Need to use up fresh ginger roots
I'm not sure how long fresh Ginger Root keeps - and I have it in my fridge, not sure if that's the best way to keep it. But in any event, I have way too much of it and can't give it away (nobody I know likes fresh ginger for some crazy reason).
I've just recently gotten into sourdough and came across a sourdough banana bread recipe here in the forum - and that is great to use up extra sourdough starter --- and that got me wondering whether the Ginger would go well in the Banana bread. or maybe there's some other cool recipe that I could use up the fresh Ginger and the sourdough starter?
I got all this ginger when I was making Triple Ginger cookies (powdered ginger, crystallized/candied ginger and grated fresh ginger) --- but now more interested in breads (and I gave my cookies sheets to my daughter in law - haha).
Any ideas? Or how can I preserve them? Anyone know how I'd go about turning these into candied/crystallized ginger? These are about a month old already and starting to shrivel a little - not sure how much longer they'll be good.
My favourite ones are soft, a bit chewy and have little candied ginger pieces inside. And since you're now into sourdough, starter can be used in all baking which calls for flour and water to add flavour and use up excess.
I'm starting to think the same. I mentioned in the first post that I gave my cookie sheets away - haha. I guess I need to go to the store and buy me some more cookie sheets.
I use the candied ginger pieces in my ginger cookies along with fresh ginger - but I generally make them snaps rather than chewy. Got a recipe for the chewy ones you like?
After my first post, just for fun, I grated some root and boiled it with some turbinado sugar, strained it and made some ginger/lemonaid (it's a hot day today) and it's pretty delicious! That ginger has a nice bite to it.
...in mind. I have a local cafe which sells ginger cookies and they're chewy. That's the depth of my knowledge.
I wonder what sourdough starter would bring to a recipe. Anyway it acts as a good catalyst to the baking soda as it's acidic.
Peel the ginger (Google "spoon peeling ginger") and either freeze it in small pieces in a doubled freezer zipper plastic bag or put it in a jar with cheap sherry and put it in the refrig. It'll keep almost indefinitely either way.
It's pretty easy, and it will result in a very versatile ingredient! If you Google "how to crystallize ginger" you'll get a few different hits. Here's one you might try.
Thanks for that link - that looks much easier than I thought it would be. I'm going to give it a try as soon as I get some screen to use for a drying rack.
keep the broth from boiling them too. its great if you put like 1 tea spoon in your teas. if you drinks teas that is.
The link on crystallizing ginger said to boil and simmer until a candy thermometer reads 225F ... what is the reason I should keep it from boiling?
To boil to a certain temperature is to boil moisture out of the syrup, if you do it at a rolling you bring the syrup to that moisture level very fast but the ginger root will not reach that temperature and then contain more than the desired moisture level and possibly spoil.
Gerhard
while peeling and working with exposed ginger root! There is a latent burning sensation. Peel, slice and dehydrate or freeze. I have also frozen ginger in one inch pieces and it peels nicely when thawed but is a little rubbery to cut thin unless still frozen.
You can also make pickles from young fresh ginger to serve with vegetable and meat wraps. Peel and slice thin and then make a pickling.
Pickled in Soy Sauce: for 60g of cleaned sliced ginger, cover with 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon (1.2g) pickling salt mix to coat and stand for about an hour. Place into a small jar and cover with light soy sauce. If using the dark soy sauce skip adding any extra salt. Cover the jar with lid and let stand at room temp. Ready to use in 24 hours. Refrigerate to keep for one year or more.
I have some in Laos and strain off the soy sauce to use in cooking or as a table dipping sauce. Also for BBQ's and marinades. The ginger in the big jar was simply washed well, cut into 2mm slices and covered with a mixture of dark soy sauce with a tablespoon of honey.
I see most ginger washed and cut with a few slices going into stir fry or oven roasts where the slices are not eaten but removed or shoved to the side. The root can contain a lot of fibre and is good for flavouring. Dried root can be pulverized in a blender or whole pieces can be dropped in hot water for tea.
If some of the roots start sprouting, they can be placed just under the top of potting soil and encouraged to grow. They make a nice little house plant.
