What about ginger? It is warming and spicy and perfect if you’re looking out at the rain from your easy chair or just coming in from planting bulbs. (Note: Remember next year that it is always more trouble planting bulbs in the fall than you think it will be when you are ordering them. The pictures of tulips and daffodils in the catalogs are so tempting.) My grandmother used to make gingerbread with hot lemon sauce. Here are her recipes for both.

Gingerbread: Grease and flour one 9-inch square cake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix well:

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together in a small bowl: 1 cup hot water

1/2 cup molasses, light or dark, depending on your preference, or what you happen to have on hand

1/2 cup honey

Whisk together in a large bowl: 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

Add dry and liquid ingredients alternately to the butter mixture, whisking well, then pour batter into the pan and bake about one hour.

Serve with whipped cream, or with hot lemon sauce.

Hot Lemon Sauce: Makes 11/2 cups.

Combine in a small, heavy saucepan: 2/3 cup sugar

Grated zest of one lemon

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

Whisk in until blended: 3 large egg yolks, and add 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into chunks

Bring to a simmer over low heat until thickened, then strain the mixture through a sieve. This sauce can be used right away or gently reheated while you stir it.

Ginger can also be enjoyed fresh in entres as well as dips, salads, side dishes, sauces, soups, marinades and with meat, fish and poultry.

Ginger rhizomes can be bought at the supermarket year-round. Fresh ginger is often sold in large pieces called hands, which can be broken into smaller pieces for purchase.

I have been using very fresh “baby ginger” grown at Wild Work Farm at Rivermede in Keene Valley, which I discovered at Valley Grocery and immediately loved. This ginger does not have a tough outer skin and is not yet very fibrous, as older ginger root tends to become.

For use in cooking, peel and then grate, mince or thinly slice the ginger, which can then be added to the garlic in a stir-fry. Stir fries that include ginger are quick and easy and have a lot of flavor.

When you’re making a stir-fry, adding fresh peppers, hot or sweet according to your preference, will help to take the chill off a rainy fall day.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with a stir-fry inspired by a recipe by Craig Claiborne. It’s good made with peeled, deveined shrimp or bite-sized chicken breast pieces. Make as much or as little as you like and adjust the following suggested recipe to suit your own needs.

A simple way to prepare shrimp or chicken stir-fry using fresh ginger is to heat 2 tablespoons or so vegetable or peanut oil until hot in a wok or skillet, add the shrimp or chicken pieces, stir quickly for a few seconds, and then add three scallions, the green part included, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths, about 1 tablespoon minced or thinly sliced ginger, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, two long red hot peppers, or mild peppers, shredded, and salt to taste. Use toasted sesame seed oil to taste, but not as a cooking oil, because of its strong flavor. This stir fry is good with fresh cilantro, if you are not one of the people who experience the taste as soap. (Some people think the way you taste cilantro is determined by your DNA. The genomics and biotech company 23andMe surveyed about 25,000 people to try to figure it out, but the theory is still in question.) This stir-fry is very good served on top of rice. I have made the mistake of reheating it mixed with cooked rice, which results in a sort of mushy porridge, so take warning.

Enjoy the season, and have a good week!

(Martha Allen lives in Keene Valley. She has been writing for the News for more than 20 years.)