Trick to Mincing Ginger & Homemade Ginger Syrup

I love ginger. And it's not just because my son is the most handsome ginger I know. 

Here he is patiently waiting for his food at a farm to table dinner at Half Pint Farm in Burlington. He wanted me to shave him a mohawk and the kid has a funny ridge in his head so we ended up with an abstract one :) 

Ginger is a great ingredient- it makes it's appearance on our table frequently and after googling and researching we will try to grow some this summer. For now I pick up copious quantities of it cheaply anytime I can make it by Haymarket in Boston. Apparently, it's also known to have inflammatory characteristics and can possibly prevent skin cancers. Wow, yummy medicine!

I'm a little lazy though. So one day I decided to put it through my garlic press, because mincing ginger is not a favorite task of mine. Perfection. Not only did I yield way more ginger juice in the recipe but all of the fibers stayed in the press. And for you visual learners here are the pictures to prove it:

Put the piece of ginger in the garlic press. Don't even bother peeling it. However, I'm not going to lie, it's  easier if you peel it.

Holy ginger juice! That would have been wasted all over the cutting board.  Now take a knife and run it over the ginger hanging off the press. Anything that comes off easily will be used in your recipe. The stubborn fibers will remain.

If it didn't come off easily then don't worry about it. It's too tough to use and you're better off without it. 

This dry compacted fiber is what I took out of the press and composted when I was done.

Hope this helps you in your culinary pursuits! Read on for a ginger syrup recipe to make your own ginger ale.

We own a SodaStream. It has changed our life (and our finances). My husband drinks seltzer like it's going out of style and I hate buying soda. We don't drink a lot of soda but this past week the warrior princess had chicken pox. Joy.

In the early 30 count phase. Pox covered doll was a family joke. 

All the memories I have of being sick when I was younger revolve around getting to have ginger ale, a big deal in our soda-free household. So while home caring for the pox-covered princess I decided to take the pound of ginger I had recently purchased and make soda syrup. 

I used about 6 oz of ginger which looks like this.

Peel the ginger.

Slice it lengthwise into thin slices. 

Start a pan of simple syrup going over low heat. Use equal amounts of water and sugar. I used 2 cups of water & two cups of sugar which yielded a pint of finished syrup- one pint jar & a little bit to sample.

Once the sugar has melted into the water add the sliced ginger & simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. I love using a little of this in hot water with sliced lemon for a great cold-fighting ginger tea. You can also drizzle this over ice cream or over fruit.

Ginger-y delicious. Enjoy! We use roughly 1/3 cup per liter of soda- adjust to your taste.

Just be warned that this stuff is so yummy it may induce a happy ginger dance.