Happy Halloween! Great day for a hot tea

Warm Wicked Witch Tea… just for you!

A perfect beverage for your Halloween holiday:  WWW tea… made BY you… FOR you!  A few simple, natural ingredients plus boiling water and you can experience this hot and spicy treat, which may offer health benefits as well. 

This concoction utilizes both GINGER powder (genus: Zingiber) as well as CAYENNE (genus: Capsicum) pepper.  Although I learned of ginger tea from an herbal publication, I’ve altered to make it more palatable. I think my tea would make a witch proud!

Warm Wicked Witch Tea

ONE quart boiling water (bring to a boil; turn down to simmer; then add ginger and cayenne)

TWO teaspoons ground GINGER powder

1/8 teaspoon ground CAYENNE pepper

Simmer five minutes and turn off heat; then add 1/3 cup HONEY plus juice from ONE LEMON.

OPTIONAL: If you prefer an ORANGE appearance for this witch’s brew, add TWO drops red food coloring plus TEN drops yellow food coloring.     

NOTE:  If you have candied bits of ginger on hand, I like to add a few to each mug for extra sweetness.    YIELD:  4 – 5 servings

Possible health benefits:  Cayenne can assist with chest congestion and reduce inflammation.  Ginger also has anti-inflammatory qualities. This tea can have stimulant properties and encourage healing.  Brew a quart of WWW tea… it will warm you up—right down to your toes—at Halloween time or during the cold weather months ahead.  Serve warm and enjoy!

M. Lynn Schmid,   Certified Master Gardener
 A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture