Surprise While Cleaning Out Brown Foliage. Harvest Time!
Harvest update.
I think you might remember when I did a post about ginger and turmeric back in April. Well, winter came and the leaves eventually got yellow, then they got dry. I used a lot of these leaves to make the layers in my potato tower. I figured that these plants would sprout new green stalks when spring rolls around.
I had not planned to do any harvesting. But, when I went out and saw the condition of these plants, I saw a little bit of the root popping up out of the ground. It was pretty far away from where the plant goes into the dirt.
I decided that it would be okay to sacrifice one of the three plants in order to see if there was any usable fruit underneath there. So I cut the stems off even with the ground, and those went into the potato tower. Next, I started fishing around to see if I could get the dirt out from away from the roots.
I continued digging with just my hands so that I wouldn't damage it. It kept going and going, nearly filling the width of the planter.
It is surprising that they even grow after the leaves wither. I'm letting the other two stay in the ground until spring and if they do, as expected, sprout up new greenery, I'm sure that the fruit will be much bigger as I need more. for cooking. If they don't, at least I have one.
I had suspicions of which one this was, could be ginger or could be turmeric, but I wasn't sure. I had to wait until I got it cleaned off onto a cutting board. This plant was turmeric. It was a long time ago that I had planted both and the plants are so similar looking. It's very difficult to tell which is which until you harvest it.
The size of the root made me think it was ginger, that and the color of the ends where the new growth is. But cutting it gives me the proof that it's turmeric because of the dark orange color of the meat of the root.
Yeah that is turmeric alright. One look, then a taste, told me right away. When I buy this spice from the vegetable stand, they are always very skinny and made up of more peel than usable vegetable. It is so surprising to have such a large harvest after I thought they were gone. Then there is the freshness of it. The roots I buy are no good after just a week in my bin, but this stays fresh in its natural environment and the taste is so much cleaner and zestier.
Everything from the garden is tastier than the stuff that is brought by truck. More updates on the way!