NEWSLETTER EXCERPT
Volume 21 #10
Summer-Fall-Winter 2002
Zingiber officinale
Ginger is a herbaceous perennial that is a member of the Zingiberaceae family. There are at least 1,000 species, many of whom are cultivated for their fragrant ornamental flowers. The ginger of commerce is Zingiber officinale. Ginger is derived from the rhizome (creeping root similar to iris). The plant produces 2-4' stalks that have scattered 4", lanceolate, grass-like leaves. It seldom flowers.
The exact origins of ginger have been lost in the mists of time. There are Greek cake recipes that date back 4,400 years. It is not native to Greece, but probably came via the ancient "Silk Road". It probably originated in tropical Asia, Malaysia, or India.
Today ginger is cultivated throughout most of the tropical world. Variants in taste depend the country of origin. "The ginger from Indo-china is particularly hot, ginger from West Africa is harsh and peppery, and ginger from Jamaica is pale in color and delicate." 0 Most of the ginger sold in supermarkets and China towns is from Jamaica.
To grow:
Ginger is one of the simplest pits to grow. Purchase a plump rhizome (called a hand) that has several swollen white, pink tipped nubs. Choose at pot that is large enough to accommodate the rhizome horizontally. Fill the pot with moist, sterile soil, lay the rhizome on top, sprinkle a thin layer of soil over the rhizome - some of it should be above the soil. Put a light plastic cover over the pot to insure humidity, and if possible give it some bottom heat. Green shoots should appear in about 10 days. In the summer, put your plant in the garden.
the summer, put your plant in the garden. The rhizome will double or triple in size. Harvest before frost and you will have grown enough ginger to last for months. If the plant blooms, it will die back, but will start to regrow in a month or so.
My Ginger BloomedIn late July I noticed two strange looking shoots emerging from my ginger rhizome. They were fatter and nubbier than new shoots - dare I hope the ginger was going to bloom. I watched and waited, checking each day as they grew and swelled. Ornamental gingers are famous for their showy, fragrant, long lasting flowers. I don’t know when I have looked forward to a bloom as much as I did these. One began to dry up and fade away. Despair! The other, however, continued to grow and sent out a leaf from the top of the "culm". Finally in late September two very anemic dull gray white flowers emerged. No fragrance, no pizzaz! and they only lasted a few days! When people say ginger seldom blooms, they may have just missed it while they were grocery shopping or talking on the phone.
The bloom may not be much to look at, but ginger makes a very attractive foliage plant. It is so easy to grow that it makes an excellent project to do with children. TRY IT!
1.Food, Root, Waverly, Simon Schuster 1980
Origin: Tropical America
Cherimoya may be the oldest cultivated fruit in the New World; pottery urns in the shape of cherimoyas have been unearthed from ancient burial grounds in Peru. Cherimoya is a heart-shaped, gray-green fruit that can weigh between 8 oz and 6 lbs. They are expensive, but well worth the price. The flesh has a creamy texture and the flavor is a mixture or pineapple, vanilla, and strawberry.
To Grow: Within the flesh there are 20-30, 1/2" , ovate, brown seeds. These can be cleaned and stored in an air-tight jar or sown immediately in a flat or sphagnum bag.** You can expect 90%
The cherimoya as gray-green, 3" alternate leaves. The trunk tends to curve, pinch to encourage branching. Cherimoya is sensitive to excessive heat and cold (over 95 and below 55) Bring it in from the garden by Columbus Day.
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