How to Dehydrate Ginger
Dehydrate Ginger Root
I recently watched a documentary on ginger. Surprisingly, ginger was a major commodity in the middle ages. It was very expensive and hard to find. The program showed these almost life-sized cookie molds. They would make cookies to give to the bridal party on their wedding day. It was a special gift. I guess that is where the tradition of the gingerbread man at Christmas came from.
The documentary showed these smaller molds of the King of England. They would bake them and then coated with very fine sheets of gold. It was to display the wealth of the king. Did you know, talking about the death of the king was treason? They would hang people for that. But, apparently eating his image in cookie form was okay. Strange!! I’d be afraid to eat the king’s head from the cookie for fear of losing my own head and I don’t even like gingerbread. (HA!)
I bought a fresh ginger root at the farmer’s market to add dehydrate ground ginger to my spice rack. It is truly amazing how ginger is now just an everyday spice.
Spice Facts
Ginger root is closely related to cardamom and turmeric. Grown originally in the tropical rainforest of the Indian Sub Continent of South Asia. Ginger didn’t arrive in Europe until the spice trade. It was one of the spices commodities. It is a rhizome (root) that is fibrous and dry.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans would steep it in boiling water to make ginger tea.
The common dishes to have ginger root is seafood, meat, and vegetarian. Ginger used in powder form makes gingerbread cookies, crackers, cakes, ginger ale, and ginger beer. Turn ginger into a soft confectionary by cooking it in sugar. Called candied or crystallized ginger. Ginger can be eating raw by peeling the skin off. It saves well in the refrigerator or freezer.
Medical Issues
Ginger root can be both helpful and bad for people with medical problems. I remember drinking a lot of ginger ale when I was going through chemo. It would settle my nausea and helped keep me from vomiting. The nurse said that they also suggest it during pregnancy to help with morning sickness.
On the bad side, it can cause heartburn and if not chewed completely can block the intestines. It can cause ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, blocked intestines, and gallstones. It also interferes with certain medications such as anticoagulants, warfarin, and aspirin.
Dehydrating
This is what a fresh ginger rhizome looks like. Rinse off dirt and debris before you begin.
My dehydrator is a Nesco Snackmaster Express. It has a top-mount fan to blow down on the food. This can be dehydrated with any machine.
The clean screen mesh screens are great for products that are small and will fall through the regular tray. Leather roll-up trays can also be used.
Use a “Y” peeler. Peel the skin off of the outside of the rhizome. Rinse thoroughly again.
I grate the ginger by using the grater blade on the food processor. You can also grate the ginger by hand if you have a hand grater or a mandolin with a grater plate.
Pour and scatter the grated ginger onto the clean mesh screens. Ready for drying.
Stack your trays in the dehydrator. Set the dehydrator to 110 degrees for 6-8 hrs.
Ginger is dry when it feels pliable and leathery. The color will darken as it drys.
I used a coffee grinder to turn my ginger root into ground ginger powder. A blender or food processor can also be used to ground and powder your ginger. However, it may not get it as fine as a coffee grinder.
I store my ground ginger in a spice jar.
Enjoy the ginger!
Print Directions
Dehydrating Ginger
Equipment
- Dehydrator
- Mesh Screen
Ingredients
- 1 piece Fresh Ginger Root
Instructions
- Add mesh screen to dehydrator tray
- Take the fresh ginger rhizome and rinse off dirt and debris before you begin.
- Use a “Y” peeler. Peel the skin off of the outside of the rhizome. Rinse thoroughly.
- Grate the ginger by using the grater blade on the food processor. You can also grate the ginger by hand if you have a hand grater or a mandolin with a grater plate.
- Pour and scatter the grated ginger onto the clean mesh screens. This is ready for drying.
- Place your trays in the dehydrator. Set the dehydrator to 110 degrees for 6-8 hrs.
- Ginger root is dry when it feels pliable and leathery. The color will darken as it drys.
- Use a coffee grinder to turn the ginger root into ground ginger powder. A blender or food processor can also be used to ground and powder your ginger. However, it may not get it as fine as a coffee grinder.
- Store the ground ginger in a spice jar or container with an airtight lid.
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*Update 2021
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