cooking with turmeric

While I love a good curry, Indian, Thai, etc. and turmeric is often in curry powder, I'm trying to find additional ways to add it into Paul's diet for his cervical radiculopathy.

Besides curries, I've added turmeric to stir-fried veggies (with black pepper because I hear that activates it), to non-curry soups and stews, and to a cinnamon-herbal tea, and I've made golden milk*.

I've mostly used the dried, powdered turmeric, though am open to getting the fresh root as well. (I think I still have yellow stains on my cutting board from the last time I had the fresh root!)


(pic from http://www.davidwolfe.com/turmeric-golden-milk-before-bed/)

I'm getting a bit tired of turmeric, to be honest, so now I need some new inspiration. I'll start with what I used that I think cured my burgeoning carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrist!

*There are a gazillion golden milk or golden tea recipes on the web these days - it's a bit of a fad, I guess. Though this is how I've made it.

Jocelyn's Hot Toddy (aka Golden Milk)

1 can full fat, organic coconut milk (some folks prefer raw whole milk or raw cream)
1-2 teaspoons tumeric powder
butter, optional
sweetener of choice - I use organic butterscotch stevia (affiliate link, though the price and description do not match at this time--WTH!)

Whisk the turmeric into the coconut milk and heat gently for a while. I don't know how long, all I know is that I read somewhere that tumeric's bitterness will be reduced when heated.
Remove from heat.
Stir in a pat or two of butter if craving ultra fatty-creaminess.
Stir in desired sweetener.

I made it my "hot toddy" way for Paul and he didn't like it. So, I added pumpkin pie spices, left out the butter, added more stevia for him, and then he loved it! I suppose with the pumpkin pie spices I could more easily hide some black pepper in there.

Other "golden milk" recipes include the black pepper, and ginger, and are sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Who would drink this with rum?

Now it's your turn. I would love to hear how permies like to use turmeric!

Edited to spell turmeric correctly in this first post *and* the subject line!! There are two R's in the word, not one. Uff. And it's pronounced "TOUR-mer-ick" friends, not "Too-mer-ick."

I know y'all don't eat much in the grain department...

I made great cornbread this weekend with so much turmeric in it. Looks nice and yellow.

Tonight I made some apple turnovers and instead of sprinkling cinnamon sugar on then I sprinkled turmeric sugar. I would have put both turmeric and cinnamon in but I'm out of cinnamon.

Any smoothie, too! I like it in a smoothie with frozen cherries (also anti inflammatory!) and almond butter.

Matu Collins wrote:
Any smoothie, too! I like it in a smoothie with frozen cherries (also anti inflammatory!) and almond butter.

Oh, I forgot about putting it in a smoothie! We're trying to keep Paul ultra-low starch, no sugar, which means very little fruit, and all grains are out right now. I'm struggling a bit on how to create a smoothie he'd actually drink that fits that criteria. I made him a pineapple, tumeric, black pepper smoothie and it was a little too strongly flavored for him. He didn't drink much of it. The cherries and almond butter might work, especially if I leave out the black pepper (though that is supposed to increase the body's absorption of tumeric by something like 2000%!).

Turmeric, black pepper, and pineapple would be awesome for you, but probably a very weird sweet/savory blend.

To be honest, I take it in pills to make sure I get some every day. I also use it as toothpaste, a good way for me to get it into the kids.

Does Paul like chai tea?

Turmeric, almond milk (i use coconut), chai tea, and pumpkin pie spice.

http://www.loseweightbyeating.com/turmeric-chai-tea-pumpkin-pie-spice/

I eat about a tablespoon of turmeric powder per day. I prefer it cooked in oil. So if I'm frying something, I'll add the oil and turmeric to a pan, and heat it till the turmeric just starts to bubble, then add the rest of the ingredients. If I'm making a soup, I make sure to add a source of oil.

I also make turmeric infusions. A tablespoon of turmeric and other spices like garlic, cumin, and paprika into a pint of boiling water. I don't prefer it that way, but it's a choice I make on some mornings if I'm not expecting to cook with turmeric during the day.

Turmeric and ginger are closely related, so sometimes I mix up the menu with a bit of ginger in place of turmeric.

