Insider’s Viewpoint: It’s Ginger Season!

As soon as Labor Day passed, fall was in full effect in stores across the country. Even though calendars revealed a few more lingering days of summer, we had officially been spiced! Everything now had hints of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger.

Ginger may be recommended for nausea and vomiting from motion or morning sickness. It has also been suggested for cancer patients, digestive upset, heart disease and to reduce pain associated with arthritis (University of Maryland Medical Center).

For many of us, the only form of ginger that touches our tongue is ground ginger. I, too, only enjoyed ginger sprinkled into my favorite baked goods until a chef taught me how to grate ginger with a microplane or cheese grater. How many times have you tried to get a vegetable peeler around those nooks and crannies of the ginger? It’s impossible. Using a microplane allows you to grate and go! Don’t even worry about the peel, just wash it before you grate.

Now that the cumbersome part of ginger no longer exists I am freed up to add fresh ginger to all sorts of foods.

Try Adding Freshly Grated Ginger to These Foods

• Fruit salad
• Roasted winter vegetables
• Yogurt
• Rice, couscous, quinoa
• Sweet potato, squash or carrot soups
• Stir Fry
• Oatmeal
• Mix with honey and orange juice for basting a chicken or turkey
• Baked apples or apple pie
• Mix with simple (or agave) syrup an seltzer water for homemade ginger ale
• Holiday baked goods