Thread: preserving Ginger

Kitty wrote:
> I'd like to preserve Ginger without using sugar.
>
> I know I can use sugar to preserve ginger, but being diabetic I'm
> trying to get away from using sugar for preserving as much as
> possible. Since I want to use the ginger in soups and other asian
> style dishes' I don't think it needs sugar, so I'm thinking Vodka
> since I have some sitting around.

You probably can but will that be any healthier for you than sugar?
Alcohol converts to sugar in the body if I remember correctly.
>
> now, I tried preserving ginger in Honey a few years ago, and that
> didn't work so well since the natural juices in the ginger diluted the
> honey to such an extent that it molded. I don't want that to happen
> to this batch so How do I know if I've used enough vodka?

I have preserved fresh ginger by slicing it, putting it onto a bun pan
and freezing it. Then I bag it and keep it in the freezer.
>
> If I peel and slice the ginger, put it in a jar and add enough to
> cover would it be enough, or should I figure it by weight? HOW do I
> do this? is it just by guess and by golly? thanks everybody, I
> appreciate any help. kitty

Anything I've ever preserved in booze was done by guess and by golly.

All of that being said, I'm also diabetic, Type II, in my sixteenth year
on insulin. I buy crystallized ginger, aka ginger preserved in sugar, by
the six-pound can on eBay and keep it in the pantry. I make a very nice
ginger and nut bread for the ladies at our church with both diced
crystallized ginger and powdered ginger in it. I also eat it with no
more ill effects than any other carbohydrate I eat in my daily plan. Of
course your mileage may vary by how brittle a diabetic you are. Good
luck with any of it.

George

Father Inquisitor, HOSSPOJ

Kitty wrote:
> trying to get away from using sugar for preserving as much as
> possible. Since I want to use the ginger in soups and other asian
> style dishes' I don't think it needs sugar, so I'm thinking Vodka
> since I have some sitting around.

Slice it thinly and store it in vinegar? It won't work in everything, but
lots of dishes and dipping sauces work well with it.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel [email protected] N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation.
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.

sometime in the recent past Geoffrey S. Mendelson posted this:
> Kitty wrote:
>> trying to get away from using sugar for preserving as much as
>> possible. Since I want to use the ginger in soups and other asian
>> style dishes' I don't think it needs sugar, so I'm thinking Vodka
>> since I have some sitting around.
>
> Slice it thinly and store it in vinegar? It won't work in everything, but
> lots of dishes and dipping sauces work well with it.
>
> Geoff.
>
I stored it in lemon juice once and thought it wasn't too bad, but there's
no substitution for fresh ;-)

--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3

On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:49:09 +0000 (UTC), "Geoffrey S. Mendelson"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Kitty wrote:
>> trying to get away from using sugar for preserving as much as
>> possible. Since I want to use the ginger in soups and other asian
>> style dishes' I don't think it needs sugar, so I'm thinking Vodka
>> since I have some sitting around.
>
>Slice it thinly and store it in vinegar? It won't work in everything, but
>lots of dishes and dipping sauces work well with it.
>
>Geoff.


Keep it as a house plant. Dig it up when needed, cut off a chunk,
replant it.

Boron

On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:02:02 -0800 (PST), Kitty
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I'd like to preserve Ginger without using sugar.
>

I freeze it and it slices and minces just fine.

Regards,
Lou

"Kitty" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'd like to preserve Ginger without using sugar.
>
> I know I can use sugar to preserve ginger, but being diabetic I'm
> trying to get away from using sugar for preserving as much as
> possible. Since I want to use the ginger in soups and other asian
> style dishes' I don't think it needs sugar, so I'm thinking Vodka
> since I have some sitting around.
>
> now, I tried preserving ginger in Honey a few years ago, and that
> didn't work so well since the natural juices in the ginger diluted the
> honey to such an extent that it molded. I don't want that to happen
> to this batch so How do I know if I've used enough vodka?
>
> If I peel and slice the ginger, put it in a jar and add enough to
> cover would it be enough, or should I figure it by weight? HOW do I
> do this? is it just by guess and by golly? thanks everybody, I
> appreciate any help. kitty

like others have already suggested, I freeze it - whole - peels easily when
frozen, grates and slices too

Kathi

In article
<[email protected]>,
Kitty <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'd like to preserve Ginger without using sugar.

Unless you're pickling it as a condiment, why preserve it at all? It's
available year round everywhere, fresh.

I keep a hunk of ginger in the freezer and just cut off a bit when I
want to use fresh ginger.
Connie TC
> In article
> <[email protected]>,
> Kitty <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I'd like to preserve Ginger without using sugar.
>
> Unless you're pickling it as a condiment, why preserve it at all? It's
> available year round everywhere, fresh.

In article <YZlhn.21468$[email protected]>, Connie TenClay
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I keep a hunk of ginger in the freezer and just cut off a bit when I
> want to use fresh ginger.

I just stop at the market and buy a small piece of fresh ginger when I
want to use fresh ginger...

Horses for courses.

Dave Balderstone wrote:

> Unless you're pickling it as a condiment, why preserve it at all? It's
> available year round everywhere, fresh.