Ginger is good for motion sickness. Mom would always have ginger snaps in the car for road trips. :)
Thanks, those are some great ideas
I'd nominate a good,dark,moist ginger cake as a great use of fresh ginger. I recently managed to make the dark,intense ginger cake of my dreams;it is definitely a complex taste, appealing more to adults. I modified,but was guided by the recipe linked below. My guests and family loved the taste, but also found it interesting.
Guiness Stout Ginger Cake https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/guinness-stout-ginger-cake-105881
Caveats if you use this recipe: use a really large,deep pot for the stovetop part, or it will boil over; it needs a much bigger baking pan than called for, possibly a 9"x13"; it's sticky enough to require a well-prepped pan,so consider a sheet cake or springform pan,not a bundt. It's better the next day, and keeps getting better for up to a week.If it lasts that long! Btw, I really don't like Guiness, an ingredient in the cake,but the final cake doesn't taste of it.
(2)In general, a good way to preserve ginger or fruit flavors is to put some in a jar of high-proof grain alcohol,such as Everkleer.(This is how limincello is made.) You can add a simple syrup, or just leave as an extract to add in tiny amounts to your cooking and baking.
(3)Ginger is quite easy to grow indoors. Break it apart into pieces with at least one "eye" each,expose to air for 1-2 days,allowing it to develop a sort of callus, then plant shallowly.The roots grow sideways.
BTW, this is my first post. I have not only gotten very useful info from this site,I have also been so heartened the by how generous, knowledgeable and respectful this community is. Thank you all!
Panettiera
Freezing:
I freeze ginger in a plastic bag until I need some grated or sliced into a recipe. I make sure it is clean before I freeze it and grate/slice it frozen. On the other hand, I don't have pounds of it. I think you need a few options!
Here is a recipe for making candied ginger. It will keep for centuries (maybe) and be useful in baked goods,cookies, candy and tea.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candied-ginger-recipe-1944906
How about fermenting some into a refreshing drink?
https://www.thespruce.com/start-a-ginger-bug-3016495
Or dehydrating some:
http://hellocreativefamily.com/back-basics-dehydrate-ginger/
I would probably pulverize the dried ginger into a powder for use.
Or how about lactofermenting (pickled) ginger:
http://thenourishingcook.com/homemade-pickled-ginger/
A few more pickled recipes:
This is a very pretty shredded,red-colored (from a small beet) garnishing pickle:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pickled-ginger
A nice quick pickle-takes 1 hour!:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013949-quick-pickled-ginger
So there are a few things to try. Good luck and have fun!
Put the load in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer. The root will last for months, if not years. You can send me some, if you're willing. I buy it every few weeks because I grate fresh ginger root every morning and incorporate it into my breakfast.
I am just getting a chance to read through all the replies - looks like a lot of great suggestions. Thanks so much!
Andy - if I had a lot of fresh ginger and time, I'd give making ginger root beer a try! It's truly delicious on it's own and terrific in a 'dark and stormy' drink! I'd probably also give kombucha a try! Let us know what you do.. google for the recipes..
Many years ago I went to a restaurant supply store and bought copper mugs - wish I still had them. I loved making Moscow Mules in the hot summer. As I recall it was vodka, ginger beer and a lime in a copper mug - didn't taste remotely the same in a glass but in the copper mug it was delicious!
After you crystallize ginger, put that syrup in bottle, chill and use it. Great in hot tea/spritzers/cocktails, drizzled over ice cream/fruit, use in baking, etc My mother-in-law grates it and freezes in 1 TBSP chunks so it's ready to go for cooking.
I just started four bottles of ginger ale.
I use something like this recipe: http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-ginger-ale/
But I grate the ginger with skin, steep for a while, then filter through cheesecloth, and let ferment again. Champagne yeast gives the soda a better taste. It will continue to ferment slowly in the fridge after a few hours at room temp. Watch hardness of bottle. You might have to bleed off some carbon dioxide before the bottle explodes.
ginger syrup
And then blend with carbonated water to get ginger ale as flavourful as you like. This would be the non-alcohol version. :)