Ive been putting the fresh, whole roots into the juicer with greens and fruit, I cant believe it isnt more common.... Its delicious.

edit: Oh, and instead of tainting every turmeric endeavor with pepper, I often just eat the pepper separately, and if I pack pills of turmeric Ill add pepper. I want to enjoy aforementioned juice, dammit.

Maybe a drop of almond extract would tame the flavor of a little grind of pepper

double boiler seed bread
It started out as cooked cereal but over time it has evolved into a steamed bread.
Double boiler cooking means set it and forget it. the longer it cooks the more bread like it becomes.
equipment: coffee mill to grind the seeds, sauce pot with bowl that fits inside with out falling through the opening [double boiler]
Procedure: Put water in pan to the height where you will be able to pour of some but the water will just touch the bottom of the bowl when it is simmering.
Grinding method: The dry seeds tend to make a cloud of dust when you open the mill and oily seeds make a sticky mess in the bottom so I have developed a pattern of combining a small amount of oily seed with a larger amount of dry seed.
Possible ingredients: millet/sesame seeds, quinoa/chia seeds, lentil or split pea/sunflower seeds/turmeric, golden flax/dried squash or pumpkin/pie spice {I am drying a lot of pumpkin right now but fresh or cooked could be incorporated somehow} Golden flax and scotch oats also grind well together. Add Himalayan salt to one of the grinds to your taste. No set rules it is all to your preferred taste and texture.
Add each grind to the dry bowl as you go then add thins like bits of crystallized ginger, raisins or other dried fruit, chocolate.chips.
Thoroughly moisten the mixture with cold water to prevent clumping then add hot water from the pot and stir thoroughly. Set the bowl over the hot water and leave it on a low simmer until all uncooked flavor is gone from the center. May be stirred again during cooking to bring the center to the outside. It can be eaten with a spoon if porridge like. I often just put it on and go outside to work for several hours and it is like bread when I return.

This has become a staple for me in the last 7 years. As I have gradually learned to incorporate the turmeric and ginger It seems to have improved the endurance of my joints.

My Smoothies are made with apple/blackberry pulp that I have removed the seeds from after they have been steamed to remove the juice so lower in fructose and higher in fiber. Home made raw milk yogurt, avocado and nuts. That combination for breakfast is supposed to keep your body in fat burning mode after you have not eaten for 12 hours. While I am in that fat burning mode I can often work hard for 4 hours without feeling tiered.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to grow my own turmeric, so I use it often in meals, though not daily. When I have fresh turmeric, I will wash it well then grind it up, then store it by freezing it. By freezing it in flat sheets between wax paper, then inside a freezer ziplock bag, I can easily break off pieces for my recipes.

My most common way of using turmeric is in scrambled eggs. That way both oil and black pepper are used. I'll heat coconut oil, then add the turmeric and stir it around for 30 seconds, then finely sliced onion and cook for about another 30 seconds. Then add eggs that I've whisked with a little milk. I'll cook it slowly until the eggs are set and done. Season the top with pepper and minced parsley, and serve. If you like your onions cooked more, then do that before you add the eggs.

I pretty much put turmeric in anything that calls for ginger. Such as pumpkin custard/pie, or a "chai" tea, or in stir fry, or in egg drop soup. We also sprinkle it on eggs and steak. It also works well with more "Moroccan" seasonings, such as garlic, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, and black pepper (I put Moroccan in quotes because I don't really know if they are traditional seasonings or not. They were just in a Moroccan lamb stew I once made...). These seasoning are yummy on lamb as well as steak and ground beef (all of which can cook up pretty quickly in a pan--I just sprinkle the seasonings on top of the steak or into the ground meat. They also work nicely in meat stews).


Here's my egg drop soup and pumpkin recipes, though most of the measurements are approximations.


Egg Drop Soup
Serves 1

Ingredients:
 1+ duck egg (or about 2 chicken eggs)
 2 cups of chicken or bone broth
 1/2 tsp fresh Ginger, grated
 1/2 of a small onion, diced
 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
 2 tbsp butter or Duck tallow (or other yummy fat)
 Salt & pepper to taste (At least ½ tsp of salt)
 1/4 tsp turmeric
 Pinch of thyme (if using bone broth)

Procedure:
Heat the butter &/or duck tallow in the pot on medium. Add in the onions, garlic and ginger and cook until the onions become translucent. Add pepper, salt, broth and turmeric (and optional thyme). Turn temperature to medium-high. While the soup heats up, whisk the duck egg lightly with the turmeric. Once the soup is at a gentle boil, stir the soup while slowly drizzling in the egg. This is easier with two people, but can be done with only one. Make sure the soup does not turn into a rapid boil because the egg overcooks. Once the egg is entirely added to the soup, your soup is done. Pour into a cup or bowl and devour!

