Freezing ginger

[bobmac]

I friend recommended it, but I think maybe it loses its zip. I cooked with some tonight and didn't taste it, but maybe is was supposed to be subtle. I used to store it in vodka in the fridge. Any ideas?

[culinary bear]

I've never had any problems freezing it, provided it was well-wrapped in aluminium foil or vac-packed in order to prevent freezer-burn and not kept frozen for too long.

An alternative handy trick is to put the ginger through a fine microplane grater to render it into a puree, then add about 10% by weight lemon juice. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

[Gifted Gourmet]

gourmetsleuth.com? A very interesting page!

Ginger root should be kept in a cool, dry place, usually at 40 to 45 degrees fahrenheit. After purchasing, ginger may be refrigerated in plastic wrap for up to one week. For longer storage, peel ginger root and cover it with sherry wine before refrigeration. Freezing for up to three months is also an option.

[Chris Amirault]

I usually keep a knob in the freezer for emergency larbs, but stopped doing that as a matter of course because the ginger seems to become more spongy when it is frozen. I found that it defrosts very quickly, but it seeps juice, especially when you grate it, and the remaining grated ginger therefore tends to be drier. Does this happen with anyone else?

[Behemoth]

I plant mine. You can dig it up, chop off a hunk and rebury it, no problem.

[Chris Amirault]

I plant mine. You can dig it up, chop off a hunk and rebury it, no problem.

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That's smart! It's a root, so bury it in the root cellar. Thanks!

[Behemoth]

I plant mine. You can dig it up, chop off a hunk and rebury it, no problem.

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That's smart! It's a root, so bury it in the root cellar. Thanks!

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Its particularly nice because it grows new shoots! The first time I made the mistake of burying it vertically. Lay it in the dirt horizontally, and it doesn't need to be completely buried, either.

[HKDave]

I've had no problem freezing ginger for months in a ziploc. I don't ever thaw it, just shave what I need off the frozen root with a stout cleaver, then chop it. Works for me. It wouldn't work if you needed a lot of ginger at one time - but in that case I'll buy fresh.

I like Behemoth's idea, but I live on the 28 floor of sealed building. No root cellar. No smoker, no BBQ, no garden. Oh well.

[Kevin72]

I usually keep a knob in the freezer for emergency larbs, but stopped doing that as a matter of course because the ginger seems to become more spongy when it is frozen. I found that it defrosts very quickly, but it seeps juice, especially when you grate it, and the remaining grated ginger therefore tends to be drier. Does this happen with anyone else?

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Yes that's exactly my observation and why I stopped freezing mine. Though I didn't do the foil wrapping, hmmm . . .

[Toliver]

I friend recommended it, but I think maybe it loses its zip. I cooked with some tonight and didn't taste it, but maybe is was supposed to be subtle. I used to store it in vodka in the fridge. Any ideas?

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Were you able to let the ginger come to room temperature before cooking with it? I wonder if that could make a difference.

[scott123]

I plant mine. You can dig it up, chop off a hunk and rebury it, no problem.

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That's smart! It's a root, so bury it in the root cellar. Thanks!

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Technically, it's not a root. It's a rhizome ;)

As far as freezing it goes, I puree it, sautee it in oil and then freeze it in ice cube trays. That works well for me. I wouldn't freeze it raw, though. I use frozen galangal because that's all I can get my hands on. If I could get it fresh, I would, as I don't like the effect freezing has on it (spongeyness).

[andiesenji]

Ginger will live quite happily in a pot of a mixture of potting soil, sand and vermiculite or even sand, potting soil and shredded paper - like the stuff offices produce so much of.......

Get a pot about 8-10 inches in diameter and 6-8 inches deep.

Fill the pot 2/3 with the soil mixture and pat it firm, lay the corms or rhizomes (if they are quite large, break them into sections) flat on the soil, cover with additional soil so it is just under the surface.

You don't want to keep the soil damp, but you don't want it to dry out completely either.

Give it a little water, about once a week, keep it in a window and turn it every so often.

