Here's a Mother Earth News reader's recipe for making candied pieces of ginger root:


1 1/2 cups of water, or more if necessary
1 cup of granulated sugar or alternate sweetener
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup firm ginger root, peeled and sliced a quarter-inch thick
(optional: bittersweet baking chocolate or extra sugar for coating)


Bring the water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the sliced ginger and return to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Raw ginger takes three to five hours to cook completely. When thoroughly cooked, it should be tender and almost translucent. If the syrup cooks down too fast and doesn't cover the ginger, add more water. During the last hour or two of cooking, test the pieces to be sure they're done. If the syrup isn't thick enough (the consistency of honey) when the ginger is nearly done, remove the lid. As it thickens, the syrup will bubble up, so be alert to avoid a mess. When the ginger is finished, let the mixture cool for half an hour.

Strain the ginger pieces out of the syrup. (Save the ginger-flavored syrup in a jar with a tight lid for use on ice cream, pancakes, waffles, yogurt or to make ginger ale.) Let the ginger dry overnight on racks or a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Toss the ginger, a few pieces at a time, in a bowl of sugar. Let the well-coated pieces dry for a few hours on the rack or cookie sheet. If the pieces absorb too much sugar and get sticky, just recoat them.

Another way to finish candied ginger is to coat it in melted chocolate, kept warm in a small double boiler. Dip the pieces with a fork, tap off the excess and put the coated pieces on wax paper until they're completely dry.

Press two pieces of either the sugar-coated or chocolate-coated candy together. If they do not stick to each other, they are ready to store in a tightly-closed container.