Pumpkin Custard/Pie
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
 One 15-ounce can of pumpkin
 1 cup organic heavy cream
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey, or coconut sugar, or no sugar)
 3 eggs, whisked

Procedure:
Whisk your eggs and mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a buttered pie pan (or smaller ramkins or pyrex dishes--these bake faster). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or until golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you want it more custard like, place the dishes inside a larger pan that holds water. A towel at the bottom of the pan helps hold them in place, then bake in the oven.


As for the chai tea, I usually use red tea (since I try to avoid caffeine), with a mixture of cinnamon, tumeric and ginger and sometimes add fennel, nutmeg, black pepper, &/or cloves. I like mine with lots of honey, though it tastes good without, too.

Ian Rule wrote:Ive been putting the fresh, whole roots into the juicer with greens and fruit, I cant believe it isnt more common.... Its delicious.

edit: Oh, and instead of tainting every turmeric endeavor with pepper, I often just eat the pepper separately, and if I pack pills of turmeric Ill add pepper. I want to enjoy aforementioned juice, dammit.

I agree with Ian, we get fresh turmeric every day because we've got a habit of just tossing a finger's worth of fresh root in the juicer with every day's juice. I can't help but think that the fresh root has got to do more good for your body in one way or another than the powder.

Yellow Kitchen Syndrome can be a problem. I use this trick that works to keep my juicer from turning yellow. Maybe you can adapt this to your other uses of fresh turmeric:
--First I juice something else juicy to prime the pump so something is actually coming out of the juicer (this is to avoid missing out on any of my precious drops of turmeric juice)
--Then I juice the turmeric
--Next I concentrate on stuff that will clean the turmeric off, so:
--Some ginger root (more each day, your tolerance for the "spiciness" increases, it's also antiinflammatory among other virtues)
--Half a lemon, or a whole lemon (also helps keep the juice from oxidizing till you drink it)
--Continue with your normal juicing. Loads more stuff goes through, all continuing to wash away any remaining turmeric mess.

This will keep the inside of your juicer from going permanently yellow, though your juice, if you spill it on the counter or elsewhere, is another story. But maybe a wipe-up followed by a dousing with lemon juice would do the trick. Speed is important, don't leave a turmeric spill laying around.

If the juice gets too spicy tasting, add some watery things that make it taste better:
--Cucumber
--Celery
--Stevia (not watery but helps makes unpalatable juices palatable sometimes)
--Apples
--Beets
The last two, of course, being highish in fructose, so if you're watching that, don't go overboard.

As Ian said, do your pepper separately with something that wants pepper in it, and some fat. So maybe a batch of Su's scrambled eggs with even more turmeric. If you do a smoothie instead of juice, a good blob of coconut oil, not even melted if you don't want, can go straight in the blender, as can a few peppercorns if you don't overdo it, and no one will be the wiser.

You can put a helluva lot of healthy stuff that frankly tastes awful into juices and smoothies and it goes down real easy. Kale is like that for me. When I taste it on its own, I think, "Life is too short for this." But I have a decent amount of it every day in juice, and if you put enough other tasty stuff with it, it's fine. Anyway, it's important not to overdo the proportion of unpalatable stuff. Get your main healthy stuff in, however much you need, and then concentrate on adding enough good-tasting-yet-still-healthy-or-at-least-neutral stuff as you need to take the bite out and turn it into something you will actually be happy to drink.

I am working on a turmeric bug right now, with the idea to make turmeric soda. If it turns out I will let you know and what I did.

It may be a footnote, but Id like to underline the importance Dave put on 'priming the juicer'. I made apple/turmeric/ginger juice and it was the bees knees, but I made a grave mistake - turmeric LAST.
A fistful of root went in - a thimble dribbled out, with nothing fleshy to follow.

However - properly prioritized, this drink is... prized, personally.

Makes me wonder about turmeric tainted ~hard cider...

