How and where to properly store ginger at home fresh for the winter

Every housewife should know how to store ginger at home, because often it is not possible to use the entire rhizome entirely. To prepare the dish, only part of it is needed, and you need to keep the remaining root fresh until the next time. The shelf life of ginger will be determined by the storage method chosen. The root vegetable can be stored fresh, dried, pickled, in the form of juice or candied fruits.

Fresh root storage methods

The whole root can be kept in a dry cellar or basement along with the rest of the root vegetables at temperatures ranging from 0 ... + 4 ° C, wrapped in parchment paper or foil. It is important that the vegetable does not come into contact with light. In the absence of lighting and with an appropriate temperature regime, it can lie for up to 6-7 months. About once every 2-3 weeks, stocks must be sorted out, discarding rotten and moldy specimens.

The best way to store fresh ginger is in the refrigerator. If placed in a paper bag, it will keep fresh for 1 week in the vegetable compartment. The following manipulations will help to extend this period to at least 3-4 weeks:

• only fresh unpeeled root crops are selected, without foci of spoilage or mechanical damage;
• vegetables are gently wiped and dried with a paper towel;
• each copy is wrapped in a paper napkin or towel;
• vegetables wrapped in paper are placed in special plastic bags with fasteners or tightly wrapped with cling film (first, you need to remove air from the bag);
• the packages are placed in the fruit and vegetable compartment.

If the root has already been peeled, then ginger is stored in the refrigerator using the following technology:

• the rhizome is cut into pieces;
• cut slices are laid out in a glass container;
• the contents of the jar are poured with cold boiled water (wine, vodka, sake, lime juice);
• put up in the refrigerator.

In this way, the cut root vegetable can be stored for up to 2-3 weeks, while it does not lose most of its taste and useful qualities. Alcohol-containing liquids lengthen the shelf life to 7-8 weeks.

Freeze or not?

You can only store ginger in the refrigerator for a limited amount of time. Freezing is not the most successful, but demanded and longer storage method. The technology is as follows:

• the root vegetable is first peeled off (it is better to scrape it like a carrot, since the largest amount of nutrients is located under the thin skin);
• then the rhizome can be chopped on a coarse grater, and also cut into slices or strips;
• the prepared vegetable is laid out in individual food containers or plastic bags;
• placed in a freezer for storage.

The product does not require defrosting before use. This method can keep the ginger fresh for 10-12 months. It will have all the taste, but it will almost completely lose its beneficial properties. Therefore, it is better to try to find a place in the refrigerator and not freeze the roots.

We recycle and store

There is not always the possibility of long-term storage of ginger at home, sometimes it is necessary to urgently process the surplus of spices left after the preparation of a dish.

There are several ways:

1. Pickling. The root crop must be peeled, cut into thin slices (plates), then laid in layers in a ceramic or glass dish. A marinade is being prepared from 6 tbsp. l. granulated sugar, 4 tsp. salt and ½ cup of rice vinegar (based on 350 g of ginger). The solution is brought to a boil and pre-prepared vegetables are poured over it. After complete cooling, the workpiece is placed in the refrigerator for 6-7 hours. Then the product can be eaten, it retains its freshness and all food qualities for up to 3 months.
2. Alcoholic infusion. Unrefined ginger (30-40 g) is placed in an opaque container made of dark glass and 200 ml of medical alcohol (alcohol at least 70% by volume) is poured. Then insist in a warm and dark place for 2 weeks. The tincture is used only for medicinal purposes as a component for various mixtures and preparations; it must first be diluted with distilled water in proportions of 1: 4.
3. Ginger infused with alcohol. A whole rhizome without a skin, drenched in strong alcoholic drink (vodka, rum, sherry, etc.) in a glass jar or ceramic dishes, is stored in a dark and cool room (cellar, basement, pantry, etc.) for an infinitely long time. This product is added to baking dough, meat marinades, sauces, soups and broths.
4. Broth. Such a product is stored no more than 5 hours in the refrigerator and about 3 hours at room temperature, so it is prepared immediately before use. The root is finely cut (4-5 cm), 250 ml of pure cold water is poured, then placed in a water bath for 15-20 minutes, boiled under a lid. Remove from heat and cool.

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Dry storage

If there are a lot of root crops, then they can be dried. With this method of cooking, all the useful substances and vitamins are preserved in ginger, since they are not exposed to extremely low or high temperatures. The dry product is stored at room temperature and takes up very little space, which is always lacking in the refrigerator or freezer.

To get it right dry ginger, you must proceed as follows:

• wash rhizomes in running water, remove dirt and plaque;
• using a small knife or teaspoon, gently scrape off the peel;
• cut into thin strips, slices or plates (as transparent as possible so that the product dries better);
• cover a baking sheet with baking paper or parchment paper and put ginger pieces on it in 1 layer;
• dry in an oven for 1 hour at a temperature of about + 45 ... + 50 ° С;
• remove the baking sheet from the oven, then turn each piece to the other side;
• put in the oven for another 1 hour.

