Zingiber officinale commonly called Culinary ginger comes from the Zingiberaceae family and originates from South-east Asia. Ginger is a perennial plant and grows well in the tropics from rhizomes.
It takes approximately 10 months to produce a crop of rhizomes. Plant the ginger rhizomes roughly two feet apart in a well-prepared bed enriched with compost, leaf mould and sand. Keep the soil moist. You can also plant it in large pots or plant boxes.
Ginger grows approximately 3 feet in height and the light green leaves are oblong and pointed in shape. The colour of the ginger is yellow. After harvesting, the rhizomes should be washed and dried carefully before use.
Green ginger or fresh ginger is used in many culinary dishes. It is one of the main ingredients in Chinese and Asian dishes and is also used in both Chinese and Ayuvedic medicine. Ginger can be preserved in syrup, candied as sweets, used in tea, and to make gingerbread, ginger cookies, ginger ale and ginger beer. Ginger beer is very popular in Guyana at Christmas time, so very soon you will be needing to take those ginger jars out.
Until next week, Happy gardening!
