Today, ginger root is becoming more popular. And this is not surprising - it has a lot of useful, healing properties. Therefore, many are wondering how and in what way it is better to preserve it. The storage methods of ordinary and unusual, as well as shelf life, will be discussed later.

What ginger can be stored without loss of quality

For storage, you should buy only a fresh, resilient product.

When choosing, adhere to such rules:

If ginger does not meet all these characteristics, his taste and healing qualities are lost. It is better to carefully scrub the skin or peel it off with a stiff brush while washing the product.

Important! When cleaning the root, a small layer of the peel is removed, since most of useful elements are contained precisely under the skin.

How to store the root at home

At home, the healing product can be stored in different ways: in the refrigerator compartment, in dried form, in marinade or grated.

Fresh

Fresh plant can be stored in a cold place or at a temperature of + 23 ... + 25 ° C. It is the temperature readings that affect the shelf life of the product. In a cooler place, the spice will not dry for 2-3 weeks. It is simply pre-washed and packaged in a sealed plastic or paper bag. The peel in this case is not peeled - the plant dries quickly and begins to deteriorate. The peel is removed only before putting the spice in the dish.

Purified

There are many storage options for peeled ginger.

But the most popular are:

1. The prepared root is poured with white wine or a stronger drink (for example, vodka). The container is tightly closed and placed in a cool place.
2. The peeled product is poured with freshly squeezed lime juice. The vessel is tightly closed (so that every useful property of the ginger root remains unchanged) and placed in a cool place.
3. The prepared root is poured with boiled water and cools to a temperature of + 23 ... + 25 ° C. The container is hermetically sealed and cleaned in a refrigerator or other cool place.

Important! In all cases, the blanks are stacked in a clean glass dish.

Sliced

Shredded ginger is ideal for tea additives. You can save it in the same ways as the purified product.

Dried root

Ginger can be prepared for future use by drying it. Dried root retains all the beneficial qualities. The drying method is convenient to use when processing a large number of roots.

The drying procedure consists of the following operations:

1. The product is washed under running water and allowed to dry. Dirt and deposits should not remain at the root. Then the product is laid out on a cotton cloth and allowed to dry at a temperature of + 23 ... 25 ° C. It will not lose its properties if it is previously scraped off the skin.
2. Cut the plant into thin slices. So it dries better.
3. Cover the baking sheet with parchment, lay out the product and send it to the oven. Set the temperature to 50 ° C, the processing time - 60–70 minutes on each side.
4. If after a certain time the pieces break easily, then they can be taken out.

Dried ginger is decomposed in glass, hermetically sealed containers. You can store no more than 2 years. Before use, the product is soaked for 6-8 hours.

Ground

The shelf life of the ground root is preserved for a long time. Get it by grinding a dry product or get ready-made powder. It is most convenient to store such a product in paper bags, but it is best to use sealed glass containers - they protect the powder from moisture.

Marinated

Ginger will not lose its qualities even with the use of marinade. A pickled product will have a unique taste. There are several varieties of marinade in which you can save ginger root.

Preparation is not particularly difficult: pour the slices of the root marinade mixture and keep it in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks. And the marinade left after using the main product can be used as an additive to various dishes and sauces. You can store the product in the marinade for no more than a month. A place to save is a refrigerator.

Video: how to pickle ginger

Grated

In this form, the plant is stored in the same way as peeled or chopped.

Ginger oil

Such a product can be purchased at the pharmacy or prepared independently.

This process is quite complicated, so you should familiarize yourself with the secret of cooking:

1. Washed and peeled root is ground (in cubes or on a fine grater). Young specimens can simply be washed well.
2. The grated product is poured into a glass container and poured with vegetable oil. It is important that the oil is odorless. Therefore, for these purposes, peanut, olive or corn is suitable.
3. The dishes are covered and set aside in a dark place for 20–25 days.

Important! Ready-made products are often supplemented with sandalwood, peanut and other oils, which can cause allergies or go poorly with medications. Therefore, before use, a doctor's consultation is required.

The infused product is filtered. The second version of ginger oil can be used as food. Also, as in the first case, the root is ground (you can chop or grate) and fry in oil over low heat. Ginger oil can have high biological activity, so in its pure form it is not recommended.

Decoctions and infusions

When preparing decoctions or tinctures, it must be borne in mind that at room temperature they can be stored for only 3 hours. If a refrigerator is selected as the storage location, then the time increases to 5 days. In this case, the containers must be hermetically sealed.

Did you know? If we translate the word "ginger" from Sanskrit, we get the "horned root".

Tea ginger

Open ginger root is not recommended to be stored, as it loses its characteristic aroma. Especially if the product is used as an additive to tea. And storing the root for tea drinking is quite simple.

The recipe is as follows:

1. If in some methods it is not recommended to peel ginger, then in this method peeling is performed first. Then the product is ground.
2. Lemon (a small part) is added to the crushed root and the whole is poured with honey.
3. The mixture is poured into a glass container and sealed. Keep the stock in the refrigerator.

If you want to give tea a wonderful aroma and improve your health, add 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture to the cup. You can store such a composition for 3-4 weeks.

