Ginger Root

[Peanut]

Ginger Root aka Zingiber officinate... It's easy to tincture, just peel it then slice into thin slices. Very similar to Turmeric (its cousin) but not as messy, don't stain like turmeric. Fresh ginger root from a grocery store is fine, I did buy the organic version. Fresh root, std 1:2 tincture. Ginger tincture is easy for beginners. (reaching a 1:2 ratio with some plants can be difficult)

I read 120proof for menstrum is best, that means buying pure grain alcohol and watering it back down, the math is straight forward or like me… I mixed 190proof and 100proof vodka at 50/50 ratio. Rough math tells me the proof is above 120… fine for this application. (close to 140proof)

Ginger tincture can also be used as an additive for beverages, foods… has an extremely long shelf life. It’s an easy way to keep ginger around the house even if fresh root is difficult to find.

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Medicinal Uses: Impressively, ginger is an ingredient in over half of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine preparations.

It aids digestive issues including indigestion, colic, stomach spasms, and helps aid stomach emptying. It treats nausea including motion sickness and importantly, morning sickness. Ginger is a powerful antioxidant; thus, it helps to reduce oxidative stress. Ginger can improve pain issues including sprains, spasms, osteoarthritis, and menstrual cramps.

The gingerol in ginger may be a substance that can help prevent types of cancer. (research done in 2009, from the University of Michigan has indicated that Ginger has caused ovarian cancer cell death in laboratory tests.)

Taking ginger powder may lower blood sugar levels and provide antidiabetic support which may, in turn, reduce risk factors of heart disease.

Due to gingers’ anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, it shows promise to enhance brain function while reducing degenerative cognitive decline.

Ginger root composes many essential nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) that are required for optimum health. Furthermore, the herb also contains a good amount of minerals like potassium, copper, manganese and magnesium.

Precautions: People taking blood thinners (Coumadin, aspirin, etc.) should avoid Ginger, and the herb should be avoided for two weeks prior to elective surgery. Pregnant women should not take large amounts of Ginger for morning sickness, nor for prolonged periods and only after consulting a physician. Ginger increases bile production and should not be used by people with peptic ulcers, gallstones or gall bladder disease, unless supervised by a doctor.

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For a more detailed write up…

Mountain Maus Remedies | Bulk Herbs & Spices › ginger-root-tincture

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[joel]

I am growing my own ginger now.

 

[joel]

Thanks, Peanut!
"Ginger tincture can also be used as an additive for beverages, foods… has an extremely long shelf life. It’s an easy way to keep ginger around the house even if fresh root is difficult to find."
I will have to try that.

 

[Bacpacker]

Thanks Peanut. We love ginger and keep some roots frozen. I like the idea of tinctureing some as well.

 

[Caribou]

I freeze my ginger and then grate the amount I want. It is much easier to grate frozen.

 

[joel]

One of my Ginger root has a foot stem, the other pot has two eight inch stems.
I am thinking of repotting it this winter, so it will not bust out of the pots before Spring.
It has to stay above 50F to grow, but will live at 40F.

 

[Peanut]

One of my Ginger root has a foot stem, the other pot has eight inch stems.
I am thing of repotting it this winter, so it will not bust out of the pots before Spring.
It has to stay above 50F to grow, but will live at 40F.

Is this your first year growing ginger? How does it compare to ginger root at the grocery store?

I'd rather buy fresh ginger from someone I know who's growing it.

 

[joel]

Is this your first year growing ginger? How does it compare to ginger root at the grocery store?

I'd rather buy fresh ginger from someone I know who's growing it.

Yes, I have researched it for a few year, just never planted it.
It will not have brown skin & you can boil the stems/leave for ginger tea or broth for soups & stews.
I love sliced pickled ginger in the Asian restaurant, so I will be using a mandolin to slice it thin.
I will try to remember take pictures when I repot it.

 

[Peanut]

I grew turmeric for a couple years. The cold finally killed it all, had a dozen plants in big planters. It's a tropical plant, does not like the cold. Some how I had it in my mind that ginger was also a tropical plant. It never occurred to me that I could grow it.

My first turmeric harvest, my only good one.

 

[joel]

WOW, that will be my next one, after the ginger is harvest.

 

[Patchouli]

@Peanut they look like bugs.

 

[Peanut]

@joel I'm at about 33 degrees North and it was too cold for turmeric. You're even further north aren't you? Draw a line from Birmingham and I'm about even with Myrtle Beach. I don't remember if you have a green house.

@Patchouli But it made a great medicine! Wonderful anti inflammatory, helped my arthritis and my dads. I ran out years ago...

It's one of the first tinctures I made. Looking at this photo I can say it was a simplers tincture and I did it poorly. To do over now I'd use more complicated extraction methods. Pulled out very bit of the goodness. I don't use those with plants like sida. I have plenty of it, a weed, grows everywhere. Turmeric would be a special case.

 

[Patchouli]

Just messing with ya. They are weird looking though. @Peanut
Your tincture crafting is impressive.
I was new to home growing medicinal herbs and then we moved to Texas a couple years later. Butterflies loved the iron weed bush.
So are you growing more turmeric?

 

[sonya123]

I have been growing ginger in pots for a few years. I just stick a pice of ginger in some potting soil and it grows. One had a huge plant growing with a red seed pod. I just dig up what I need for cooking. Its in pots because it gets too cold here for outside. It does not need much if any direct sun either

 

[joel]

@Peanut they look like bugs.

