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Monday, May 30, 2011
Growing ginger
Growing Ginger
If you live in a sub-tropical area and can find a market for your produce, I highly recommend you grow ginger.
Ginger is a valuable crop. In 2010 we planted 8 rows of ginger in an area 75 metres square. During April and May we have sold 300 bunches of ginger for a total return of $1200. This is a good return considering the amount of land devoted to growing and the relatively small amount of labour needed. Of course costs for fertilizer, manure, mulch and water have to be taken into account. The total cost for these would not exceed $50. The biggest cost is for labour. Labour is required for preparing the land, keeping weeds under control, harvesting and preparing the ginger for sale.
The size, smell and taste of ginger depends to a large extent on the fertility of the soil in which it is grown and the amount of water that is available, so it pays to really build soil fertility and organic matter as a first step and water once a week if it doesn't rain.
Ginger is a very hungry plant so ensure the ground is well fertilized at least 2 - 3 months prior to sowing. Add lime, an all purpose fertilizer, compost and a generous amount of animal manure to the soil and leave it to break down before planting your crop. Cover with mulch to prevent weeds growing.
Plant ginger in spring using rhizomes from the previous year's crop. Store these in dry potting mix in a box somewhere dark. In spring they will start to shoot. Each root will have several growing points. Cut the root into pieces ensuring that each piece contains at least one growing point. Scrape the mulch away, place each root piece 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart. Cover with soil and mulch the planting area generously.
The ginger will emerge shortly after planting. Keep the growing area weed free and add more mulch as it is needed. Ginger is a hardy plant and will require little maintenance apart from occasional "housekeeping" to remove weeds. Water once a week and add liquid fertilizer twice during the growth period. Harvest when the leaves start to turn yellow. Use a fork to dig up the whole plant. Remove the roots and cut off the stems. Store in a cool, dry place.
Ginger is a valuable food because it contains potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, silicon, vitamins B3 and B6. It also choline, pantothenic acid, citral, inosital, camphene and gingerol. It enhances digestion, stimulates appetite, alleviates headaches, colds and flu and reduces pain and swelling caused by rheumatoid arthritis. It reduces all symptoms associated with motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy.
Studies suggest that gingerols may inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells and kill ovanian cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death and cell self-digestion. Studies have also demonstrated that gingerols suppress production of pro-inflammatory compounds produced by cells in the lining of joints and joint cartilege.
Gingerols are also thought to be the reason why ginger reduces the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause improvement of mobility for arthritis sufferers.
Ginger significantly inhibits the production of nitric oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very damaging free radical called peroxynitrite. It also lessens the rate of depletion of glutathione, one of the body's most important internally produced anti-oxidants.
Apart from using ginger in cooking you can use it as a tea or to make lemonade. When making ginger tea place very finely slices in boiling water for 10 minutes. Add honey to sweeten. To make ginger lemonade combine grated ginger, lemon juice, honey and water.
Here's a recipe for a delicious ginger sauce.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced ginger in lemon juice, 1 bunch of coriander, 2 kaffir lime leaves, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon of chilli powder, 40 ml of coconut milk, ½ teaspoon of turmeric and
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
Place onion, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, chilli powder and roots of coriander in a food processor and blend. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook blended ingredients for 5 minutes. Add coconut, turmeric, lime and fish sauce and simmer for a further five minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and pour over chicken breasts.
Written by Bev Buckley For more information visit Growing Healthy
If you live in a sub-tropical area and can find a market for your produce, I highly recommend you grow ginger.
Ginger is a valuable crop. In 2010 we planted 8 rows of ginger in an area 75 metres square. During April and May we have sold 300 bunches of ginger for a total return of $1200. This is a good return considering the amount of land devoted to growing and the relatively small amount of labour needed. Of course costs for fertilizer, manure, mulch and water have to be taken into account. The total cost for these would not exceed $50. The biggest cost is for labour. Labour is required for preparing the land, keeping weeds under control, harvesting and preparing the ginger for sale.
The size, smell and taste of ginger depends to a large extent on the fertility of the soil in which it is grown and the amount of water that is available, so it pays to really build soil fertility and organic matter as a first step and water once a week if it doesn't rain.
