I just realized that I had some ginger root in the refrigerator. I had been having severe nausea for several days, so I bought it to make candied ginger. Of course, I forgot I bought it. Because that’s what I do.

If you’ve ever eaten candied ginger, you probably know it’s pretty yummy stuff. You may not know that it’s good for upset tummies, it fights inflammation (making it good for pain), and some think it can even fight certain types of cancer.

Making your own is way cheaper. And if you keep it in a jar, it keeps for about two weeks.

Okay, here we go. Peel fresh ginger root and slice it thin (about 1/8th of an inch thick). Bring a pot of three cups of water and three cups of sugar to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, throw in a cup of that sliced ginger root and let it boil for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it because sugar really holds the heat. It can easily boil over, as it did when I made this batch.

Now, drain the liquid off the ginger (but don’t throw it out!) and spread the pieces of ginger onto a cooling rack with wax paper under it. After a half hour, toss it in some sugar and let it finish cooling on another sheet of wax paper. If you want, you can skip the extra sugar and just put it in a covered dish in the fridge. That’s actually what I did the first time I made it. Then, I just had a teaspoon full when I needed it. Of course, it isn’t technically “candied” ginger, but you still get the health perks.

Once it’s cool, put it in a jar or dish with a lid. You’ll have it to eat whenever you get a headache, sick stomach, or other aches and pains.

The liquid you drained off should go into another jar. Pop it in the fridge and use it like syrup or to sweeten drinks. I even put some in my Greek yogurt (cooled, of course). You could probably just have a tablespoon or so for an upset stomach as well. It’s good stuff!

If you are trying to avoid sugar, there is a great-looking recipe for honey-candied ginger at ThePaleoMom.com. I’m pretty sure I will try this next time because I really need to cut out as much sugar as possible. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think!