Ginger /Zingiber officinale/
Ginger is a slender, upright, perennial herb growing to about 60-80cm tall. A succulent, branched rhizome grows horizontally near the soil surface bearing leafy shoots close together.
Uses
Usage
Used fresh or dried in cooking, marinades, ginger beer, pickles and preserves.
Dried ginger is twice as strong as fresh and can be stored for future use.
Production Requirements
Climate
Moist to wet tropics
Edible parts
Young ginger, known as stem ginger, is a pink colour and has a short shelf life. It can be peeled and eaten in salads, pickled and candied.
Older ginger has a thicker skin and a stronger flavour and is used in cooking, beverages and dried for powder. Mature ginger can be stored.
Young spicy leaves and shoots are used in stir-fries or blended into sauces and dips. Leaves are used to flavour or wrap food.
Risks and weed potential
None known.
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest
Harvest new pink ginger in Summer.
Mature ginger; wait until the stalks start to wither in Winter.