Ginger is a very hungry plant so ensure the ground is well fertilized at least 2 - 3 months prior to sowing. Add lime, an all purpose fertilizer, compost and a generous amount of animal manure to the soil and leave it to break down before planting your crop. Cover with mulch to prevent weeds growing.
Plant ginger in spring using rhizomes from the previous year's crop. Store these in dry potting mix in a box somewhere dark. In spring they will start to shoot. Each root will have several growing points. Cut the root into pieces ensuring that each piece contains at least one growing point. Scrape the mulch away, place each root piece 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart. Cover with soil and mulch the planting area generously.
The ginger will emerge shortly after planting. Keep the growing area weed free and add more mulch as it is needed. Ginger is a hardy plant and will require little maintenance apart from occasional "housekeeping" to remove weeds. Water once a week and add liquid fertilizer twice during the growth period. Harvest when the leaves start to turn yellow. Use a fork to dig up the whole plant. Remove the roots and cut off the stems. Store in a cool, dry place.
Ginger is a valuable food because it contains potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, silicon, vitamins B3 and B6. It also choline, pantothenic acid, citral, inosital, camphene and gingerol. It enhances digestion, stimulates appetite, alleviates headaches, colds and flu and reduces pain and swelling caused by rheumatoid arthritis. It reduces all symptoms associated with motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy.
Studies suggest that gingerols may inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells and kill ovanian cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death and cell self-digestion. Studies have also demonstrated that gingerols suppress production of pro-inflammatory compounds produced by cells in the lining of joints and joint cartilege.
Gingerols are also thought to be the reason why ginger reduces the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause improvement of mobility for arthritis sufferers.
Ginger significantly inhibits the production of nitric oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very damaging free radical called peroxynitrite. It also lessens the rate of depletion of glutathione, one of the body's most important internally produced anti-oxidants.
Apart from using ginger in cooking you can use it as a tea or to make lemonade. When making ginger tea place very finely slices in boiling water for 10 minutes. Add honey to sweeten. To make ginger lemonade combine grated ginger, lemon juice, honey and water.
Here's a recipe for a delicious ginger sauce.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced ginger in lemon juice, 1 bunch of coriander, 2 kaffir lime leaves, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon of chilli powder, 40 ml of coconut milk, ½ teaspoon of turmeric and
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
Place onion, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, chilli powder and roots of coriander in a food processor and blend. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook blended ingredients for 5 minutes. Add coconut, turmeric, lime and fish sauce and simmer for a further five minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and pour over chicken breasts.
Written by Bev Buckley For more information visit Growing Healthy
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Have you thought about growing Jerusalem artichokes in your garden?
Jerusalem artichokes are not well known in Australia but they definitely deserve to be. They grow as a tuber on a tall shrub-like plant, which has colourful yellow flowers. Artichokes are planted in spring and are harvested in autumn.
A 2 cm artichoke can produce 2 - 3 kilograms of delicious bulbous roots that are creamy yellow in colour. I planted artichokes about 20 cm apart in two rows that were 50 cm apart.
In 2010 I planted my first artichokes in a very shady area and was delighted with the size and quantity of artichokes I harvested. In 2011 I planted my first real crop in full sunlight, mulched the soil and did nothing more until harvest. This is a really easy crop to grow.
I have just harvested 120 kg of artichokes and sold most of them to Food Connect in Brisbane. Some were sold at our local, Green Shed market. It probably took less than half an hour to plant the artichokes, which I saved from the previous year's crop and stored in a box of dry potting mix. Harvesting artichokes is a bit like harvesting potatoes. It is fairly time consuming because, as well as digging them up, it is necessary to clean the artichokes and dry them. However I didn't mind doing this because from 10 sq metres of land, I grew 120 kilograms of artichokes, which sold for $5 per kilo. This gave me a return of $600, which isn't a bad return on about 6 hours' work. Food Connect have agreed to take my artichokes next year, so I will plant twice the area next spring.
Because Jerusalem Artichokes aren't often used in Australia here's a bit about how to cook them. I was totally surprised at how delicious they are so I've been experimenting a bit. I have found that artichokes are best friends with sage, thyme, butter, bay leaves, cream, breadcrumbs, cheese and anything smoked. They have a rich nutty flavour and can be eaten raw or cooked.
