Ginger - Crystalized, Tea and Syrup

Distinct in flavor, I think the crystalized ginger that you make yourself is much tastier than what you can buy at the store. It's very easy to make yourself, and certainly doesn't require many ingredients. Here's what you need - 8 ounces of ginger (I use organic from Trader Joe's) and one cup of sugar.

Peel and slice the ginger. If you have a grapefruit spoon, that works better than a vegetable peeler when it comes to scraping the peeling off of the pieces of ginger, but a regular spoon will work just about as well if you don't happen to have a grapefruit spoon handy. I make my ginger slices somewhere between one eighth and one quarter of an inch thick, but it doesn't have to be precise.

Put the peeled and sliced ginger pieces in a pan, cover with two cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Cook the pieces of ginger for about 45 minutes, or until fork tender.

 Drain the cooked ginger pieces and reserve the liquid (tea) in which they were cooked.

Return the cooked ginger pieces to a pan. Add one half cup of the reserved ginger liquid and one cup of sugar. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook and stir for about twenty minutes, or until the liquid has cooked down to a syrup and the ginger pieces appear glossy (crystalized).

Drain again, reserving the liquid (syrup). Roll the ginger pieces in a little sugar and place on a rack to dry.

A wonderful benefit of making your own crystalized ginger is that not only do you get a much larger quantity of crystalized ginger for your money, but you also get a jar full of delicious ginger tea and yet another jar full of ginger syrup - all with no artificial flavorings or colors.

Store the ginger tea in a jar your refrigerator and add a few spoonfulls of it to your favorite tea for extra flavor. The ginger syrup is absolutely delicious! Use it to flavor plain yogurt, as a topping for ice cream, drizzle a little over fresh fruit, pour some into chilled soda water for a refreshing drink, or simply pour the syrup over your pancakes and waffles. It's all good and it never ceases to amaze me how much I can make from just eight ounces of fresh ginger root.

 After it has dried, store the crystalized ginger pieces in a jar.

To learn about some of the health benefits of ginger, go here - Health Benefits of Ginger.