GROUND GINGER 16 OZ

DESCRIPTION

One of the oldest and most important spices is Ginger. It is made by simply drying out peeled fresh ginger root, then grinding it to a fine powder and it is pale yellow in color and should have a pungent, spicy smell to indicate freshness.

ORIGIN

A native of the tropical forests of southeast Asia, ginger is now widely grown in the West Indies, Hawaii, Africa, and Northern Australia. China and India are the biggest producers, but Jamaican ginger is said to be the best.

APPEARANCE & GROWTH

The Ginger plant grows up to 1m (3ft) on partly shaded slopes. It has narrow-pointed leaves and small yellow, purple-lipped flowers resembling irises. The hard, knobbly rhizome is about 2cm in diameter.

AROMA & TASTE

Ground ginger has a warm aroma with a fresh woody note and sweet, rich undertones. Its flavor is hot and slightly biting.

HEALTH BENEFITS

• Managing Nausea
• Preventing Stroke and Heart Disease
• Immune System Boost
• Fungal Infection Treatments
• Fungal Infection Treatment
• Pain Reduce
• Diabetes Treatment
• Improved Brain Function and Memory

USES

CULINARY- Ginger has numerous applications in sweet and savory coking. It is an essential ingredient of curry powder and other spice blends and is found in Gingerbread, cookies, cakes, puddings, pickles, and many Asian vegetable dishes. Ginger beer and wine are popular drinks, and, in the past, ginger was added to wine.

FOLK MEDICINE– The Greek physician dioscorides recommended ginger for the stomach as an antidote to poisons. It is still widely used in Asian medicine as a digestive aid. Ginger tea is a warming drink thought to improve the circulation. It also eases travel sickness, as does crystallized ginger.

MY FAVORITE GINGERBREAD COOKIES RECIPE

Here is my favorite gingerbread cookies recipe and one of the most popular Christmas cookie recipes

INGREDIENTS

• 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (159g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup (255g) molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour(450g)

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt butter, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, ground ginger, allspice/clove, and cinnamon
• Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, and beat in the egg.
• Whisk the baking powder and soda into the flour, and then stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. The dough will be very soft and sticky, but don't be tempted to add more flour; it'll firm up once it's chilled.
• Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a thick rectangle. Wrap well and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer. The dough may be sticky and hard to roll if not thoroughly chilled, so make sure it's cold before continuing.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Get out several baking sheets; there's no need to grease them, though lining with parchment saves effort on cleanup.
• Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean work surface. Roll the dough 1/8" to 1/4" thick; the thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the cookies will be. Flour both the top and bottom of the dough if it starts to stick. Alternatively, place the dough on parchment, and put a sheet of plastic wrap over it as you roll, pulling the plastic to eliminate wrinkles as necessary when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need for additional flour.
• Cut out shapes with a floured cookie cutter, cutting them as close to one another as possible to minimize waste.
• Transfer the cookies to ungreased cookie sheets (or, if you've rolled right onto the parchment, remove the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies just until they're slightly brown around the edges 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they're set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Decorate the cookies with icing, if desired.