Candied Ginger

The recipe I use is largely from Alton Brown Good Eats : )



Ingredients:

-2-3 pounds of ginger (I always get funny looks when buying that much from the store - Try to avoid ginger that looks too woody or old)
-Equal weight of ginger in sugar (Maybe 1.5 cups per pound of sugar, plus more for sprinkling at the end)
-Water

Tools:
-A big pot
-A slotted spoon
-A mesh strainer and a colander
-Two or three large cookie sheets or cake pans
-Measuring cups
-Small metal spoon
-Sharp knife or a mandolin

1.) The first part is the most boring, peel all the ginger and put in a bowl, compost the skins. I use the back of a spoon to rub the skins off.

2.) Cut the ginger into very thin, quarter-sized pieces. Using a mandolin for this is easiest but back in the day when I started doing this in D.C., I used a knife and it works too). Think maybe 1/4" or less thick.

3.) Bring a pot of water to a boil, enough to cover the ginger pieces a few inches. Toss in all the ginger and simmer for about 30 mins, until the pieces are tender and only slightly crisp. This part not only cooks the ginger but helps to get some of the spice out.

4.) Take the pot off heat and pour the ginger water through a strainer into a bowl or large jug. The ginger juice has a myriad of uses - We'll get to that later*. Catch the ginger in a colander as you strain.

5.) Put the ginger back into the pot with 1/4 cup of the ginger juice (more if you're using more than 2 pounds) and an equal weight in sugar to the ginger (here is where I guesstimate). Bring back to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minute, being careful not to burn.

6.) Here is the tricky part - At this point, you should have not much liquid left in the pan. If you do, you can try spooning some of it out with a ladle and put the liquid in the jug with the ginger juice for later use. You want to cook the ginger until there is almost no liquid left, even to the point of recrystalization of the sugar if possible.

7.) Remove from heat and drain remaining liquid (if any) in the colander. Add a few tablespoons of sugar and toss with a fork. The ginger should be pretty sticky and moist, adding the additional sugar helps to separate the pieces.

8.) On cookie sheets or in cake pans that are sprinkled with a light layer of sugar, spread out the ginger so they are as separated as possible. Sprinkle with more sugar until they appear "crystalized".

9.) Find a safe place to try the candy for at least one full day. Put in an airtight container and share

*Uses for leftover ginger juice: I've put the juice back on heat and added an equal weight in sure, dizzolved and reduced to create a multipurpose ginger syrup, which is good as an alternative to lemonade, a substitute for maple syrup or honey in recipes or on pancakes, hot toddies, etc.... you can also keep the juice separate and add it to soups and Asian dishes for a kick, or as a great digestive tonic. Ginger is amazing for nausea when you're sick as well.

Candied ginger is amazing with dark chocolate, in cupcakes or scones, chopped up and mixed in ice cream, as a garnish in cocktails, or shared straight from a jar with friends after dinner

Unemployment, It's Been Good.....ish

Sitting in a cafe in the middle of the afternoon, with a Montreal spice bagel and coffee - Pretty much my typical routine for the past month has been pretty similar. But I'm feeling particularly leisurely since tomorrow I start a full-time, temporary position as a political organizer around the gubernatorial elections. I'll be spending most of my time with union members, getting out the vote and such, and part of my time with the Health Care is a Human Right campaign through the Vermont Worker's Center. I feel very, very thankful to have found such a passionate, hard working and determined group of folks at the VWC.

Yesterday, my very patient landlord approached me because she was feeling a little overwhelmed with the way I was dealing with unemployment - that is, loads and loads of crafts in the kitchen. Upon attaining a copy of Wild Fermentation when I arrived, the kitchen was doomed to be cluttered with buckets, crocks, and jars all over the place.

Since moving to Winooski, I've made (some completed, most aging or fermenting):

A half gallon of whiskey cherries
Two bottles of Kahlua (coffee liqueur)
Cucumber-infused gin (amazing with iced Sumac tea)
A gallon of dilly beans
A gallon of sauerkraut
Two quarts of turnip kraut
Cinnamon-vanilla liqueur
Ginger liqueur
A curtain (for my closet, since it doesn't have a door)
A quart of yogurt (from raw jersey milk, of course)
Two pounds of candied ginger

Above: top of my dresser with ginger vodka, the cherries and Kahlua, cinnamon liqueur and drying ginger candy

In addition to rye sourdough experimentation and a botched attempt to make a wild ginger beer starter. I've been trying to track down a kombucha SCOBY for a few weeks and am hopefully honing in on one soon.

So now we know what happens when Emily is not in school and unemployed. There are worse things!