Crayfish came to mind.
Peanut we are:
What is latitude of Columbia SC?
34.0007° N, 81.0348° W
Columbia / Coordinates

I have a greenhouse, but the cover rotted away.
The first ginger will be indoors, but if it works, I will have to use some kind of heat to grow ginger year around n a high tunnel greenhouse. I am a big fan of fresh pineapple too.

 

[joel]

I have been growing ginger in pots for a few years. I just stick a pice of ginger in some potting soil and it grows. One had a huge plant growing with a red seed pod. I just dig up what I need for cooking. Its in pots because it gets too cold here for outside. It does not need much if any direct sun either

Tell us more, a window or ust sting in a corner.
What size pot, do you use it faster than it can grow or do you repot it? If so how often & what is your favorite medium?
Sorry for twenty questions, it is my first time growing ginger.

 

[sonya123]

Tell us more, a window or ust sting in a corner.
What size pot, do you use it faster than it can grow or do you repot it? If so how often & what is your favorite medium?
Sorry for twenty questions, it is my first time growing ginger.

A window that gets a little afternoon sun. Right now they are outside under a tree in the shade but I will move them in as soon as it gets colder. They need regular watering. I don't repot, I just add more pots and use the ones I have when I need it. I use a lot of ginger for cooking ( Asian food is my favorite)

 

[TeeJ]

I grew turmeric for a couple years. The cold finally killed it all, had a dozen plants in big planters. It's a tropical plant, does not like the cold. Some how I had it in my mind that ginger was also a tropical plant. It never occurred to me that I could grow it.

My first turmeric harvest, my only good one.

View attachment 92411

We bought a bunch of turmeric for a recipe a little bit ago, and made golden milk with the leftover root. My arthritis hasn't been better in years. Wish I could have some every day, but fresh turmeric is not cheap! I'll have to look into it if if get to a more mild climate and get a good greenhouse going

 

[joel]

I grew turmeric for a couple years. The cold finally killed it all, had a dozen plants in big planters. It's a tropical plant, does not like the cold. Some how I had it in my mind that ginger was also a tropical plant. It never occurred to me that I could grow it.

My first turmeric harvest, my only good one.

View attachment 92411

Nice!Tell us did you raise it in a pot or from frost date to frost date in the spring , summer & fall? been thinking of trying turmeric next.

 

[Peanut]

I got turmeric when someone showed up at my house with some, a surprise, completely unplanned. Some old guy, somewhere, was getting out of the business, gave away all his sprouts and shut the doors. He grew ginger and turmeric commercially in a green house. My friend showed up with a bucket of sprouts. I have no idea of the date. I just stuck them in pots, may have been June. They did well that summer but I had no place to keep them over winter.

At some point the next spring I decided to cut my losses, dug it up and made tincture. I saved 3 little roots for the next year but they didn't sprout.

 

[Peanut]

Columbia is about 70 miles north of me, measuring latitude. One degree of latitude equals about 68miles. That distance changes depending on how far from the equator you are.

 

[joel]

 

[joel]

This photo is way to big, have no idea what I did wrong!
This is this years Ginger.
Ginger is a Rhizomes or underground stem, so I am thinking about removing the rooted plants from the rhizomes
like in the above video.

 

[Peanut]

Post photos please, I'll like to see how you process them.

... fixed your photo...

 

[Hooch]

I had no idea ginger root found be frozen. I've dehydrated a bit already but I will freeze some now too.
I love ginger..its smell is intoxicating to me. Its mighty tasty in egg rolls too.
I found out the hard way about getting ginger juice in my eyes once. I was cutting some up for the dehydrator n rubbed my eyes..
It's about as bad as pepper spray n my eyes were swollen n looked bruised...
Love my eggs rolls tho..lol..

 

[Patchouli]

I love using ginger root cut into skinny little sticks and put in stir fry. Have a great recipe for soft ginger cookies, great for digestion.

 

[joel]

I had no idea ginger root found be frozen. I've dehydrated a bit already but I will freeze some now too.
I love ginger..its smell is intoxicating to me. Its mighty tasty in egg rolls too.
I found out the hard way about getting ginger juice in my eyes once. I was cutting some up for the dehydrator n rubbed my eyes..
It's about as bad as pepper spray n my eyes were swollen n looked bruised...
Love my eggs rolls tho..lol..

Have not tried the egg rolls ginger & had not got it in my eye, cinnamon is really bad too..
You can pickle it, sugar candy it, store it in Vodka like vanilla.
You can grow it as a houseplant & cut it as needed, also use the blades & stem like lemon grass, only it will have ginger flavor.

 

[joel]

DW says that I should not have hit full size on the photo.
It was on my phone which is 2.5" X 6.0", but the full size is much bigger, she said I should have hit med size photo.

 

[Patchouli]

@Peanut I don't know what happened but the past week my thumb joints and the fleshy part of my thumbs, as well as the tops of my hands have been bothering me, hurting quite bad sometimes. What would you suggest I use in the way of herbs and how to use the herbs? I've never had a problem like this before. It could be my job but why all of a sudden. My thumb knuckles almost lock up, I can't hardly bend them sometimes, then that cracking sound happens when they give way. I guess it could be tendonitis.

 

[Patchouli]

I forgot I had a mix of herbs to boil and soak my hands in, herbs I’ve mentioned and used before for sore tendons, etc.