You can dry ginger naturally. To do this, spread the chopped vegetable on a flat surface (baking sheet, tray, cutting board), then put it in a well-ventilated dark room for 3-4 days.

Finished dry slices break well. They can be left intact or ground into powder. How much dried ginger can be stored depends on the storage location.At room temperature, in a container with a tightly closed lid, the dried product is stored for up to six months. You can keep it in the refrigerator for more than 2 years.

Before use, the slices are soaked for 15-20 minutes in cold water. They can be added to tea, various drinks, salads, meat dishes and desserts.

As an additive to desserts and drinks

A spicy root vegetable, finely chopped and mixed with any amount of honey, can be used as an addition to desserts and various home-made drinks. For those people who do not like sweets, there is an alternative ginger and lemon recipe. This interesting combination is well suited for making unusual sauces for meat and fish dishes, as well as for the production of drinks. Store such blanks in the refrigerator for no longer than 10-14 days.

In the off-season, when the risk of colds increases, ginger can be used to strengthen the immune system. The recipe for making a delicious health remedy is as follows:

• Peel and grate 120 g of fresh root vegetable;
• Remove the skin from 4 lemons and cut into cubes;
• mix both products and grind with a blender;
• transfer to a glass jar, then add 250-280 g of honey.

After preparation, the mixture is kept in the refrigerator, consumed in 1 tbsp. l. in a day.

Storage in the ground

Unpeeled ginger can be stored in a soil mixture made from humus, peat and dry river sand, taken in equal parts. The rhizome is laid out in a pot or box, covered with this soil and left in a dark and cool room (cellar, basement, pantry). If you move the container to a warm and lighted place, then the root stored in the ground will sprout. Greens are used in salads and as an additive to tea drinks.

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Candied fruit production

From peeled and cut into slices, strips or slices of ginger root, you can make an exquisite delicacy - candied ginger. They are prepared as follows:

• the rhizome (200-250 g) is freed from the peel and cut as needed (cubes, slices);
• the pieces are laid out in a saucepan, poured with 0.5 liters of water and cooked over low heat for 1 hour;
• sugar syrup is boiled separately from 200 g of sugar and ½ glass of water;
• cooked pieces of root must be thrown into a colander or sieve and allowed to drain;
• then they are laid out in a container with ready-made syrup and boiled for another 1 hour until transparent;
• line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put slices of boiled ginger on it in 1 layer;
• the pieces are slightly dried in the oven at a temperature not higher than + 40 ... + 45 ° С;
• then each slice is turned over to the other side and dried a little more in an oven;
• now the slices need to be rolled in powdered sugar or sand.

Ready candied ginger is placed in a tightly closed jar and stored in the refrigerator for no more than 30 days. Homemade candies are great for motion sickness and relieve nausea.

The right purchase is half the battle

Fresh ginger, which you can find in stores, is a dense, thick root covered with a thin skin. Skin color can be dark brown (almost black) or white. It depends on how the vegetable is pretreated. If the root crop after digging was cleaned mechanically and simply washed with water, then it retains a dark natural shade.

When treated with chlorinated solutions, the rhizomes become almost white.

The freshness of the ginger root directly affects the preservation of its original taste, aroma and useful consumer properties. The fresher the ginger, the longer the shelf life will be.

A quality vegetable should be:

• elastic and dense (a sluggish soft rhizome was dug out for a long time, it has been stored for a long time and during this time it has lost most of its useful qualities);
• heavy (flabby light root has lost moisture and has become less aromatic);
• smooth, dry and even, uniform color, without traces of damage, dents, dark spots, mold, rot;
• the peel is thin and smooth (too thick dense skin suggests that the root crop has been lying somewhere for a long time and is not fresh);
• the color of the juicy and dense pulp varies from light greenish-yellow to rich dark yellow (the older the plant, the darker the rhizome inside), the presence of coarse thick fibers in the pulp also indicates the age of the ginger bush.

The decision on how fresh a product is and how to store it must be made in the store. Vegetables that do not meet the necessary requirements will have poor taste and are poorly stored.

Possibilities of use

You can store ginger at home in several different ways that determine its further use. In cooking, ginger is used as follows:

• dry and fresh spices are used to season meat and fish dishes;
• pickled and dried slices are used in the preparation of sauces;
• ground dry spicy root vegetable is part of many spice mixtures (curry and others);
• ginger powder is added to baked goods: buns, cookies, muffins, gingerbread;
• grated fresh and frozen vegetables are used in various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, compotes and teas;
• pickled root vegetable is used in salads (especially in Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisines);
• candied thin plates of ginger can reduce bouts of nausea, improve digestion and appetite.

Due to the large number of useful components, ginger is widely used for medicinal purposes. It increases the body's defenses, normalizes hormonal levels, stabilizes the emotional and psychological state, and enhances metabolism. The spicy root has antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities, which makes it suitable for the treatment of colds. Ginger has been proven to be effective against malignant neoplasms.