Ian Rule wrote:It may be a footnote, but Id like to underline the importance Dave put on 'priming the juicer'. I made apple/turmeric/ginger juice and it was the bees knees, but I made a grave mistake - turmeric LAST.
A fistful of root went in - a thimble dribbled out, with nothing fleshy to follow.

Yeah, I feel your pain... I made the equally bad mistake of doing turmeric first the other day, without thinking. There are two problems with that.

First is that the inside of the juicer is dry and not juicy, so the turmeric goes straight & undiluted onto the surfaces it touches, so it can stain them much more easily.

Second, at least in my juicer, the first "pulp" that comes out the pulp chute is actually juice. If it's your expensive and not-juicy-at-all turmeric root, those 10 drops that dribble first out the pulp chute may be half of your daily take. So I was scrambling to pour precious drops of stainy-yellow pure turmeric juice from the pulp catcher into the juice catcher before more pulp came out to sop up all the precious turmeric juice.

Live and learn

We also grow turmeric. It's used every day via infused avocado oil. It's minced and put in a gallon size glass jar (about 1/5 of the jar is turmeric) which is filled with the oil. We flavor rice, cook eggs, using for salad dressing etc. It's light so the flavor of whatever you're cooking has the delicate flavor. If I want it more intense, I simply pull from the bottom of the jar. When the jar get 1/2 empty I simply refill with the oil and let it steep for a few days.

Custard pie. I haven't done it, but it should be able to hide tumeric.

I have hidden it in fruity yogurt. Strongly flavored gravy is another carrier.

My joints sometimes take a pounding at work. I try to eat tumeric every day, during demolition projects.

Marianne Cicala wrote:We also grow turmeric. It's used every day via infused avocado oil. It's minced and put in a gallon size glass jar (about 1/5 of the jar is turmeric) which is filled with the oil. We flavor rice, cook eggs, using for salad dressing etc. It's light so the flavor of whatever you're cooking has the delicate flavor. If I want it more intense, I simply pull from the bottom of the jar. When the jar get 1/2 empty I simply refill with the oil and let it steep for a few days.

If you use any Hungarian recipes which have a lot of paprika in them, you can add in a lot of turmeric as well.

We just had some turmeric today where we had a stir fry and the spices tossed on it were tumeric, cumin, paprika and a touch of cinnamon. Stir fried in olive oil instead of peanut or toasted sesame oil. It came out a tasty but more of a Spanish or Mediterranean sort of flavor than the usual Asian. Possibly because we skipped the sesame oil and oyster sauce.

I put a little bit of turmeric and black pepper in soups and on potatoes. I love a lot of black pepper and turmeric on any kind of eggs. My favorite is to spritz organic EV olive oil on popcorn and a ho lot of turmeric and black pepper on the popcorn.. I eat popcorn this way almost daily. I sometimes add turmeric to green tea, but don't think I"d like black pepper in the tea- A drop or two of honey might be OK>

I have scrambled eggs every morning and I have started adding 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric and black pepper to that and also a little cayenne pepper . This way I know I am getting turmeric into my diet every day. We also make up turmeric paste and keep it in the fridge. We add this stir fries and soups/stews and we also give it to our dogs in their food.

Paul

Here are some recipes I want to try.  

Ethiopian Cabbage Dish - tikil gomen

1/2 cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.



Moroccan Stew

   Spice Mixture:
   1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   1 teaspoon ground cumin
   1 teaspoon kosher salt
   1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
   1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
   1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
   1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
   1/8 teaspoon curry powder

   Stew Vegetables:
   1 tablespoon butter
   1 sweet onion, chopped
   2 cups finely shredded kale
   4 (14 ounce) cans organic vegetable broth
   1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
   1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
   3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
   2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
   4 large carrots, chopped
   1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
   1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
   1 tablespoon honey
    1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
   1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
   1 tablespoon water (optional)
      Combine cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder in a large bowl.
   Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in kale and spice mixture; cook until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
   Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, apricots, and honey, into the broth; bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender, about 30 minutes. Season stew with black pepper.
   Dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into stew and simmer thickened, about 5 minutes.

   Make Ahead Tip:
   If making ahead or freezing, prepare stew through Step 3. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat; remove from heat and cool in the pot or in freezer-safe container. Transfer to the fridge (store for up to 3 days) or freezer. The vegetables store better if not fully-cooked prior to refrigeration or freezing. When ready to eat, (if frozen) thaw in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours, then pour stew into a pot, bring just to a boil, and simmer until heated through.