It will put up shoots and the rhizome will grow new "toes" --

When you need some just pull up the entire piece, break off what you need, let it set on top of the soil overnight for the broken place to "heal" then re-plant it.

I grow a lot of ginger both in ground and in large pots (actually half barrels) and some is left in the ground all winter, with a deep layer of straw and a tarp over it. Even with the cold temps it will still send up some shoots during the cold months.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I have eaten and cooked with andiesenji's homemade crystallized ginger and I can testify that she does know a great deal about the subject! I use it in so many different recipes ... and have been known to pull it out just to nibble on ... a public and very vibrant thanks to you here, Andie!

[Behemoth]

I've had no problem freezing ginger for months in a ziploc.  I don't ever thaw it, just shave what I need off the frozen root with a stout cleaver, then chop it.  Works for me.  It wouldn't work if you needed a lot of ginger at one time - but in that case I'll buy fresh.

I like Behemoth's idea, but I live on the 28 floor of sealed building.  No root cellar.  No smoker, no BBQ, no garden.  Oh well.

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No no, not a root cellar. Literally shove it into a flowerpot filled with dirt. Some sun is nice but it doesn't need a lot. Water it once in a while. It is hard to kill actually. I had to leave town for two months before mine died.

edit: oops, I see andie beat me to it.

Edited December 15, 2004 by Behemoth (log)

[scott123]

Fill the pot 2/3 with the soil mixture and pat it firm, lay the corms or rhizomes (if they are quite large, break them into sections) flat on the soil, cover with additional soil so it is just under the surface. 

You don't want to keep the soil damp, but you don't want it to dry out completely either. 

Give it a little water, about once a week, keep it in a window and turn it every so often.

It will put up shoots and the rhizome will grow new "toes" --

When you need some just pull up the entire piece, break off what you need, let it set on top of the soil overnight for the broken place to "heal" then re-plant it. 

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Is setting it 'on top of the soil' just to allow the exposed are to dry up? Could you set it anywhere? Or does the exposed area need to be touching soil?

Is the window for warmth? What temps does Ginger like?

How fast does ginger grow? Is this pot method a way of preserving ginger you buy or does it actually yield enough ginger to provide a supply?

[andiesenji]

You don't want to put a freshly broken piece into the ground as it can be attacked by fungus (although you should not have any in good potting soil which is usually "sterilized").

It take about a day for the broken or cut surface to heal, actually the open part of the exposed cut cells shrink to preserve moisture in the rhizome. Press a tissue wrapped around your finger against the cut or broken spot and if you can't see moisture on the tissue then it is okay to bury it again.

Depending on how much light and heat the pot gets, after it puts up shoots, the rhizome will grow new "toes" (some people call them fingers but they look like toes to me.)

The folks that came to the SoCal potluck can tell you that I grow some huge ginger - it really likes the sandy, alkaline soil here and the high temps of summer really accelerates it, even though this is desert.

In this photo, you can see at the lower left a faint X on the ginger. We mark the piece we plant and the rest of this "hand" grew from that one piece in about 5 1/2 months as this was planted in April and harvested October 4 this year.

[scott123]

Andiesenji, thanks!

[scott123]

Andiesenji, I've been making a lot more Thai food as of late. Do you have any idea if your process will work with galangal?

[andiesenji]

Andiesenji, I've been making a lot more Thai food as of late. Do you have any idea if your process will work with galangal?

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There are a couple of different varieties of galangal. Either can be grown in pots but need more warmth than ginger to grow vigorously and one needs more moisture in the soil.

I would experiment with two pots, keeping one more moist that the other and see which one grows best.

I don't have any now, but have grown it in the greenhouse with it placed near the heater and with a plastic "tent" over the pot and plant to keep it moist and warm.

I have a friend who lives in Chicago and grows both ginger and galangal in windowboxes (inside) which are placed right above a radiator that is below the window. She has a thick drape she places between the plants and the window at night to keep the cold from seeping in through the glass.

Tumeric can also be grown this way and it also requires more warmth and a little more moisture.