ginger

[orflo]

It's quite easy to grow the true ginger during summertime, all you need is a good rhizome to start with (most shops sell these over here, take a healthy looking one; if they have already some small shoots, buy these ), a good sunny place and a fertile ,drained soil. The rhizome should be planted about as deep as it is thick, mostly this is 3-4 cms, or one and a half inch. Place it as hot as you can, and keep on watering it (stop watering if the temperature goes down, otherwise it could rot) . The best way for me to do this is keep it in a big tub in the greenhouse, it only works outside when the summers are on-Belgian like hot. Don't expect a big harvest, it usually triples up its original volume over here; if the weather is extremely good, crops are a bit higher.But it's fun to grow, and most people don't use that much fresh ginger anyway.
There are some other ginger- like plants to be found. The most interesting is the myoga ginger, originating in Japan. Contrary to the well-known 'true' ginger, rhizomes aren't eaten, but the flower buds (!) and the very young shoots. And it isn't that demanding in temperature as the true ginger: coming from Japan, it even stands a few degrees of frost. And the flower buds are really very tastya very mild ginger taste, but it takes ages to grow a decent amount of these flower buds...
There is also a milder version of ginger, mostly used in Thailand: kra chai. The taste is indeed somewhat less sharp, but as good as the true ginger. My first experience with these is that they are as demanding in temperature as the true ginger (not amazing considering its origine), and probably have a very small production...
A fourth one is the asarum family, some members are used as ginger , but I didn't try one of these yet. Michel can probably tell you more on asarum canadense ,
Frank

[plantsnobin]

I've never tried eating any of the asarum canadense, but I do grow it, and it does very well here. So well, in fact, that I ripped out a bit of it this year.

[canadamike]

Well, my dear, why dont you send some dormant roots to orflo this fall, it will save the wild one around here No kiddin, I just found out it is on the endangered plant list....

Some people around here pick the rhizomes and put them in vinegar, calling them ''crotons''. But although I never cooked with it, I have total assurance it would make good cookies. And the smell of one's breath once he/she nibbled on it can transform even a belgian goat in a great kisser in an instant ;D ;D ;D

[plantsnobin]

I see on the USDA Plants database that it is threatened in Maine also. I also found info that says it shouldn't be taken internally. Grows prolifically here. Makes a decent groundcover, nothing to write home about, but decent. Interesting bloom if you are still young enough to get to ground level without needing help back up.

[hoosierheightsfarm]

Are you talking about wild ginger that grows around here Karen?

I have, all totaled together, ACRES of it growing on our place.
It's like a weed.
And Trillium, and Twin-leaf.
....then theres that darn ginseng that just keeps gettng in the way! ha ha....

[plantsnobin]

Yep, Patrick. It's one of those things that you can't believe people pay good money for from a nursery, but I guess it isn't growing everywhere like it is here. More likely, people have it growing close by, but unless it is labeled they don't recognize it.

[canadamike]

It is on the endangered list here, according to the goverment, because it is picked to be eaten. I only nibble on it when I walk in the wodds because I like the taste and it really gives you that ''fresh breath '' feeling, like when you use Scope or else.

My friend ate tons of it and never got sick...and apparently a lot of people in the area have done the same... I found only 2 small patches, while 20 years ago it was abundant.

