sugared ginger: a homemade christmas gift idea
i started a tradition last year in this space, an edible homemade christmas gift idea that you could give and share with your family and friends, so to make it a tradition i kinda had to keep it going this year too! last years was pretty special, not only did i give you an idea for an edible gift but also a wellness beauty gift:
diy herbal face steam & white chocolate pistachio pomegranate bark
i also have some beautiful chocolate & almond coated mandarin slices that would make a lovely homemade christmas gift as well from the year before that:
but moving onto this years homemade gift idea...it actually came from a recipe post i did with the head chef at charlotte & the quail (you know my home away from home). she made the most amazing candied ginger i have ever had. actually to tell you the truth i have never liked candied, sugared, crystallized (whatever you want to call it) ginger. i have always found store ones to be overly processed and much too sweet and almost fake tasting, like truly i don't know if it is real ginger or not haha
this ginger that vic made was completely different. the ginger flavour is like nothing you will have ever tasted. it is fresh and clean and has a fiery kick to it! that fiery kick is awesome this time of year with all those nasty colds being spread around, one piece of this ginger and your sinus passage will be good as new! ahhhh you can breathe again and enjoy a sweet treat!
i don't use any processed sugars over here so this ginger can be made three ways....the ginger is first simmered down with water and cane sugar (you could use white if you prefer, and it would give it a lighter look than the darkness that the cane sugar gives the ginger but i much prefer the cane sugar taste plus you know refined sugar free ya da ya da ya da), then the sugar is left to dry a touch and get all tacky, which at this point you could leave it as is (which is what i did for my gifts this year) or you could give it that crystallized, candied look and taste by coating it in either cane sugar again or you could use white sugar. now of course white sugar gives it that beautiful wintery look but personally i much preferred the cane sugar taste to the white sugar (that may also be because i am just not used to much white sugar anymore).
which ever way you choose to coat the ginger (if you do, like i said i left mine without that final extra sugar coating and found it just, if not more, delicious) know your friends and family will love it, well as long as they like ginger!
i went to michael's to get these cute little glass containers to hand out to all my friends and family, with a sprig of winter fir and a sweet little flower wrapped with yarn this simple diy gift is complete.
never underestimate the power of a homemade gift, personally i prefer them to anything else these days. knowing the time spend making and putting the gift together just for me means so much more than running down to a store and buying something consumer like. it is that extra touch of special that this time of the year should really be all about.
you can find the sugared ginger recipe here over on the charlotte & the quail / nourish blogging space! you can also see some different pics from the shoot i did with vic's ginger!
