A Jar (Almost) Full of Ginger

Being a Johnston by nature, if no longer by name, you know I just LOVE preserved ginger. If the scarcity of said ginger is any indication, there are apparently NO Johnstons in North America. In all the years I've been here I've found it just once, and that was in such a wee little jar I'm sure you'd all feel embarrassed for it.

It's taken a few years (procrastination being another Johnston trait I have in abundance), but I finally got around to making my own. I got the recipe from Mum on one of my visits home, and it's been waiting hopefully for me to get organised ever since.

I was optimistically waiting until I came across some nice, young, pinkish ginger, which is what the recipe calls for. I finally gave up, and got some ginger that looked like it might at least be closer to middle age than fossilisation and gave it a bash.

The process takes several days of soaking and syrup making, but I am happy to report the effort was worth it. The ginger is a little tougher than I would like, but it tastes just fine with plenty of warmth and not too much sweetness. I have developed a habit of nibbling on a few pieces whenever I wander through the kitchen, which is exactly why the jar is almost full of ginger.