crystallized ginger

[Kerry Beal]

A restaurant supply should have racks like that.

[andiesenji]

I have several, Darienne, I'll send you a couple.

[Darienne]

Thank you for all the useful replies.

[Darienne]

Late question - do you use only non sulfured apricots?  Twenty four hours in - I've got black apricots.

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Kerry: What did you do with the apricots? I have been apricot candying and after about 30 hours my apricots are pretty dark...not black...yet...and the syrup is pretty dark too, although so tasty.

Then I recalled the photos of Andie's apricots and chased down this topic. My apricots were purchased in Krogers originally for some Mexican food and I simply decided to candy the rest without remembering about the sulphur issue.

I'm wondering if you can buy unsulphured dried apricots?

As to drying fresh apricots...I can't recall the last time I found fresh apricots in Ontario. I'll have to look for them next summer/fall?

I think I"ll still dip them in chocolate. Chocolate can cover a lot of errors very nicely.

ps. If whole fruits might take roughly 6 days, how long might a dried apricot take?

Edited December 18, 2008 by Darienne (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Late question - do you use only non sulfured apricots?  Twenty four hours in - I've got black apricots.

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Kerry: What did you do with the apricots? I have been apricot candying and after about 30 hours my apricots are pretty dark...not black...yet...and the syrup is pretty dark too, although so tasty.

You mean after they turned black? Compost!

[Darienne]

You mean after they turned black?  Compost!

←

The little worms never had it so good!

OK. So they were beyond salvaging!

Edited December 18, 2008 by Darienne (log)

[Darienne]

There is a new (and very sneaky) ginger lover among us.

I had just finished putting out a new batch of candied ginger to dry, when I heard a strange sound from the kitchen. There was our female dog, up on her hind legs, snarfing down pieces of ginger as fast as she could.

Needless to say, I was astounded. This ginger is fairly gingery, and while I could understand eating one piece, eating about 15 pieces leaves me amazed. I was so taken aback that I didn't even scold her.

She doesn't usually sneak food and I am very careful about meat, cheese, butter, etc. Who knew about ginger?

But will she get sick from so much of an unaccustomed snack?

[cmflick]

There is a new (and very sneaky) ginger lover among us.

I had just finished putting out a new batch of candied ginger to dry, when I heard a strange sound from the kitchen.  There was our female dog, up on her hind legs, snarfing down pieces of ginger as fast as she could.

Needless to say, I was astounded.  This ginger is fairly gingery, and while I could understand eating one piece, eating about 15 pieces leaves me amazed.  I was so taken aback that I didn't even scold her. 

She doesn't usually sneak food and I am very careful about meat, cheese, butter, etc.  Who knew about ginger?

But will she get sick from so much of an unaccustomed snack?

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I've read that ginger is good for treating motion sickness in dogs (and people), so maybe it's time to travel!

[Darienne]

I've read that ginger is good for treating motion sickness in dogs (and people), so maybe it's time to travel!

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Strange you should mention that...we leave for Moab UT, our home away from home, on Saturday. Weather willing. It's a bit of a drive. Still our dogs have never been carsick. They are great travelers.

[andiesenji]

I had one basenji who liked candied ginger. I have had several who would dig up garlic bulbs and consume them, with the unfortunate after effects of pungent gassy emanations that required banishing them to the dog room until it passed. (Garden fencing solved that problem).

And I had one basenji that developed a taste for hot peppers and would pick them off the bushes, chew on them a bit and leave the remains here and there around the house.

Dogs, like people, can have some very odd eating habits.

Yes, ginger is good for motion sickness.

Edited January 26, 2009 by andiesenji (log)

[pastrygirl]

The GM just asked me about making candied ginger to keep in the guest cars on the curvy mountain roads (there are literally only a few km of straight roads in Bhutan), so I had to immediately search for this thread.

I'm curious as to what the 7-up does for the ginger slices? Can a little simple syrup and lemon juice be substituted?

Also, to make hard candies from the leftover syrup, I'm trying to think of something that wouldn't involve a mold but would still be individual pieces i.e. not broken-up brittle. Spooning bits on a silpat comes to mind but sounds tedious. I did just get a bunch of cheap pvc chocolate molds, could those be used for hard candy or are they not heat proof enough? I imagine they would need a thin coat of oil to get eh candy to release? Or we could use the syrup for soda or tea. Any other ideas?

