Candied crystallized ginger.

Storing your ginger rhizomes in a cool, dark, spot is just one way of preserving your ginger. But there are several ways you can prepare your ginger to make it readily accessible for your next cooking or baking adventure!

Wet: Peel, trim, clean, and store in a clean glass container. Cover with vodka. When you’re done using the ginger in the jar, the leftover ginger-infused vodka makes a great cocktail or as an addition to recipes.

Dry: Peel then slice your ginger into uniformly thin slices. Put them into a dehydrator, or on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the oven at 115 degrees F for about four hours. Check every hour. Ginger is properly dehydrated when you see it curl, and when it makes a clattering bounce when you drop it on a plate.

Store dehydrated ginger in an airtight jar. Use a food mill or bladed coffee grinder to make ginger powder as needed. Put remaining dehydrated ginger in an airtight container.

Frozen: Put clean, trimmed ginger into a food processor and chop until the ginger has a pasty consistency; add a little water as needed. Spread the ginger paste onto a parchment paper-lined pan. Use a knife to make a grid on the surface of the ginger paste, to delineate future chunks of culinary deliciousness. Freeze.

When the ginger paste is completely frozen, break it into smaller pieces, using the score marks as a guide. Put your ginger “bricks” into labeled freezer bags.