Mix with lemon and honey

Such a composition is effectively used as a prophylaxis against colds: it will help both improve the appearance and recover from the flu or other viral diseases.

All the constituent components have unique, healing and regenerative properties, and when combined, they will simply have an amazing effect. For cooking, take fresh lemon (4 pcs.), Ginger root (400 g) and natural honey (400 g).

Further adhere to this instruction:

1. In a meat grinder, lemon is ground together with peel and ginger (grated is also suitable).
2. The mixture is poured with honey.
3. Mix, spread in a glass container and tightly close.

The mixture is stored in a refrigerator for no longer than 10-14 days.

Candied fruit

This option is ideal for lovers of oriental sweets. In the form of candied fruit, ginger can be kept for no more than six months.

The recipe is simple:

1. The peeled root is cut into cubes and boiled for about an hour.
2. Syrup is prepared in a separate container (200 g sugar per 120 ml water), brought to a boil.
3. Boiled roots are placed in the syrup and boiled for another 50-60 minutes.
4. The syrup is drained, and the pieces are laid out on a baking sheet, having previously laid parchment on it.
5. Candied fruits are dried in an oven at a temperature of + 50 ° C.

In the end, if desired, pieces can be sprinkled with powdered sugar.

In fridge

It is best to keep the spicy root in the cold - subzero temperature allows you to well preserve the freshness of the product for a long period of time. The uncleaned root is simply wiped with a napkin and put into storage.

Did you know? There is a hypothesisthat the people of China and India were able to avoid serious epidemics thanks to the regular use of ginger.

In the refrigerator, you can save the plant in various ways:

1. Cling film. So the root will retain its elasticity longer.
2. Bag for freezing. Ginger is wrapped in a napkin and packed in a bag for freezing, releasing air. This method prevents the formation of mold and allows you to save the raw product up to 20-25 days.
3. Vegetable compartment. You can just lay the root without packaging and separately from other vegetables. Therefore, the product can be stored for no longer than 10 days.

In the freezer

The easiest way to save the product at home is freezing. The crude root is packed and put into the freezer compartment. After defrosting, all useful elements, as well as taste and aroma, will be preserved.

You can grind the plant in a blender or on a fine grater before sending it for storage. The mass is put in a bag, tightly closed and put into the freezer. Frozen mass can be stored no more than six months.

Unusual storage methods

Along with standard methods of processing products, a spice such as ginger is well preserved even with rather unusual methods.

With alcohol

You can marinate the ginger root in an alcohol-containing liquid - the useful potential of the plant will not change from this. The peeled root is simply placed in a sealed container and filled with alcohol.

Important! All alcohol-containing marinades in one way or another change the taste of the root.

Most often in the role of preservative they use:

• vodka;
• sake;
• dry sherry;
• rice wine.

Vodka less than all marinade mixtures changes the aroma and taste of ginger. Some advise squeezing ginger juice and mix it with strong alcohol (alcohol, vodka). As a separate food product, this mixture cannot be used, but it will serve as an excellent additive in the preparation of meat or various sauces.

In sugar filling

The taste of ginger will change a little if you keep it candied. The purified product is cut into thin slices, dipped in sugar syrup and boiled for 10-15 minutes. A syrup is prepared at the rate of 1 part water to 1 part sugar. Such a product should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 30 days.

You can use another way. A distinctive condition is processing in the oven. Slices of ginger poured with sugar syrup are boiled until thickened. Ginger is taken out and the sweet liquid is allowed to drain.

Then the pieces are rolled in sugar, laid out on a baking sheet and dried. Such a dry product can be kept at room temperature, but exclusively in an airtight package. The remaining syrup will serve as a good addition in the preparation of ale.

In honey

Loss of healing properties is minimized, if honey is used while preserving it - it is an excellent preservative. In addition, such a product will be indispensable for colds. The recipe for the drug is simple. The root is grated and mixed with honey. All components complement each other and enhance the action of beneficial components.

In vacuum jars and bags

For a long time to preserve the properties of ginger really with the help of vacuum packaging or containers. As in many recipes, before sending to the bookmark, the roots are washed and dried. Then they are wrapped with cling film.

Treated specimens are laid out in bags, tightly closed and air sucked out. Spice packaged in this way is stored in a cool place for 15–20 days. The freezer compartment can be kept for up to 6 months.

Ground storage

Perfectly stored ginger composed of peat, sand and decayed plant debris, taken in equal quantities. If you place the container with the root in a place with diffused light and create moist conditions, an interesting plant will grow, the foliage of which can be used as an additive to tea or salads.

How long can ginger be stored

A useful complex of a ginger plant can not always last long - it all depends on the specifics of its processing. As long as possible, the quality of this product can be maintained if the drying method is applied.

If all the rules are followed, such a root can be kept up to 2 years. If the ginger is frozen, then its qualities last 6-12 months. Least of all, the quality remains unchanged in ginger decoctions - they are used within 3-5 hours after preparation.

How to keep the ginger root at home, everyone decides for himself. But, regardless of the chosen method, remember that at home you will always have a miraculous product that will help get rid of many ailments and serve as a wonderful seasoning for many dishes.