Your definition of everywhere is awfully small.

You've lived much of your life through a period where some people were
willing and able to buy food fresh all year 'round often paying more for
transportation and storage than for the original food.

Most of the world (a large part of everywhere) did not, and IMHO it is
likely the part that did soon will be much smaller.

One of the first lessons I leared moving here in 1996 was that food
was available in seasons, not the entire year, and sometimes those
seasons were only a week.

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel [email protected] N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation.
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
> Dave Balderstone wrote:
>
>> Unless you're pickling it as a condiment, why preserve it at all? It's
>> available year round everywhere, fresh.
>
> Your definition of everywhere is awfully small.
>
> You've lived much of your life through a period where some people were
> willing and able to buy food fresh all year 'round often paying more for
> transportation and storage than for the original food.
>
> Most of the world (a large part of everywhere) did not, and IMHO it is
> likely the part that did soon will be much smaller.
>
> One of the first lessons I leared moving here in 1996 was that food
> was available in seasons, not the entire year, and sometimes those
> seasons were only a week.
>
> Geoff.

You're right Geoff, fresh ginger is only available sporadically here in
our area, certainly not year round.

That being said, we planted some last year that we had left over but our
unusually cold winter killed it. Will plant some more when it hits the
stores here.

Heck, we only get fresh asparagus for a very short time each year. If I
had the room I would plant a bed as it grows very nicely in this climate.

In article <[email protected]>, George
Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:

> You're right Geoff, fresh ginger is only available sporadically here in
> our area, certainly not year round.

Color me surprised. Here in the middle of western Canada, fresh ginger
is available year-round, whether it's +30C or -30C.

In article <[email protected]>, George
Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:

> Heck, we only get fresh asparagus for a very short time each year. If I
> had the room I would plant a bed as it grows very nicely in this climate.

We have asparagus here year-round as well. In our winter it typically
comes in from Peru.

Dave Balderstone wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, George
> Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> You're right Geoff, fresh ginger is only available sporadically here in
>> our area, certainly not year round.
>
> Color me surprised. Here in the middle of western Canada, fresh ginger
> is available year-round, whether it's +30C or -30C.

Our Asian population is very small and most of the local folk don't cook
with ginger other than powdered ginger.

I was raised just across the border in Texas and never even saw fresh
ginger until I went to the Middle East to work in 1980. Just wasn't used
except in Asian cooking and that was just a few restaurants. I assume
they got it out of Houston, TX.

I was at the supermarket yesterday and looked for fresh ginger, there
was none. The produce manager is a friend of mine and he said there will
be some probably next month but he could get it in a couple of days out
of Houston if I needed it now. Told him I could wait, still have 5 3/4
lbs of candied ginger in the pantry and two hands of frozen ginger in
the freezer. I just wanted another hand to cut up and start a new ginger
bed.

In article <[email protected]>, George
Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:

> Our Asian population is very small and most of the local folk don't cook
> with ginger other than powdered ginger.

We're a city of 220,000, mostly caucasian. I shop at Safeway, mostly.

On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:19:19 -0600, Dave Balderstone
<dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderstone.ca> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>, George
>Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> You're right Geoff, fresh ginger is only available sporadically here in
>> our area, certainly not year round.
>
>Color me surprised. Here in the middle of western Canada, fresh ginger
>is available year-round, whether it's +30C or -30C.

Here in my area of Southern Ontario as well.
I would be very surprised if we went into any of the local
supermarkets at any time of the year and couldn't find large
quantities of fresh ginger. Some also regularly carry galangal.

Ross.

Dave Balderstone wrote:
> In article <YZlhn.21468$[email protected]>, Connie TenClay
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I keep a hunk of ginger in the freezer and just cut off a bit when I
>>want to use fresh ginger.
>
>
> I just stop at the market and buy a small piece of fresh ginger when I
> want to use fresh ginger...
>
> Horses for courses.
I just keep it out with my garlic and onions It doesn't go bad.
Ellen

George Shirley wrote:
>
> That being said, we planted some last year that we had left over but our
> unusually cold winter killed it. Will plant some more when it hits the
> stores here.

What zones does ginger grow in? I take it Chicago metro zone 6B is too
cold.

> Heck, we only get fresh asparagus for a very short time each year. If I
> had the room I would plant a bed as it grows very nicely in this climate.

I've planted asparugus and moved out leaving a sign for what it was at
several places over the years. It takes a few years after planting
before it starts producing.

"Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderstone.ca> wrote in message
news:250220100719190095%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderst one.ca...
> In article <[email protected]>, George
> Shirley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> You're right Geoff, fresh ginger is only available sporadically here in
>> our area, certainly not year round.
>
> Color me surprised. Here in the middle of western Canada, fresh ginger
> is available year-round, whether it's +30C or -30C.


Here, too, in the Pacific Northwest you can find it year round.
Interestingly, I just bought a new ginger root a couple of months ago so I
could make orange chicken and the origin label on it said it was from
Brazil.

That said, like a lot of folks, I just keep mine in the freezer in a ziploc
bag and just slice a little off when I need it.

--
-Marilyn