Wild Ginger Syrup
Ellen Zachos, author of six books, is a foraging expert who lectures at flower shows and garden clubs.
Wild ginger syrup is equally delicious in sweet or savory foods. Use it as a base for ginger ice cream, sorbet, or granita, or, create a marinade for fish or chicken with wild ginger syrup, soy sauce, and peanut oil
Ingredients
- 14 grams (½ ounce) dried wild ginger stolons or 57 grams (2 ounces) of fresh stolons
- 100 grams (½ cup) sugar
Wild ginger (Asatum canadense) syrup can be made with fresh or dried wild ginger. The general rule for adjusting recipes from fresh to dried spices recommends using 1/4 as much dried as you would fresh. Dried spices have had all the water removed, which concentrates the flavor…that’s why you use less.
Preparation
1. Roughly chop the ginger and set it aside. Pieces should be from .6 to 1.2 cm (¼ to ½ inch) long.
2. In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar and 118 ml (½ cup) water and bring to a boil. To prevent scorching, continue to whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the ginger to the simple syrup and reduce the heat to a low boil. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes, until the liquid has the consistency of thin pancake syrup.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool, sitting for four hours to fully infuse the syrup with flavor. Strain the syrup into a bottle and refrigerate. If you have a dehydrator, dry the leftover ginger stolons and save them for baking or using in a dry rub. If you don’t have a dehydrator, freeze the stolons. You can steep them in gin or vodka to create a flavorful infused spirit..
To make homemade wild ginger ale, mix 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of syrup into 237 ml (8 ounces) of seltzer. Add ice and stir. If you’d like a more adult beverage, use the syrup with rum, bourbon, or vodka.
Ellen Zachos
Ellen Zachos is the foraging expert at About.com where she shares seasonal recipes and tips on foraging. To see more, go to foraging.about.com. She also works with RemyUSA, teaching foraging mixology workshops across the US. Ellen is a Harvard graduate and the author of six books including Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat. She lectures at flower shows and for garden clubs around the world.
Photo credit: Rob Cardillo
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