Ginger preserves

I love Duerr's Ginger preserves. I would like to attempt to make the preserves myself. In the past I have made dried ginger. Dried ginger is made by boiling the sliced ginger in water then cooking in a corn syrup and sugar mixture.

Candied Ginger

About 3 cups of peeled and sliced fresh ginger.
2 cups sugar used 1 cup at a time
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
¾ cup water

Place sliced ginger in a saucepan. Cover with water. Simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with fresh cold water, and simmer until tender. Add additional water when necessary. It takes a while to get tender. Continue To drain the water and add fresh. This reduces the intensity of the ginger.

To candy the ginger, in a large saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, the corn syrup and the ¾ cup of water. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Brush down the sides of the pan with warm water. Add the ginger and cook gently over low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and let stand over night. Bring to simmer. Then let cool a bit and drain. (The syrup drained off is rather good) Spread 1-cup sugar and roll the ginger in it until coasted well. Place ginger on wax or parchment paper and let dry. Store in refrig with waxed paper or parchment dividing layer of ginger in an airtight container. Keeps up to 4 months.

Duerrs Preserves lists the ingredients as: Sugar. ginger, corn syrup, fruit pectin and citric acid. I know the pectin is used to cause the mixture to "jell" and citric acid is so that the ginger doesn't darken. I would substitute just a tad of lemon juice for the citric acid but don't have any idea how much pectin I would need. Any suggestions?

[Jenise]

Celia and her husband Pete are masters at making jams, I'll bet she'll have a qualified opinion for you.

Why would one want to purposely reduce the intensity of the ginger?

I keep fresh ginger root for cooking by pickling it in alcohol. I peel and wash the excess ginger root, then immerse it in a jar of Zhenka 100 proof vodka (the cheapest high-octane ethanol--something like Everclear might do even better) and keep it stored in the refrigerator. The ginger lasts for months this way, and you can just use whatever portion you need when a recipe calls for fresh ginger. And one can have loads of fun with the ginger-flavored vodka that's left over.

For candied ginger, I like your recipe. I echo the use of lemon or lime juice in place of citric acid (I would actually have expected to see ascorbic acid). I'd be tempted to use palm sugar or honey something like that in place of corn syrup (which I don't happen to like very much).

-Paul W.

Concerning strength of the ginger: Not everyone can handle the intensity of flavor. Making it a bit milder causes people to have a number of pieces rather than one explosive one that captures your taste buds for quite a while. They act as palate cleansers and breath fresheners.

Paul: I am not a corn syrup fan myself. Palm sugar sounds interesting.