Fresh Ginger . . . . Ground Is No Substitute!

When I was in college in the 70's, a friend who had spent time in the orient taught me how to make some wonderful dishes using ginger. I used the ground powdered style for years, even after I got married. I finally was told what ginger root was and decided to try it. So much better!

Since we got some in our Asian Pack with Bountiful Baskets, so I thought I would post about it as I processed it for storage. Sorry I forgot to take a picture before I started. Here I am peeling it with a small sharp knife. It is fairly fibrous and a little tough, but you'll quickly get the hang of it.

Grate it on a grater made for fine shredding. The regular size makes it way too course. If you notice down in the left corner, you will see the fibrous material that collects on the top surface. Just toss that . . . feels like straw in your mouth . . . . not so good!

Here is the pulp that makes everything taste better! Rub the lose material from the underside of the grater. Some of the fibrous material will stick to the grater. Pull it off once in a while and add it to your waste pile. The next piece will grate better if that doesn't build up too much.

The juicy pulp on the surface of the cutting board is also what you cook with.

I put 1/2 teaspoon scoops on the cellophane wrap.

Set into the freezer until frozen.

Next I will put them into a bag to keep

them until I am ready for use.

I do this with a lot of foods that will have better or

more flavor when fresh. Freezing will preserve

that flavor better than heat preservation or drying.

I was married for several years before we could buy a freezer. It sure changed my way of cooking in many ways. I have found that has been one of my problems cooking with strictly pantry items. My taste has changed a lot! I am still working at it and will be posting more ideas as I relearn all of my old tricks!