Keema Aloo (Ground Beef and Potatoes)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 extra-large Spanish onion, chopped
2 tablespoons water (optional)
2 pounds lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
1 serrano chile pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen green peas

   Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot oil until soft and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. If browned bits of onion are stuck to the bottom of the pan, stir water into onion and stir to loosen the browned bits.
   Mix ground beef, garlic, ginger, serrano chile, and cilantro into pan; cook and stir until beef is browned and crumbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir coriander, salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, and turmeric into the beef; cook and stir until flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and potatoes, cover pot, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
   Mix green peas into dish and cook until sauce has slightly thickened and flavors have blended, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle garam masala [see recipe] over the dish, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Garam Masala

   1 tablespoon ground cumin
   1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
   1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
   1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
   1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
   1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.

To pile on what others have mostly covered-

I throw it in most cooking oil, unless it's something cooking really hot or really long.

Pretty good with eggs in the morning, and I make my partner tofu 'eggs' and use turmeric as well.

Melt turmeric, salt and garlic powder in butter/oil, drizzle on popcorn.

It's not half bad in a red/pasta sauce.

Sometimes in herbal tea blends I'll throw some in the teabag.

I make a downright foul potion when under the weather that's cayenne, turmeric, black pepper, crushed garlic, little bit of jalapeno juice and a little bit of lemon juice. Sometimes throw in a little whiskey. I have an iron stomach so it works for me, and as long as you can keep it down, it kicks the tar out of most bugs I've ever caught.

Hot ginger-lemon-honey-turmeric drink
My sister fights off colds by making a big thermos full of this brew and sipping it all day and night.
-- A couple of whole lemons in chunks
-- Fat slices of ginger and turmeric
-- Boil in a big pot of water.
-- Add honey to taste
-- Pour some hot liquid into the thermos and leave the rest soaking in the pot so to dilute and extend later

Some neat ideas in this thread!

My favorite ways to eat turmeric, one with powdered dry turmeric, one with fresh root. The curcumin in chile makes the turmeric anti-inflammatory process work best, so I tend to use red chile with it. Any chile or pepper works.
Warning, I don't measure anything when I cook, my amounts are very approximate.

Hot Miso
In a mug put a scoop of miso to taste (depending on the size of your cup, start with about a teaspoon and figure out how much you like) add about 1 tsp ground turmeric powder, a dash of cayenne or red chile powder (1/4 tsp maybe?) about 1 heaping tsp chia seeds. Pour about 1/4 cup of boiling water in it, mix it up well so the miso dissolves, then fill the cup with boiling water. I often add a slosh of coconut milk or a lump of butter or coconut oil to it.
I have been fermenting my own miso using non-soy beans, and I did one batch that has the turmeric and chile fermented in (I used powders to keep it all lump free so there wasn't rot in my miso) it's not quite ready yet, but I tasted it a while back to check it, and OH MY is that gonna be GOOD!!

Pickled Turmeric
I bought some pickled turmeric at an Indian Grocery store and fell in love with it. It's just turmeric root cut into matchsticks, pickled in vinegar and salt. I made some myself, and added red chile to about half of the batch, and it worked nicely too, different flavor, just as good. I use it in my "sushi" stuff I make, and in salads. Warning, it's excellent and addictive! [My sushi stuff, I am told by purists, is NOT sushi, don't call it that!! I use mixed grains, generally quinoa, amaranth, barley and brown rice and a lot of asst veggies rolled in seaweed. Served hot if it happens to be freshly cooked hot grains, cold if it's leftovers. It has a lot more nutrients than white rice and small bits of veggies.]

I'm making a turmeric infusion most nights, to help with plantar fasciosis. Sometimes 2 cups of chicken broth but lately more like 1.5 cups of water and 0.5 cup homemade chicken broth, then simmer with 3/4 tspn turmeric, a couple grinds of black pepper and a bit of salt.  The chicken broth provides fat, which helps with absorption, and some collagen (because it's homemade broth and a gel at fridge temperature).  

I simmer for 10 minutes, ideally, then pour into a big mug and add some ice cubes to make it drinkable.  I have made it by pouring boiling water onto turmeric powder and covering the cup, that way there's no stirring, but I think the long simmer is better.  It's notably helpful as an anti-inflammatory.