[andiesenji]

The GM just asked me about making candied ginger to keep in the guest cars on the curvy mountain roads (there are literally only a few km of straight roads in Bhutan), so I had to immediately search for this thread.

I'm curious as to what the 7-up does for the ginger slices?  Can a little simple syrup and lemon juice be substituted?

Also, to make hard candies from the leftover syrup, I'm trying to think of something that wouldn't involve a mold but would still be individual pieces i.e. not broken-up brittle.  Spooning bits on a silpat comes to mind but sounds tedious.  I did just get a bunch of cheap pvc chocolate molds, could those be used for hard candy or are they not heat proof enough?  I imagine they would need a thin coat of oil to get eh candy to release?  Or we could use the syrup for soda or tea.  Any other ideas?

←

You can use acidulated water - it is just to keep the ginger from turning an unattractive brownish-green from exposure to air and to keep the surface from drying, which will slow down the candying process.

Lemon juice in water is fine - I sometimes use sour salt or citric acid. I advised using the soda because most people will have something similar on hand.

[John DePaula]

...

I did just get a bunch of cheap pvc chocolate molds, could those be used for hard candy or are they not heat proof enough? 

...

←

If they're what I think they are, then they will deform even with just really hot water.

[Darienne]

...

I did just get a bunch of cheap pvc chocolate molds, could those be used for hard candy or are they not heat proof enough? 

...

←

If they're what I think they are, then they will deform even with just really hot water.

←

There is a way to use them, but it's some trouble. Put some water in a cookie sheet and put the mold into the water. The water should not over run the mold. Put the cookie sheet into the freezer until the mold is frozen into it. Then use it with the hot syrup. It works! (I tried it once.)

[pastrygirl]

...

I did just get a bunch of cheap pvc chocolate molds, could those be used for hard candy or are they not heat proof enough? 

...

←

If they're what I think they are, then they will deform even with just really hot water.

←

There is a way to use them, but it's some trouble. Put some water in a cookie sheet and put the mold into the water. The water should not over run the mold. Put the cookie sheet into the freezer until the mold is frozen into it. Then use it with the hot syrup. It works! (I tried it once.)

←

That sounds like more trouble than it would be worth. What type of plastic are lollipop molds made out of?

[Darienne]

That sounds like more trouble than it would be worth.  What type of plastic are lollipop molds made out of?

←

You are quite correct about that.

Plastic lollipop molds are usually white and heavier than the hobby chocolate molds...and I don't know exactly what they are made of.

I have some very nice lollipops molds now, purchased originally by accident, made of aluminum strips and clips. They come from Sweet Creations in Bountiful, UT. They have a limited number of shapes...all the usual ones: hearts, rounds, bunnies, etc.

My current foray, which is meeting with no success in Moab, is to find a source for the aluminum strips to make my own shapes. My DH and I are gourd artisans and I would like to make some gourd shapes. Then I could sell the resulting pops, made either from hard candy or chocolate, at the gourdfests to raise money for the local organization. My next-door-neighbor/landlady/friend in Moab suggested making saguaro and other cactus shapes which I thought was a great idea.

I'm going to call Sweet Creations and beg for their source.... Good luck! But I am NOT going into business so maybe they'll help.

I made dozens of hard candy lollipops for our local Ontario library to sell to raise funds before we left and they say that the pops are faring well.

Edited February 11, 2009 by Darienne (log)

[Darienne]

Is there such a thing as ginger which doesn't really taste all that good?

I have just finished making another batch of candied ginger. The pieces taste fine about 3/4 of the way through the eating, but then there is some not quite right taste about the finishing up of the piece.

Have I done something wrong inadvertently or is there just some ginger which doesn't make the grade. It looked fine, unwrinkled, plump, etc. I was surprised at how inexpensive it was...

Any thoughts, please?

[andiesenji]

Is there such a thing as ginger which doesn't really taste all that good?

I have just finished making another batch of candied ginger.  The pieces taste fine about 3/4 of the way through the eating, but then there is some not quite right taste about the finishing up of the piece.

