Ginger is such a versatile spice to have in your kitchen. While I love fresh ginger, having it dried and powdered is a total game-changer for easy measuring and seasoning. The best part? You can actually dry your own homegrown ginger root and turn it into your very own custom spice!
Harvesting in the Fall
The best time to harvest your ginger is in the autumn, usually once the leaves have started to die back. Because ginger takes its sweet time to grow, you might find that your roots aren’t “fully” mature yet. No worries, though! You can still harvest those rhizomes; they just won’t stay fresh in the fridge as long as mature ones. That’s exactly why processing them right away—like drying them—is such a smart move.
Just make sure you get them out of the ground before the first frost hits, as freezing temps will ruin the roots. Since ginger grows wide rather than deep, use a garden fork and start digging a little distance away from the base of the plant. This helps you avoid accidentally stabbing and damaging those precious rhizomes.
Prepping Your Ginger
Once you’ve got your harvest, give the roots a good scrub to get all that dirt off. Pro tip: only wash the pieces you’re planning to use immediately. Any leftovers should be stored in a cool, dark spot until you’re ready for them—or until you’re ready to start growing new ginger plants!
Next, you’ll want to peel the ginger. You can use a knife, but you end up losing a lot of the good stuff that way. For larger pieces, I love using the “spoon trick”—just scrape the skin off with the edge of a spoon. It works like a charm, especially on fresh roots.
After peeling, grate the ginger finely. You’ll notice a lot of juice coming out; go ahead and squeeze the grated ginger to get as much liquid out as possible. This actually speeds up the drying process! Don’t toss that juice, though—collect it to boil down into a syrup or freeze it for later.
Drying Your Ginger
Take your grated ginger and spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keeping the layer thin is the secret to getting it dry quickly.
Pop the tray into the oven at about 120°F (50°C). Keep the oven door cracked open just a tiny bit to let moisture escape. Give it a stir every now and then so it dries out evenly. Once it’s completely brittle and dry, you can toss it in a grinder to make a fine powder.
Dried ginger is perfect for adding a little kick to your recipes. It’s also great for your health—I love using it in the winter because of its natural warming effect. And here’s a fun fact: in small amounts, ginger is even safe for dogs!