Orange Ginger & Turmeric Winter Tonic

I love that I can still be harvesting fruit in winter with citrus at its peak providing a great hit of vitamin C when we need it most. The orange and yellow fruit help brighten up the garden too. I have grown ginger in a half barrel for a few years now but this was the first year that I also grew turmeric in a pot and was looking for ways to use it. This Orange Ginger & Turmeric Winter Tonic is a great way to enjoy the health benefits of all these ingredients.

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
6cm piece fresh ginger root
4cm piece fresh turmeric root (or use 1 tsp ground turmeric)
1 tbsp Manuka honey
pinch of salt

Put orange and lemon juice into a jug. Finely grate the ginger and turmeric and put into a small sieve. Put the sieve over the jug of juice and use a spoon to press out the liquid. (You may want to squeeze it with your hands to get out all the juice but make sure you wear gloves). It is a bit hard to know how much you need because it could be 6cm of skinny piece of ginger or turmeric, or 6cm of a fat piece. But it doesn’t matter too much – you need about 1-2 tbsp of juice. You could use a juicer if you wanted.

Add the honey and salt to the juice and stir well to combine. Strain through a sieve into a glass bottle (I was happy to have the lumpy bits).

Store in the fridge and drink a 30-40ml shot of the tonic daily.