Have I done something wrong inadvertently or is there just some ginger which doesn't make the grade.  It looked fine, unwrinkled, plump, etc.  I was surprised at how inexpensive it was...

Any thoughts, please?

←

I have occasionally come across some pieces that have an "earthy" flavor that isn't to my liking but it is pretty rare.

It has been quite awhile but as I recall the skin had a much greener look than the usual tan color.

However, the exterior color of ginger can vary, depending on the time of year it is harvested.

The stuff I grow is planted in early spring and about half is harvested in November. The rest of the bed is thickly mulched with straw at least a foot deep which is covered with heavy bird netting to keep kritters out of it. It is then harvested in the spring and part of this will be replanted for the next crop.

Although it does not grow a lot during the cold months, the sandy and alkaline soil (drains exceptionally well) preserves it perfectly.

The fall-harvested ginger has a shiny beige colored skin, almost metallic appearing.

The spring-harvested crop has a darker, almost taupe color, not as shiny and perhaps a bit thicker and some crops have had a bit more "bite" to the flavor.

I no longer grow as large a crop as I used to so have to purchase quite a bit. I usually break off a tiny piece and sniff it to see if it has any of that "earthy" component. If I'm not sure, I will buy a batch and steam just a little, taste it and if it is unsuitable for my purposes, take the rest back to the market, along with a piece of the steamed so the produce manager can taste it. I've never had a problem with them taking it back, although this had only happened twice over a long period of time.

Edited June 8, 2009 by andiesenji (log)

[Darienne]

I have occasionally come across some pieces that have an "earthy" flavor that isn't to my liking but it is pretty rare. 

It has been quite awhile but as I recall the skin had a much greener look than the usual tan color.

.  I usually break off a tiny piece and sniff it to see if it has any of that "earthy" component.  If I'm not sure, I will buy a batch and steam just a little, taste it and if it is unsuitable for my purposes, take the rest back to the market, along with a piece of the steamed so the produce manager can taste it.  I've never had a problem with them taking it back, although this had only happened twice over a long period of time.

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Good stuff, Andie. I never thought of tasting it. And I never thought of steaming just a bit. I did bite into this stuff after steaming to make certain it was ready for the sugar syrup bath, but I did not 'taste' it. I shall do it from now on. I am certain I won't have any trouble taking it back if it comes to that.

I have it drying now on your wonderful grate and just ate another piece. It is still the same. Some underlying flavor that I just don't like...but I don't know how to describe it. Sour? Ate another piece. This one was fine. Perhaps it was just some of the ginger. I think Ed, who bought it, said it came from China. I could check that when I am town next. A mystery.

Thanks. I'll dip it all and just eat it myself over the next months. Or not.

[andiesenji]

I prefer ginger from Thailand. I have found it is usually larger and has a "tighter" grain than others I have purchased. I also buy ginger from the Philippines.

As a personal preference, I do not buy products that originate in China.

You have seen the size of some of my ginger slices - I try to pick out the pieces with the largest segments and the fewest "toes" or buds as I think there is a "coarser" grain in the areas where the buds originate.

As I mentioned way back in the beginning, I originally experimented with ginger that was considered unsuitable for candying - at that time people mostly used "young" ginger or "stem" ginger, but when I realized the mature ginger could be steamed to get it to the point of tenderness (which also makes it receptive to the sugar in the syrup) I proceeded with it.

Frankly, I find that stem ginger really doesn't have enough of the "bite" that I like but I know there are a lot of people who prefer it and they are entitled to have what they like.

Edited June 8, 2009 by andiesenji (log)

[Darienne]

I prefer ginger from Thailand.  I have found it is usually larger and has a "tighter" grain than others I have purchased.  I also buy ginger from the Philippines.

As a personal preference, I do not buy products that originate in China.

You have seen the size of some of my ginger slices - I try to pick out the pieces with the largest segments and the fewest "toes" or buds as I think there is a "coarser" grain in the areas where the buds originate.

As I mentioned way back in the beginning, I originally experimented with ginger that was considered unsuitable for candying - at that time people mostly used "young" ginger or "stem" ginger, but when I realized the mature ginger could be steamed to get it to the point of tenderness (which also makes it receptive to the sugar in the syrup) I proceeded with it. 

