Digestive Ginger Pickle

In Ayurveda, digestion is the key to health. This applies to emotions (don't just swallow them down); intellect (what are you feeding our mind); and perhaps most tangibly, your body.

A strong and healthy digestive fire--in Ayurveda we call this agni--will make sure you are metabolizing efficiently, absorbing what you need, and eliminating what you don't.

This recipe is for when you need a little help-- when your gut feels a little sluggish or you feel generally weighed down.

If you have naturally slow digestion, that could be daily, especially in the winter months. I will chew on a piece about 15-minutes before my biggest meal of the day, which is lunch. It turns on my salivary glands, wakes up my stomach and just makes the flavors of the meal more vibrant. In turn, this helps me eat my food more mindfully.

For those who run a little hotter--say you are prone to heartburn or if you have a strong appetite--you don't need much help in the fire department, so use sparingly if at all.

The bones of the recipe is just ginger, salt and citrus. I prefer lime because I think it adds a sweeter dimension, but lemon is a-ok too. I add the turmeric & pepper combo because of the anti-inflammatory qualities, and the honey can use to temper the sour astringent taste.

Ingredients:

• one knob ginger-- basically as much as you like, since I eat this so frequently, I find 2 inches is a week's worth.

• pinch Himalayan sea salt, or any other salt you consider high quality

• lime or lemon

• optional: pinch of turmeric

• optional: pinch of black pepper

• optional: honey to taste

Directions:

• peal ginger. I use a knife. I've seen the back of a spoon or a peeler suggested, but I personally have found those options tedious.

• cut ginger into slivers or rounds at the most a 1/2-inch thick

• put in jar and add juice of the lemon or lime until it is covered

• add the salt, other spices, and honey

• shake to combine

• keep in fridge

• it's ready to eat in about an hour