Ingredients
Organic Peruvian Ginger
So traditionally crystallised ginger is made using young ginger root, as the root is far softer and less fibrous, making it easier to work with. The cons of this is that the nutrients are less developed, meaning lower levels of iron and Vitamin C, which ginger is known to have high quantities of.
As the root grows naturally the nutrient content becomes more denser, getting boost of iron and Vitamin C.
The variety grown in Peru is an organic criollo variety, which is known to have a bolder taste and more gingerol present. Gingerol being what makes the ginger spicer and is an essential oil, which gives it the properties of being antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. So since my ginger has higher spice levels it means my crystallised ginger packs a punch. So a little bit goes a long way.
The varieties of ginger that are used range from the Chinese grown ginger, as well as the Australian grown ginger which the companies like Buderim Ginger and the Ginger People use. There are 2 varieties of ginger grown in Australia, Jumbo, also called Canton, and Queensland.
Onto the part where clean the ginger root for production. So as the ginger is organic, I see no need to remove all the skin that is perfectly edible, as it is just waste of extra nutrients and flavor if completely removed. I do remove blemishes on the surface of the ginger root where it is a bit gnarly or there is a blemish underneath. Even when cutting up the ginger I can find dark bits inside and I remove if it looks bad. I keep the scraps of ginger that I remove a the side and compost anything that would be good to boil.
Organic Raw Cane Sugar
Now with he various pieces of research that I undertook, the sugar content and visual sugar was a big pain point for customers, as I trailed through website review pages.
So currently my the sugar present in 100g of my crystallised ginger is 29g so just over a tablespoon. So not to bad. Incorporating sugar of course gives products varying shelf life.
Some other crystallised ginger on the Irish market range from 71g up to 85g sugar per 100g of product. The worst being the Gem Pack crystallised ginger. So really not the greatest approach to have a healthy snack.
I know my own product mightn’t be the best either for some people but I have chosen better quality ingredients so that I don’t lose the nutrition of the ginger and that it lasts a while once at home.
75% Peruvain Dark Chocolate
More to come about the chocolate that I use
Dates
There is a huge variety of dates, close to one hundred types spanning across Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey areas of the Middle East.
The dates that I use are Aseel dates originating from Pakistan. They have a better shelf life than the popular Medjool or Deglet Noor.
More to come
Cacao Powder
More to come about Cacao Powder
Whole Spices for my Spiced Ginger Syrup
More to come about the Whole spices that I use
New – Puffed Quinoa
More to come about the puffed quinoa that I use