Crystallized Ginger

Making your own home-made crystallized ginger is easier than you think.

10/10/9

Diced Fresh Ginger

• Dice the ginger then simmer until tender.
• Drain the water and added sugar equal to the weight of the ginger.
• Add 1/4 cup water and boil until water is gone and ginger is candied.

Linda’s Note: You can make crystallized slices of ginger the same way. I simply chose diced because it fit better in a spice bottle.

The one mistake I made was adding too much water for the candy process. I added nearly a cup! It took almost an hour to boil down. I had waited too long and discovered the water had cooked out. The ginger had crusted on the bottom of the pan. It’s not scorched, but almost. I added more water to dissolve the ginger stuck to the bottom of the pan.

I dehydrated the crystallized ginger for two days at 115º. There was no noticeable difference in the taste between the brown and the clear ginger. Thank goodness!

At Wal-Mart’s price of $7.42 for 2 ounces, you are looking at nearly $50 worth of crystallized ginger!

 What to do with Crystallized Ginger:

• Makes a nice candy treat
• Settles and upset stomach. It is helpful for motion sickness.
• Use it in baking. Dice it into cookie recipes. Great with gingersnaps!
• Works well with gingerbread, orange bread, or banana bread.
• Substitute ginger for raisins in equal portions in baking and cookie recipes
• Add a tablespoon of chopped crystallized ginger in your favorite sweet-and-sour Chinese recipe
• Combine with nuts, brown sugar and spices for a baked apple or baked pear filling
• Add to your homemade cranberry sauce with a little orange zest.
• I plunk a chunk or two into my favorite hot tea.  It’s wonderful on a really cold day.

Linda’s Note: I had never used crystallized ginger before I had made my own. It was simply too expensive.  One day I found a small package marked down in the grocery store, so I bought it. it sat for over a year before I even tasted it because even at the marked down price, it seemed to expensive. I had read about its medicinal properties and gave it a try one day when I had an upset stomach.  Worked really well!  Now it is a staple around our house!