Frankly, I find that stem ginger really doesn't have enough of the "bite" that I like but I know there are a lot of people who prefer it and they are entitled to have what they like.

←

There is always so much more to learn. You are truly the Ginger Lady.

Now that I have been eating the rhizome ginger for a year, I must prefer it to what is in retrospect very tame stem ginger.

I admit that I had never considered the country of origin of my ginger, but now I will look carefully. Of course, this would make a difference. I wonder how many varieties of ginger there are. I'll look it up.

Ed says for sure the ginger was from China. I shall try to find some from Thailand. I can ask at our local Asian market. This is not a large or cosmopolitan city we live near and so I may have to get my ginger next time I'm in Toronto which has a huge Asian population.

Thanks again, Andie.

[Darienne]

Today I asked the owner of our local small Asian market (Peterborough) where his ginger came from. He replied 'China' and that I would be unable to buy any other kind of ginger from anywhere else in the area, including Toronto, which has a gigantic Asian population, from anywhere else but China.

Perhaps he is correct; perhaps mistaken.

Is there anyone out there from any part of Ontario who can get ginger from Thailand? Or any other place? The owner said he used to get ginger from Hawaii, but that the Chinese ginger is the best.

...or maybe I should start a separate thread...

Thanks

[prairiegirl]

Today I asked the owner of our local small Asian market (Peterborough) where his ginger came from.  He replied 'China' and that I would be unable to buy any other kind of ginger from anywhere else in the area, including Toronto, which has a gigantic Asian population, from anywhere else but China.

Perhaps he is correct; perhaps mistaken.

Is there anyone out there from any part of Ontario who can get ginger from Thailand?  Or any other place?  The owner said he used to get ginger from Hawaii, but that the Chinese ginger is the best.

...or maybe I should start a separate thread...

Thanks

←

Buderim Ginger from Australia has a sales office in New York (i think). I can't find my contact info for them! I have ordered ginger from Vignolia nuts in BC. They carry the Chinese which did cause my eyebrows to rise!! But, the organic ginger I purchased is the best I have had.

[Darienne]

How is to be sliced? With or against the fiber? Or on a slant.

I have had much success with the Ginger Lady's (aka Andie) recipe but there is always room for another recipe.

As for my current ginger obsession:

Yesterday I went to our local organic health food store to see their organic Hawaiian ginger. It was as thin as a pencil. Not too useful. No cigar.

However, they did carry bags of candied ginger from Australia ($9.85/lb CDN) and from Thailand $3.90lb CDN) BIG price difference!!! The Australian was a darker color, much tangier, deeper flavor, bigger bite than the Thai. No comparison. (That's not to say that all Australian or Thai ginger tastes like these two.)

My next step is to buy and then candy some Chinese ginger from the local small Asian market where I have been assured by the owner, and a couple of interested customers who were listening to our discussion, that HIS Chinese ginger was excellent.

The earlier Chinese ginger from the supermarket finally hit the trash this morning.

All gingery comment is welcome.

Edited June 12, 2009 by heidih (log)

[andiesenji]

If ginger is not cut across the grain, you will have strings that are about the consistency of dental floss.

If the ginger is mature, that is, not "young" or "stem" ginger, it will be tough and leathery.

How do I know this? Many years ago, when I began trying to candy my own ginger I cooked a lot of sweet, but very chewy, leathery ginger "chips" or something of that ilk.

I despaired of ever being able to prepare something I would consider giving as a gift - until I was in the kitchen of my (at that time) favorite Chinese restaurant in Reseda, CA, watching the owner's uncle prepare an unusual dish that included ginger "matchsticks" which he removed from a steamer before adding to the wok. When I asked why, my friend told me that the ginger would be tough and leathery if not steamed and this retained the flavor and made it perfect for inclusion in stir-fry.

This was the typical "lightbulb-clicking-on-moment" that one used to see in cartoons.

The very next day I purchased some mature fresh ginger, sliced then steamed it, checking after various periods until it was tender enough to bite through with little resistance.

I then candied it and was very pleased with the results.

And that's the story of how I developed my method. Not to say that it is the only method, only the one that I know works pretty well.

Edited June 12, 2009 by andiesenji (log)