This is what it says at the Cook's Thesaurus. ginger = ground ginger = powdered ginger Notes: Recipes for baked goods often call for ground ginger. Don't confuse this with fresh ginger root, which is used mostly in Asian dishes. Substitutes: crystallized ginger (Substitute 1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger for every 1 teaspoon ground ginger called for in recipe. Rinse sugar off ginger first. This is an excellent substitution in many baked goods.) OR ginger root (Substitute 2 tablespoons grated ginger root for every teaspoon ground ginger called for in recipe. For best results, substitute only half the ground ginger in recipe with fresh ginger.) OR cardamom OR allspice OR cinnamon OR mace OR nutmeg Personally, I think a 1/2 c. of minced crystalized ginger for 1 t. ground ginger would be WAY too much. \-Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: [The Cook's Thesaurus \- European Spices](http://www.foodsubs.com/SpiceEur.html)

Don't be afraid to plant ginger because it is invasive - it grows fairly slowly and is easy to dig up. You would have to have a tiny yard to worry about ginger being invasive - I can eat it faster than it can grow, and it is an attractive plant. I love the flowers because they are so fragrant. If you have neighbors who have invasive ginger growing in their yards, perhaps they can give you some. I go through a lot of ginger root (and just used up the last that I have today), and I use it whenever I make Tom Yom soup. To the soup I add Kaffir lime, lemongrass, and Yuzu juice, all of which I get from my back yard. I grow Kaffir lime and Yuzu in large wooden planters, but I grow the lemongrass in the ground. Right now it is still too hot to enjoy soup, but I made it anyway and included a Habanero chili in the batch that I made. I also use garlic in the soup, and garlic is a good accompaniment to ginger in many dishes. I also use ginger root in Indian dishes, especially garbanzo and lentil stews.

Bamia (sweet & sour okra) 1 lb small okra pods 2 tbls EVOO 1 tbls honey Salt & pepper to taste 1 tbls lime juice ½ cup water Wash okra and pat dry. Top and tail it, discarding any blemished or hard pods Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and sauté okra 3-5 minutes, turning each pod once. Add the honey, salt, pepper, lemon juice and water. Cover, lower heat, and simmer 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until pods are tender. Source: Traditional Egyptian dish. Stewed Chickpeas & Okra 2 tbls oil 1 cup okra in ½-inch slices ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped green pepper 1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes ¼ tsp oregano ¼ tsp ground cumin 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp red pepper 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas Heat oil over medium high heat in saucepan. Add the okra, onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the spices. Stir in the chickpeas, bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, ten minutes. Source: "Wholesome Harvest" Okra Crustini 12-15 okra, sliced 6 garlic cloves, minced 2-4 paste tomatoes, diced handful basil, chopped white wine salt & pepper to taste Olive oil French bread Diagonally cut French bread about 3/8 inch thick. Brush with olive oil and toast both sides, preferably over a charcoal fire; of in the broiler. Saute okra in olive oil, 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and continue cooking until garlic just turns golden. Add tomatoes and a dash of white wine. Add salt & pepper. When juices start to flow add the basil. Cook until tomatoes have fully softened and their juice combines with the okra. Pile the mixture on the toasted bread slices. Source: Original recipe. Bhindi Bharwan (Indian Stuffed Okra) 1 lb okra* 3 tbls oil 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 med onion, chopped 2 green chilies, seeded & chopped ¾ inch ginger, finely chopped 1 tomato, chopped stuffing: 3 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp ground tumeric 2 tsp ground fennel seed 2 tsp Amchur (dried mango powder) 1 tsp cayenne ½ tsp salt Cut the stalk off each okra pod and make a lengthwise slit. Combine stuffing ingredients and mix well. Stuff each pod with the mixture. Saute cumin with a little oil until it starts to crackle. Add onion, chilies, and ginger and sauté until the onion turns transparent. Add tomato and cook until it turns pulpy. Add the okra and cook for 5 minutes until tender and well coated with the sauce. Serve with rice. *Zucchini or other summer squash can be substituted. Source: "The Food of Asia"

Basically a fresh ham is like cooking a pork roast. Season it as you like (a good rib rub works well) and bake it to 160ð and you're done. Some like soy sauce, teriyaki and of course the FAS afflicted demand sugar and or syrup but I wouldn't. I'd expect it to have the legbone still in it. ("Ham" is the upper part of a pig's leg.) You'd be able to tell if he had deboned it and I can't see that he would have. Some people are very fussy about having the bone in a ham. If you can smoke it, I'd smoke as much as I could. To me, that's the best ham, nice heavy smoke flavor. Cutting it up is a good idea. A "Sawzall" is a brand of reciprocating saw. Some use the term in a generic reference as some use Kleenex or Jell-O for facial tissues and flavored gelatins. A whole fresh ham is a lot of meat. If you don't divide it up, you're not too likely to go through it in one sitting..