I was planning on using turmeric as a color additive for an interior earthen plaster:)

Would swallowing frozen pieces of turmeric work for health benefits? This is what I do with garlic.

Currently I'm taking capsules, but they are expensive. And unfortunately, I very strongly dislike the flavor of turmeric.

Stacy Witscher wrote:Would swallowing frozen pieces of turmeric work for health benefits?

Interesting question. I'd say to make it digest well you don't want to use chunks of turmeric root, but if you took either grated root, or powder, mixed it in water or juice, and froze it into little candy molds, it would work well. It's a fibrous root, and wouldn't digest if it wasn't cut up somehow. Other than that, yeah, frozen would work well :)

Aaron Tusmith wrote: I was planning on using turmeric as a color additive for an interior earthen plaster:)

Nice idea. It would be a nice colour. But you might want to test it first, before using it up to the level where people might lean on it. Turmeric in food certainly stains clothing permanently. People leaning on the wall are sometimes damp for various reasons -- sweat,  wet hair, just come in from the rain, or something... I don't know if the process of being mixed with the rest of the plaster would fix it tighter but you might want to test it first.

my 70 year old husband has had chronic pain for over 30 years.  we use turmeric in just about everything we cook.  We try to have a nightly cup of herbal tea to which i add some infused honey.  I infuse it with turmeric, ginger, a little bit of cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and a little wild lettuce.  my husband also takes turmeric pills like he use to take pain pills.  2 every time his pain starts getting the best of him.  I have to say that since we started this about 6 years ago he has only had 2 pain pills, and that was the first day or 2 after knee surgery.  the rest has been all natural.  His pain levels are much less now then when he was taking pharmaceutical pain pills, allowing his activity levels to increase.  He is in way better health now then he was at 54 when we got together.

R Scott wrote: I also use it as toothpaste, a good way for me to get it into the kids.

You got my attention with the toothpaste use! Do you use it straight or blend with other ingredients? Also, does it make your teeth (and entire mouth) a beautiful saffron yellow?

Jocelyn, If Paul likes pumpkin pie spices, maybe you should make things that use those spices to mask whatever you want to include turmeric in. It might be hard if you are eliminating all grains, but I was thinking cookies (healthy, low-sugar kinds like energy bars or the like) or pumpkin pie. What about stevia-sweetened pumpkin yogurt with pumpkin pie spices and turmeric?

Deb, thanks for replying and bumping this thread again! So many good ideas and recipes!

I'm not R Scott, but I tried a turmeric toothpaste that was primarily coconut oil and turmeric, annnd I didn't like it. The turmeric has a bitter flavor and stains the toothbrush a dark yellow. One or the other I could take for the sake of the benefits, but somehow both together just made it not very enjoyable for me.

I'd stopped using extra turmeric after I overdid it in Paul's diet when he was laid up back in 2016. I was cooking with a LOT of powdered turmeric, 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for the two of us. Then Paul developed a really thick, weird rash on his cheeks. I called a consulting nurse who said turmeric can some times cause a rash on the forearms. Hm. I stopped the turmeric and Paul's rash disappeared.  So, I learned the hard way that there can be too much of a good thing!

But variety is the spice of life, yes? And spice variety can certainly lead to a more vital life! Plus, more spice in our food is something Paul certainly supports if not prefers. So, I think some moderate use/reintroduction of turmeric makes a lot of sense.

I might not be hiding it in smoothies, or chai tea, or pumpkin pie spices to get more in him now. Though Moroccan stew, Indian spiced dishes, and other places where it fits and adds a lovely flavor and color(!) punch, perhaps a few times a week--well, I think makes loads of sense at this stage of things.

(Edited to correct spelling of tuRmeric!)

I'm surprised the dried spice has a bitter taste. Occasionally we have it available fresh in the grocery stores here and I thought the taste was something like a combination of carrot and fresh ginger. When I think on how I used it, mostly grated into stew or in stir fries that included sweet potatoes, maybe there were enough sweet elements to overcome any bitterness.

We went through a stage of trying to eat a lot of turmeric...enough that a lot of my pottery still has a residual golden color
Now, I like the proportions used with other spices in Ayurvedic cooking for a balance of sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, astringent and salty in the dish.   the six tastes

I also found that the flavor of turmeric changes for the better when warmed in the cooking oil (I usually use ghee).