Here is info:
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Canada Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense L.
Asaret gingembre, Asaret du Canada, Gingembre sauvage
The future of Canada Wild Ginger, a wildplant with a surprising taste, is through domestication!
Properties and Uses
Culinary
As its name indicates, Canada wild ginger tastes like the Asian ginger found in grocery stores. However, it is more bitter and therefore judged unpleasant by some. It is eaten raw, dried or powdered. An aromatic oil is extracted from Canada wild ginger and used in recipes. Many claim that it is best in crystallized (candied) form. The syrup obtained during the preserving process is delicious on pie or ice cream.
Medicinal
Wild ginger is used to treat flu and common cold symptoms. It relieves intestinal gas and promotes sweating. It is used in some regions for respiratory illnesses, such as bronchitis and asthma. It is said that wild ginger helps vomiting, which has led to its use in cases of mushroom and alcohol poisoning and to treat indigestion. Canada wild ginger contains aristolochic acid, an antibiotic and an anti-tumour agent. However, some sources claim it is both carcinogenic and anti-carcinogenic. Finally, it has been reported that Native women once resorted to it as an abortive substance.
Ornamental
Canada wild ginger is sold in horticulture as a perennial underwood species. It is also commonly used in forest revegetation.
Other Uses
The aromatic oil used for culinary purposes is also used in perfume making. European wild ginger, a related species, was once used as a vermifuge for certain ruminants, such as cattle and horses. Apparently, Canada wild ginger also has an antibacterial action.
WARNING: Canada wild ginger leaves may produce a rash in some people.
Habitat
Canada wild ginger is a forest species found in rich habitats, such as maple stands. It is often found along streams or growing in highly calcareous soils. It does not grow on granite or barren land. The soil must be moist, but well drained and slightly acidic. In the Gaspé Peninsula, it is reported to be present in the Matapedia Valley and may also be present elsewhere in the region.
Market
Industrial Demand
The price paid in Quebec in 2002 was approximately $4.50 per kg of fresh roots. One kilogram of roots produces 8 ml of essential oil. Canada wild ginger essential oil currently sells for about $13 per 500 ml on the market.
Wild ginger sells well for ornamental purposes and has the advantage of propagating rapidly. It is produced in large quantities in nurseries. Plants are produced for naturalization and for garden centres.
Fact Sheets Gaspé Peninsula’s Non-Timber Forest Products
Harvesting Method
For commercial use, it is strongly recommended that Canada wild ginger be cultivated, owing to its scarcity in the wild, especially in the Gaspé Peninsula. Its growth is much better and faster in greenhouses than in the forest.
The Quebec Department of the Environment has given notice that Canada wild ginger will soon be identified as a vulnerable species under the provincial Act Respecting Threatened or Vulnerable Species and regulations prohibiting wild plant commercial harvesting will soon come into force. As a result, no wild harvesting methods are discussed in this fact sheet.
Product Quality
There is very little information on Canada wild ginger preservation and quality. However, it is standard procedure to clean the roots and then cut them before drying them. It is easier to dry pieces than the whole root. Drying is generally done at temperatures ranging between 35°C and 45°C.
It is recommended that roots be harvested in the spring or fall, after the first frost.
Contacts and Buyers
The Groupement forestier Baie-des-Chaleurs ([e-mail] or [phone]) and the Groupement agro-forestier de la Ristigouche ([e-mail] or [phone]), along with La Pocatière’s ITA [Farming Technology Institute] (Guy Langlais, [e-mail] or [phone], Ext. 389), are currently conducting Canada wild ginger farming experiments in maple groves in the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspé regions. Further information on these studies is available by contacting them.
Some distilleries in Quebec, including Aliksir in Grondines, produce Canada wild ginger essential oil.
Useful information about domestication of Canada wild ginger or other native plants is available from the Eastern Townships-based Horticulture Indigo (http://www.horticulture-indigo.com/). Gisèle Lamoureux’s book, Cultiver des plantes sauvages… sans leur nuire, listed in the Useful References section below, contains addresses for several nurseries that produce wild plant species.
Domestication
Wild ginger must be planted in total or partial shade. Once the plant has settled, it propagates by seeding and rhizome division, although the latter has a low success rate.
Seeds are harvested at the end of June or in early July, depending on weather conditions. They are cleaned within 48 hours and the caruncle, a small fleshy outgrowth that strongly attracts ants, is removed. For a good germination rate, seeds are planted in the same week as they are harvested. Seedlings are left under shade structures or in the forest until the following year. The rhizome starts to become longer in the second growing season when grown commercially, but will not be ready to be harvested until at least the third season. Growth in the natural environment is significantly slower.
Nurseries that sell seedlings can recommend appropriate planting methods.
Useful References
FOSTER S. and J. A. DUKE. 2000. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. 2nd Edition. Peterson Field Guides, 411 p.
LAMOUREUX, G. 2002. Flore printanière. Fleurbec éditeur, Saint-Henri-de-Lévis, Quebec, 575 p.
LAMOUREUX, G. and P. NANTEL. 1999. Cultiver des plantes sauvages… sans leur nuire. Fleurbec éditeur, Saint-Henri-de-Lévis, Quebec, 80 p.
LANGLAIS, G. 2003. Pratiques actuelles et perspectives d’avenir de l’agroforesterie dans les érablières du Canada. Institut de technologies agroalimentaires de La Pocatière, 53 p. Unpublished document.
MARIE-VICTORIN, Frère. 1995. Flore laurentienne, 3e édition revue par E. Rouleau et mise à jour par L. Brouillet, S. G. Hay et I. Goulet (en collaboration avec M. Blondeau, J. Cayouette et J. Labrecque pour l’impression de 1997). Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, 1,083 p.
SCHNEIDER, A. 1999. Plantes sauvages médicinales: les reconnaître, les cueillir, les utiliser. Les Éditions de l’Homme, 302 p.
Fact Sheets Gaspé Peninsula’s Non-Timber Forest Products
Personal Communications
COUILLARD, Line. Ministère de l’Environnement, division du Patrimoine écologique, September 2003.
DUPRAS, Isabelle. Horticulture Indigo inc., Ulverton–Melbourne, September 2003.
Web Sites
CENTRE D’AGRICULTURE BIOLOGIQUE DU QUÉBEC (dossier):
www.cab.qc.ca/dossiers_03.jsp?id=113
HORTICULTURE INDIGO:
www.horticulture-indigo.com
HUILES ESSENTIELLES ALIKSIR: www.aliksir.com
RÉSEAU PROTÉUS. Portail santé de médecine intégrée: www.reseauproteus.net
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT. Course:
pss.uvm.edu/pss123/wwasarum.html
WILDFLOWERS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES:
2bnthewild.com/plants/H36.htm
This initiative was made possible with the participation of Canada Economic Development and Natural Resources Canada.
Fact Sheets Gaspé Peninsula’s

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There is a mistake in the price per 500 ml for sure. I never saw ANY essential oil go for that price. 1300$ would be more like it for a liter, if you do the maths...
I have commited myself to send some roots to Orflo, but given the scarcity, can somebody step in where it is plentiful and help our friend? I would feel better.