Hello Farm-ily!
Well the ginger harvest is almost finished. Our 3 light frosts in a row didn't harm any crops in the tunnels (ginger) or winter hardy crops like kale and collards but it hit the green beans and some of the peppers.
We have removed most of the tomatoes from the high tunnels to make room for overwintered crops.
The 2023 garlic crop will go in next week and that's always a big project. If you want to come help plant garlic and have some midday, weekday time available hit us up with an email!
Here are some ideas for what to do with your fresh ginger. Grab some this week or next. My source for these tips comes from 'heal with food'-link at the bottom of this email.
Juice It!
Give your homemade fruit and vegetable juices a new twist by passing a slice of fresh ginger through your juicer before juicing the other ingredients. Incorporating ginger into homemade fruit juices is also one of the best ways to reap the wonderful health benefits of fresh ginger root. Fruits and vegetables that pair well with ginger in juices include carrots, oranges, mandarines, apples, and grapefruit.
Use Fresh Ginger to Add Zing to Smoothies
A little bit of grated fresh ginger lends a lovely flavor and health benefit to your smoothies.
Make Ginger-Flavored Applesauce
Making applesauce is one of the best ways to use up apples, but it can also help you get rid of that extra ginger sitting in your fridge. The following recipe pairs apples with ginger and other warming spices to create delicious applesauce that can be served warm or chilled:
Recipe for Ginger-Flavored Applesauce
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Golden Delicious apples (or other apples that are good for applesauce)
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 8 whole cloves
- Sugar, as needed
Core and quarter the apples and place them, along with the apple juice and lemon juice, in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the grated ginger and other spices, and simmer, stirring often, until the apples for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Taste the sauce towards the end of the cooking process and add sugar, if needed. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher. This ginger-flavored applesauce is perfect served with pancakes or on top of oatmeal.
Use fresh ginger in salad dressings
You can also use fresh ginger root in salad dressings. Here's a simple recipe for a zesty salad dressing featuring freshly-grated ginger root:
Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of one lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Put all the ingredients in a mason jar, screw on the lid, and shake well. To let the flavors mingle, let it set for an hour. Shake the jar again and serve the dressing with your favorite fresh greens.
Make Ginger Tea
There's no need to buy prepackaged, dry ginger tea when you can make your own fresh ginger root tea – all you need is sliced or grated ginger root and hot water. Bonus tip: If you love the invigorating effect of fresh ginger tea, try this: cut the extra ginger root languising in your fridge into thin slices and freeze the ginger slices in small portions, each portion packing enough ginger goodness for one serving of tea (a BPA-free ice cube tray is perfect for this purpose).
I like to add freshly grated ginger to my chai tea and use it in golden milk.
Use it in Stir-Fries
You can't go wrong by using finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root in Asian-style stir-fries. Fresh ginger is typically added to the wok at the beginning of the cooking process, along with oil and garlic.
Use Fresh Ginger Root in Pureed Soups
The combination of carrots and fresh ginger root is soothing and satisfying, which is probably why the internet is full of recipes for soups starring carrots and ginger. Other ingredients that pair well with ginger in soups include sweet potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, lentils and apples. Here's a simple recipe for a smooth carrot and ginger soup:
Carrot and Ginger Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 10 medium large carrots, sliced
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Saute the onion in the olive oil until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, and continue sauteing for another minute or two. Add the carrots and broth, and bring to a simmer. Let the soup simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool slightly, then puree it in batches. Serve warm or cold.
If you get bored using ginger in your recipes, here's an alternative use for ginger root: turn it into a house plant by planting it in a medium-sized pot filled with moist soil! If the ginger root you want to plant is very big, you can cut it into a few pieces as long as you make sure each piece has a few nodes or buds from which to sprout. Bonus tip: For more ideas on how you can turn leftover food and kitchen scraps into thriving house plants, check out the book Don't Throw It, Grow It!.
Source: https://www.healwithfood.org/what-uses/fresh-ginger-root-cooking-recipes.php#ixzz7iNObahIB
