Gettin’ Spicy with Fresh Ginger

Ge tin’ S

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picy

with

Fresh Ginger

BY LIZ FARRELLANNA SAWIN PHOTOS

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WITH A NEARLY UNIVERSAL APPEAL, A WIDE VARIETY OF USES, AND A 5,000- YEAR HISTORY, GINGER HAS A PLACE IN OUR CUISINE - AND NOW IN OUR CONNECTICUT FARMS AND GARDENS, TOO.

I started growing ginger in Connecticut in 2013, encouraged by a few farmers in Maine and Massachusetts who posted tips on how to grow it, where to purchase the planting stock, and how to price it for markets. It seems, though, that I’m not really on to something new: folks have been squirreling away their secret “ginger pots” for years (generations, probably), in a sunny, warm corner of the house, using a store-bought piece of ginger and harvesting small amounts at a time (more on that, below). Ginger cultivars are also grown for their showy flowers; Logees in Danielson, Connecticut usually has some blooming in their greenhouses.

First, a quick word on ginger. There are many, many varieties of edible ginger root (which is technically a rhizome), and while I have not developed any expertise in the different taste profiles of these varieties, there are experts in the world who have. A few years ago my husband met the quality control manager and

“...a 5,000-year history, ginger has a place in our cuisine

- and now in our Connecticut farms and gardens,

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too.”

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‘chief taster’ of a world-wide beverage corporation, long since retired. Part of his job was to develop all the ginger extract for every ginger ale made in the global operation. Naturally, we sent a sample of our baby ginger to him to taste. He wrote back and exclaimed that the ginger had “that nice lemony taste of lemon oil…and when I bite into the root, it is really strong - I could feel [the] capillaries in my ears dilating.”

Second, a word about baby ginger versus mature ginger. The ginger available in the produce section of our grocery stores is the mature root, harvested and cured so it keeps for long periods of time. The baby ginger we grow in New England will never reach the

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mature stage. Fresh baby ginger will have a more intense flavor which may cause the aforementioned ear capillary dilation. It’s white-pink in color (or blue or yellow, depending on the variety), with no brown skin. It is not fibrous, and it only keeps for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

The entire baby ginger plant is edible, as well. Baylee Drown of Upper Pond Farm in Lyme and Old Lyme suggests making a tea with chopped up leaves, and even snacking on the ‘water roots’ which grow out of the rhizome. “They are just a weaker version - taste-wise - of the rhizome, and since these are the mechanisms for the plant to take up water, they are refreshing to snack on,” says Drown.

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For the gardener or farmer, here’s how to grow ginger in New England:

• Start with ginger rhizome from a reliable (i.e. disease-free) source. Generally the root stock is available to purchase in the fall and ships in the late winter. Fedco Seeds and Hawaiian Organic Ginger are two sources. If you are container-growing, a certified-organic store-bought may work fine, but they can be a source for soil-borne diseases. Non-organic ginger may be treated with anti-sprouting compounds.

• Pre-sprout the ginger in a warm, slightly moist place to activate the growing mechanisms. It doesn’t need light at this point.

• Plant the pieces about 6” deep and 8” apart when the soil is about 70F, giving the roots plenty of organic matter, nitrogen, and lots of water in a well-drained and very sunny location. It does not have to be in a greenhouse; it will grow outside (but with lower yields). Alternatively, place a few pieces in a big container, water every day, and keep it in the sun.

• After several stalks emerge and are 1’ tall, hill the roots. They grow upwards and outwards so hilling will encourage more growing! It may take 4-6 weeks for the stalks to reach this height.

• Leave the roots growing for as long as possible. Harvest before the soil reaches 50 degrees (they will rot at low temperatures), usually November in Connecticut. Earlier harvests are fine, but the plant puts on the most growth in the fall.

“Ginger does not have to be grown in a greenhouse; it will grow outside.”

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“Fresh baby ginger will have a more int

To purchase baby ginger to eat, look for it at CSAs (like Upper Pond Farm in Lyme and Old Lyme), farmer’s markets, and independent food retailers who have connections to local farmers. Harvest usually begins in September and can continue through November. After harvesting or purchasing baby ginger, keep what you will consume in 2 weeks out on the counter or in the fridge (in a sealed bag), and freeze the rest. Don’t leave the green stalks on the root or the foliage will eventually deplete the root in order to stay alive.

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ense flavor.”

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Ideas for using your fresh, local baby ginger rhizomes:

• Add it to stir-fries, Indian cuisine, and Asian dishes in place of powdered ginger - add it sliced, match-stick style, or grated.

• Slice and pickle.

• Slice and dehydrate them in a very low oven or dehydrator.

• Grind dried slices in a spice grinder.

• Grate it and simmer it in hot water for about 20 minutes. Strain, and drink as a hot tea or store as ice cubes. Add sugar to the simmering water in sufficient quantities to make a ginger syrup.

• Use it in preserves, chutneys, and other pickle recipes.

• Add to baked apple dishes -- pies, crumbles, cakes, slumps, grunts.

• It can be grated straight from the freezer - just like mature ginger - and returned to the freezer. Don’t let it thaw once it’s frozen.

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“The entire baby ginger

plant is edible...”

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SOURCES:Fat Stone Farm, fatstonefarm.comUpper Pond Farm, upperpondfarm.com

Logees Greenhouse (Fruiting, Rare, and Tropical Plants), logees.com

Liz Farrell lives in Lyme, CT, and grows, harvests, forages, and preserves 60 different fruits, berries, herbs, and vegetables at Fat Stone Farm. She also works a maple syrup rig (evaporator) in a pinch.

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