To make a delicious artichoke sauce that goes over pasta or rice, I sauteed 1 cup of very finely sliced artichokes in a mixture of oil and butter with a selection of onions, garlic, spring onions, capsicum, leeks and celery for about five minutes. I added 1 can of coconut milk and cooked for 20 minutes until the artichokes were soft. I believe I could have used water or milk instead of the coconut milk. I stirred 1 tablespoon of flour into a cup of water and added that to the artichoke mixture and continued to cook the mixture until it boiled. I then blended everything to make a creamy sauce, which I served over pasta. It would have been just as good with rice.
I've also made a thick, rich soup by boiling artichokes and potatoes until they were soft. I added my special mountain salt, ground pepper and bay leaves from my own tree. Wanting to serve a really delicious soup, I added some chicken stock and a cup of cream to the mixture and sprinkled it with some finely chopped parsley. That's a really delicious soup and it was so easy to make.
To serve as a vegetable side dish with steamed smoked trout, I sauted artichokes, garlic and onions in butter in a frying pan which has a lid. I turned them regularly until they were browned on both sides and then placed the lid on the pan and cooked for 25 minutes until they were soft.
Artichokes from the garden are a real taste sensation but beware: they're called fartichokes in some countries! I am reliably informed that this problem can be overcome by soaking the artichokes in milk before cooking.
Written by Bev Buckley
For more info go to http://www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com/course1
A 2 cm artichoke can produce 2 - 3 kilograms of delicious bulbous roots that are creamy yellow in colour. I planted artichokes about 20 cm apart in two rows that were 50 cm apart.
In 2010 I planted my first artichokes in a very shady area and was delighted with the size and quantity of artichokes I harvested. In 2011 I planted my first real crop in full sunlight, mulched the soil and did nothing more until harvest. This is a really easy crop to grow.
I have just harvested 120 kg of artichokes and sold most of them to Food Connect in Brisbane. Some were sold at our local, Green Shed market. It probably took less than half an hour to plant the artichokes, which I saved from the previous year's crop and stored in a box of dry potting mix. Harvesting artichokes is a bit like harvesting potatoes. It is fairly time consuming because, as well as digging them up, it is necessary to clean the artichokes and dry them. However I didn't mind doing this because from 10 sq metres of land, I grew 120 kilograms of artichokes, which sold for $5 per kilo. This gave me a return of $600, which isn't a bad return on about 6 hours' work. Food Connect have agreed to take my artichokes next year, so I will plant twice the area next spring.
Because Jerusalem Artichokes aren't often used in Australia here's a bit about how to cook them. I was totally surprised at how delicious they are so I've been experimenting a bit. I have found that artichokes are best friends with sage, thyme, butter, bay leaves, cream, breadcrumbs, cheese and anything smoked. They have a rich nutty flavour and can be eaten raw or cooked.
To make a delicious artichoke sauce that goes over pasta or rice, I sauteed 1 cup of very finely sliced artichokes in a mixture of oil and butter with a selection of onions, garlic, spring onions, capsicum, leeks and celery for about five minutes. I added 1 can of coconut milk and cooked for 20 minutes until the artichokes were soft. I believe I could have used water or milk instead of the coconut milk. I stirred 1 tablespoon of flour into a cup of water and added that to the artichoke mixture and continued to cook the mixture until it boiled. I then blended everything to make a creamy sauce, which I served over pasta. It would have been just as good with rice.
I've also made a thick, rich soup by boiling artichokes and potatoes until they were soft. I added my special mountain salt, ground pepper and bay leaves from my own tree. Wanting to serve a really delicious soup, I added some chicken stock and a cup of cream to the mixture and sprinkled it with some finely chopped parsley. That's a really delicious soup and it was so easy to make.
To serve as a vegetable side dish with steamed smoked trout, I sauted artichokes, garlic and onions in butter in a frying pan which has a lid. I turned them regularly until they were browned on both sides and then placed the lid on the pan and cooked for 25 minutes until they were soft.
Artichokes from the garden are a real taste sensation but beware: they're called fartichokes in some countries! I am reliably informed that this problem can be overcome by soaking the artichokes in milk before cooking.
Written by Bev Buckley
For more info go to http://www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com/course1
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
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