Growing Ginger
We have a huge number of herbs and spices and their beneficial use in various ailments, the links are spread across these 5 pages, towards the bottom of the page:
Of all the herbs and spices to choose from my top 5 would be:
Young ginger is distinguished by its fleshy meat and mild taste. These are typically used to be pickled in vinegar or sherry, sometimes steeped in hot water to make tea, or candied and added as a key ingredient for spiced desserts.
Mature ginger is characterized by being fibrous and dry, with its juice being extremely strong. Typically, these are added to a lot of Indian recipes and are staples for traditional Chinese, Philippine, Korean, Thai and Japanese fares. It’s also a standard go-to addition for vegetarian cuisine. Additionally, it has properties that make it an ideal food preservative.
When using ground ginger, chefs typically use a ratio of 6 to 1. However, fresh and ground ginger are used for very different dishes, the latter being used to flavour recipes for gingerbread, cookies, crackers and other baked desserts as opposed to savoury dishes.
Ginger’s distinctive flavour profile is popularly used around the world. In western cuisine, ginger is typically added to create desserts like gingerbread, ginger snaps, biscuits and speculas. In Europe, and in France specifically, a ginger-spiked liqueur called Canton is created in Jarnac. The UK produces a ginger flavoured wine that is locally made and is a popular addition to coffee and tea.
As a spice, the ginger’s nutritional benefits are exceptional. It contains various elements that our body needs, such as protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, amino acids, phosphorus and iron, to name a few.
Traditional use of ginger involved using its fragrant and flavorful essence to mask the taste of medicines. Additionally, it was used to treat dyspepsia, gastroparesis and other symptoms of slow motility. When brewed by itself, it is given as a remedy for colds. While its cold brew versions such as ale and beer can be used to settle stomach pains. Certain studies have already shown that it can also provide brief relief from pregnancy-related nausea.
Panaxitriol is an anti-cancer substance that can be found in ginger and has been said to inhibit the growth of these deadly cells. It also has an extract that works as an anti-allergy which prevents anaphylactic shock. It has been known to offer relief from migraines and arthritis as well.
The scent of ginger has also been widely used around the world as a way to aid blood pressure circulation, increase blood pressure, regulate breathing, increase sweating and is ideal for metabolism.