The ginger at Coffs Community Gardens is ready for harvest.  A good way to preserve it is to pickle it.  Pickled ginger is gorgeous added to sushi or rice paper rolls or stir fries or noodle dishes or dipping sauces.

You need very fresh young ginger to pickle. Peel the ginger and slice as thin as you can.  Very fresh ginger is easy to peel, just using the side of a spoon to scrape the thin skin off.  It’s fairly easy to cut very thin too since it’s firm and crisp.

For each 150 grams of ginger, add 2 good teaspoons of salt.  Massage through and let the ginger sit for half an hour.

Meanwhile, sterilise some jars by boiling for  for 20 minutes or pressure cooking for 10, and make a hot pickling liquid by dissolving ¹/3 cup sugar in ½ cup rice wine vinegar.  Pack the salted ginger into the hot sterilized jars and pour the hot sugared vinegar over.  Put the lids on and let it cool.  The lids should pop in. It will last for months like this in the fridge. It will develop a beautiful pale rosy bloom, not the pink of bought ginger that is artificially coloured but a softer peach colour.