Crystallized Ginger

3/4 pound ginger root (pick easy to work with root with few branches - the younger the better, normal old root you find in stores can be pretty tough and stringy)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
More sugar for coating ginger

Instructions

Peel ginger and slice about 1/8 inch thick. Slicing diagonal or slicing the length of the root makes for bigger, easier to handle pieces, slicing across the root may be better for old, stringy ginger. Put ginger, sugar and water into pot. Bring to low boil, dissolve sugar in water, reduce heat and simmer for an hour or more. Check often to be sure water covers ginger and try not to boil over. Near end of simmer remove cover to reduce syrup a bit. 220 degrees is perfect but a thermometer is not necessary. Remove from heat and cool a little. With slotted spoon lift ginger from warm syrup and coat with sugar. Set on cookie sheet to cool and cure overnight. Put in sealed container, it should keep for 3 months or so.

Reserve syrup, it is delicious.

Try dipping crystallized ginger in chocolate (dipping chocolate recipe)

Use syrup for something!
1. Put a few tablespoons of syrup in glass, add club soda, enjoy over ice!
2. Marinade some maraschino cherries in syrup and club soda for a couple days. Dip in chocolate!!