# Ginger Dill and Fennel



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Most people of my my generaion(baby boomer), have heard that ginger ale is good for an upset stomach. Well its the ginger that will help the stomach problems but, now a day, most store bought ginger ale has a big fat %0.0 of ginger, making it fairly useless for this purpose. 

Ginger, preferaly fresh but dried powder works also, will generally work better than pepto bismol for me and is much cheaper. It can be sliced and made into a tea or my favorite way of taking it, home made ginger ale(properly bottled, will last a long time). Ginger can be grown in the warmer climates or in a green house further north. In a SHTF scenario, Pepto may not be available.

Dill and fennel are common plants that work very well for stomach issues, also. They can be brewed into teas seperately or together. For me, they dont work as well as ginger but are more easily grown in home gardens. When I was a kid, my grandmother would sometimes give me a dill pickle when I had an upset stomach, in addition to helping calm the stomach, it was a nice treat.

Anyone interested in making home made ginger ale? Let me know and I will post the direcions.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

I would like the receipt.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I'd love the recipe, too. 

I remember being given ginger ale when I was a child for upset stomach. I tried doing that in turn for my children, but it didn't have the same effect. I wonder when it was that ginger ale lost its ginger?

For the recipe, would I be able to use the powdered ginger that you can buy in the spice isle at the grocery store?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Yes, powdered ginger will work. It seems to be a little more harsh in the flavor department but it also works.

The recipe that I use for the home made ginger ale is pretty informal, but here it is,

To 4 gallons water add 8-10 ounces of grated fresh ginger.

If you are using powdered ginger you will have to taste test for the right amount. 

Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup lemon juice.

Be careful with the lemon juice, to much and the yeast will die.

Add enough sugar to just taste sweet, about 1/2 cup.


Add about 1 rounded tablespoon bakers yeast to the mixture and mix thoroughly, ensuring that the yeast and sugar are completely dissolved. Keep in mind that the more sugar you add, the higher the alcahol content will be.

Bottle the brew in soda bottles, beer bottles or any other container that will stand the pressure of the fermented ginger ale. If too much sugar is added while mixing it up, it may be advisable to store the bottles outside until it has had enough time to ferment. Only enough sugar is needed for carbonation, you are not trying to make an alcaholic beverage. It is also advisable to refrigerate the bottles before opening - then open them over the sink.

After you have made several batches you will get the hang of how much sugar to use for the perfect amount of bubbles.


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