

• Gin Gins candies (I keep some of these with me all the time)
• Triple Leaf Ginger tea (I usually add honey to mine)
• Newman’s Own Organics Ginger Mints
• Reed’s Ginger Chews
• Blenheim Ginger Ale (be careful; the hot variety is very hot indeed!)

If you have any other gingery product suggestions, or other anti-nausea recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments for me and for other readers!

Please remember that this post is the opinion of the author and should not replace actual medical advice or attention.

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