Golden Turmeric tea
Golden turmeric tea.

I love following food/health trends. I get a huge kick out of how things come into vogue, and then fall out of vogue. I’ve enjoyed the whole coconut oil and kale trend of the last 5 years (or maybe its been 10. Seems like forever.) I even sometimes poke fun at the million and one things you can do with coconut oil, including remineralize your teeth (um, yeah, not getting on that band wagon, but if it works for you, more power to you).

One of the latest trends is all things turmeric. You can google this spice and read all about its amazing abilities, some of which are actually backed up by real science (anti-inflammatory,  Alzheimer reduction). Used in Indian cuisine, and as part of the ancient practice of Ayurvedic Medicine, its a fairly uncommon spice in the American kitchen, except as part of that 17 year old bottle of curry powder in the back of your cupboard.

But because of its rising popularity, this cousin to ginger is often now available fresh at your local grocery store. Evidently the whole “golden milk latte” trend was started by Gwyneth Paltro on her website Goop (which was almost enough to make me never try it – because Goop is what you get when you have way too much money and way not enough science between your ears).

But I kept seeing the fresh turmeric roots at the grocery store. And with the increasing aches and pains of age and its reputation for being anti-inflammatory, I finally decided to give golden milk a try. My biggest worry, soon put to rest, was that it would taste like liquid curry. It does not.

Recipes vary. A lot. But the three things most have in common are turmeric (fresh or powdered), ginger (fresh or powdered) and black pepper. You’ll often see cinnamon, cardamon, star anise and clove included. I based my recipe off of one from Epicurious. Because yes, even they have gotten on the band wagon. And of course, coconut milk. Because for the love of all things holy, we need more coconut milk. Wink.

You can just throw all of these powdered spices into a hot milk of your choice (cow, nut or otherwise), stir and drink. In fact, you can buy premade mixes that do the combining for you. But the spices don’t tend to stay suspended in the milk, and like hot cocoa, if you don’t keep swirling your mug between sips,  you have a really gritty mouthful at the end. Other recipes have you simmer the whole spices in milk. But who has time to do that on a daily basis? And the milk tends to separate during the long simmering.

So I take the same approach I do with my chai concentrate, and make a turmeric/spice concentrate with water, strain and store in the refrigerator, and then mix it half and half with my milk of choice when I want a mug. The concentrate will store in the fridge for at least 3 or 4 days.

Miles Away Farm Golden Milk Concentrate

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

An anti-inflammatory turmeric tea worth sipping.

  • 2 small fresh turmeric roots, skin on, sliced thin (it has a lovely spicy earthy grassy smell)
  • 2 inches of fresh ginger root, skin on, sliced thin
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 4 cups water

Bring mixture to a low simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Short on time? Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let it seep on the stove until its at room temperature.

Strain and store in the refrigerator.

To make a mug of “golden milk”, use equal measurements of milk of your choice (honestly, I like regular old cows milk) and spice concentrate and heat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until hot. Stir in a spoonful of canned coconut milk (I just can’t do actual coconut oil here – its just an oil slick on the surface) and sweetener of choice if desired. I prefer honey.

Note: Turmeric STAINS. Which you know if you’ve ever made curry and stirred it with a wooden or rubber spoon. It’s actually used as a natural colorant in soaps. So, be careful not to spill and assume your cutting board will look a little weird after slicing fresh turmeric.

© Miles Away Farm 2018, where we’re miles away from jumping on every band wagon, but think this one might just be worth doing. Turmeric milk is evidently an Indian mother’s equivalent of a Jewish mother’s chicken soup for curing what ails you. And who am I to question mothers! AND, after 9 years, I’m finally able to embed recipes for easy printing. Now to go back and do that to all the ones I’ve written. Ugh.

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