Once, when I made a dish with quite a lot of turmeric in it, I saw afterwards that I was yellow on the skin around my mouth
I blamed the turmeric and then later realized that it was my naturally dyed napkins...the bodark (osage orange) was still bleeding from the fabric when damp.....I've since retired those napkins to my sewing projects as it is a nice soft linen.

Here is a 'recipe' I've been using lately for a nice mix of flavors....I've finally got my spice selection well stocked so when I found this I had everything for a change.  We buy what we don't grow from Mountain Rose Herbs...all organic and sustainably grown and fresh!

Here is a spice mixture for enhancing immunity.
Ingredients

   6 parts turmeric (powder)
   3 parts cumin (whole)
   3 parts coriander (whole)
   6 parts fennel (whole)
   1 part powdered dry ginger
   1 part black pepper (whole)
   ¼ part ground cinnamon

Directions

   Roast, or dry-fry, whole cumin, coriander, fennel and black pepper and then grind the mixture into a powder. Add turmeric, ginger and cinnamon.
   Mix all the powdered spices well and store in an airtight container in a cool place away from direct sunlight.
   For daily use, sauté one teaspoon of ghee, heating until you smell the aroma. Immediately remove the pan from the heat to avoid burning the spices.
   Sauté the spices in ghee and sprinkle or drizzle on vegetables, rice or other grains, or cook them in vegetables like a soup.
   Or add steamed vegetables to the spice mixture while still in the pan and stir.
   Or sprinkle them on your food if you eat your noon meal out. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This spice mixture should be used regularly to flavor one dish for the main meal of the day to boost immunity and enhance digestion.

Dear Jocelyn

This simple morning latte is just the boost to get your day started! I drink this religiously every morning before anything else because of the incredible multi stacked benefits it has and it's so simple and easy to make. If you can I suggest you to always use fresh organic ingredients if you can and if you're in a climate where you can grow some if not all of the ingredients even better! The health benefits from all these ingredients are phenomenal as you most probably already know.
The important thing to understand about cooking is that often when cooking with ingredients we can potentially lose a lot of the secondary phytonutrients as Fred Provenza so eloquently speaks about in his book Nourishment which is predominantly about Nutritional Wisdom available from Chelsea Green Publishing and many other independent and ethical book outlets worldwide.
So with this recipe and early morning warm drink both temperature and the ingredients are creating a magical alchemy in the body and I'm not sure if you're aware how scientists, doctors and health care professionals across the globe are starting to all follow the same science and understanding that inflammation is at the heart of most if not all disease.
Some might say that the"Alkaline Program" developed by Ross Bridgeford is an incredible contribution to humanity!?
I suffer with an under active thyroid and because of this several auto immune knock on effects such as food intolerances and have not been able to eat dairy nor gluten for a very long time. When I discovered the Alkaline program I was blown away by the results within 5 days!!!
I now have my Latte religiously every morning without fail. My routine is as follows and this is what works for me, may not work for your husband/partner?

1. Kettle on or preferably if water in flask from night before still hot enough I use that
2. Peel a thumb sized piece of ginger or galangal and then thinly slice at about 3mm thickness, whatever you prefer
3. If you like you can add a rooibos (redbush) tea bag but not necessary ( a brilliant source of antioxidants and many other phytonutrients)
4. Chop up your turmeric if you have fresh
5. Add the ingredients to your mug or cup and fill halfway with hot water, stir and leave to steep
6. Go do something else for 5 minutes ( I go and let my hens out, check water, remove poop to compost and if there are kitchen scraps the edible ones go to the chickens and the non edible goes to the compost together with the chicken poop
7. If you don't have fresh turmeric use powdered tumeric but very very importantly use organic and make sure it's from a reputable source but I'm sure you already know why?
Add the powder to your cup and stir vigorously
8. 8th of a medium sized lemon squeezed into the cup
9. If you really want to get fancy add a dessert spoon of 100% cold pressed Virgin coconut oil and enjoy! I usually skip the coconut oil in mine because I have about a table spoon full of it in my oats porridge which I also eat every morning on account of my gluten intolerance! 😋

This latte may not be for everyone? For me it was love at first sip! But give it a try anyway, it will grow on you!