Candied Ginger - A Happy Accident

Ginger Candy - Yum!

Sometimes, when we make a mistake, it turns out far better than we expected.

Without paying much attention to what I was doing, (I was busy trying to take a photo of it) I messed up my second batch of crystallized ginger. See my post on making Crystallized Ginger.

 

Simmer

• First, simmer the diced ginger until it is fork tender.
• Drain it and weigh it. Add an equal weight in sugar.

 

Macerating

The first time I made crystallized ginger, I couldn’t believe that you only add ¼ cup of water. I added a good cup of water and ended up with quite a mess and way too much liquid. It took forever to cook away.

What happens is that the sugar macerates the ginger and before long, you have quite a lot of sugary liquid in the bowl. It’s kind of like adding sugar to strawberries. 

 

• Simmer the sugared ginger until the liquid cooks out.

 

Now, here’s where I goofed!  I was trying to make a photo of the next step, then all of a sudden, the sugar crystallized.  I was expecting the ginger to cook clear and glazed like my first batch, but this was completely different. I simply didn’t take it off the heat in time.

 

At first I thought I would need to toss it, but decided to dehydrate it anyway. So glad I did, because the ginger turned out like candy.

• I dehydrated it at 115º for about a day and a half.

Flavored Sugar 

There was an added bonus of ginger-flavored ginger.   

What to do with candied ginger:

• Munch as a treat.
• Drop a few chunks into hot tea.
• Use the sugar in cookie dough, gingerbread.
• Use the sugar and ginger bits in quick breads such as pumpkin breads, banana breads, etc.
• Jazz up your sweet potato or winter squash casseroles, etc.
• Is good to much a piece or two for indigestion.