Carmalized Ginger Treats

I don't do boats.  Cars can be a nightmare and my daily bus ride into the office is a coin toss on whether or not I'll be nauseous for the remainder of the AM.  If there was a annual Motion Sickness Parade I'd be leading it.  An accident as a teenager left me with a messy equilibrium so anything that takes me off my feet and moving can set me off. 


Because I'd rather try something natural than take a sleep inducing Dramamine, I did some internet surfing and found that ginger has been aiding upset stomachs for years.  Think ginger ale.  So I bought some of those rather expensive ginger candies from a local delicatessen.  Since then I have kept a few in the glove box, in my purse, pockets of my coats and it's been doing the trick.  I start feeling the heatwave and head spin come on, pop one in my mouth, close my eyes and it mellows me out enough until I can get to my destination.

I power through a box of them every couple of weeks so I thought I might try my hand at some homemade candied ginger that would be easier on my budget and made with the ingredients in my kitchen.  If you exchange gifts for the holidays, these would also make a nice seasonal treat or just something to have on hand in your natural medicine cabinet.

 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2-1 lb organic ginger
• 1-2 cups Stevia 'cup for cup' (of course you can use real sugar, but I try to stay away from the stuff)

Here we go!

Peel the ginger.

Thinly slice the ginger.  Thinner the better!

Add the pieces to a medium sauce pan with enough water to cover and simmer for about an hour.  Add more water as needed and return to a simmer.  The longer you let them boil the better.  I boiled mine for about 45 minutes, but I think next time around I'll boil for longer.

While this is going on, get some 'sugar' water ready.  Mix up a cup or two of Stevia in equal parts to water.  I say 'a cup or two' because i started with 1:1 and ended up needing more.  You'll want enough to just cover the cooked ginger.

Drain your cooked ginger and add your Stevia water to the pot, add the ginger and return to a hard boil, stirring constantly.  You'll want to keep this boil going for about 20 minutes, the ginger will start to become translucent and swell.

When the ginger has softened to your liking, add some more Stevia to a bowl or plate and toss a few pieces  of the ginger at a time in the sweetener to coat.  Place the coated pieces on a cookie sheet to dry.

I let mine sit out over night and by the next day they were firm, and dissolved quickly in my mouth.   A nice spice and very sweet!  A half pound of ginger filled a little more than a pint mason jar.

And get creative with it!  An idea I have for next time is to simmer some peppermint and lemon balm from my herb garden to make the sugar water.  Maybe it will give the ginger a different flavor?

I'll let you know how it goes next time around!