wolfie and the sneak

It is in the mid-50s outside and all I want to do is nod off for a bit, wake up and be lazy, sip Double Ginger Tea (recommended for upset stomachs, I recommend it for afternoon pick-me-ups, and easing the icks of feeling sick), and eat soup.

I'm still looking for a recipe for a good Portuguese Vegetable Soup, if anyone out there in blogland has one.

Today I got collard greens soup from Berrybrook Farms, the best natural foods store in Charlotte. (And also where I took my organic hierloom tomato seedlings when I realized I couldn't be a good mother to 70-something odd tomato plants.) It was good enough to wax poetic over, but I won't subject you to that, so back to the tea.

I got hooked on ginger tea about 8 years ago when I interned in a gallery. The gallery was connected to a restaurant where I befriended the chef, one of the most serene people I've ever met, Michael Tomlin. He would make me ginger tea to try and wean my caffeinated brain off coffee. The weaning wasn't successful, but I did adopt a new liquid love. The tea is simply grated ginger (about a tablespoon is adequate) and hot water. He dressed it up with lemon juice. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, don't mess up a good tea with sugar cane madness, sweeten it with honey or Steve. A bit of lemon juice to flavor, and your ginger tea is ready: warm, spicy, and flavorfully simple. There are lots of ways to steep your ginger, but I use a Bodum infuser. You can use a French Press just as easily, or unbleached muslin bags. There are plenty of infusion options.

To get back on target, Bija has the best ginger tea I've tried, with a hint of peppermint to make it just sweet enough. I am inspired enough by the flavor of ginger to make sweet potato gnocci with a ginger tea and apple cider reduction sauce tonight. I'm thinking that and I'll pull out some collards I made and froze a couple weeks ago, get the mister to whip up a fire while I play chef, and fall will be officially kicked into gear.