This past Tuesday in San Francisco, I did the first of the Tuesday market chef demos, which will be held every other week through the summer. Using lots of produce available now in the market, I demonstrated Enchiladas Suizas with chicken and spinach and a creamy tomato sauce and Indian-flavored Dal (lentil stew) with market tomatoes and chard. The dal recipe calls for "crushed ginger from a jar" in my book, but that day I used fresh ginger since one of the farmers had it for sale.

Coincidentally, a reader from Omaha, NE, sent me an email asking what "ginger from a jar" was. It's a great product that comes in small jars like those that hold minced or crushed garlic. I often find both the ginger and garlic products in my produce section at Safeway or other large markets. Even Trader Joe's now has crushed garlic in a jar, although I prefer the minced product. But ginger in a jar is a great thing to have on hand. It retains its flavor well and the peeling and getting rid of the fibrous strands are already done.

However, if you have fresh ginger root, you can peel it (use the tip of a spoon to just take off the papery skin) and cut it into 1-inch chunks. Freeze them in a resealable bag and then grate them directly from the freezer using a Microplane or rasp grater. That way, the root won't get dried out or moldy, as it sometimes does in the fridge when you keep it for too long.