What do I do with ginger and turmeric?

[ClaireDeluxe]

I am incredibly lucky to have a dad who is an organic farmer. He supplies farmers markets and upscale restaurants in Georgia and I always come home with a cooler full of things I don't know how to cook.

This week I came home with 47 (yes!) organic sweet potatoes, 6 pounds of bok choy, some kind of weird pear, a bunch of eggs (3 of which have a green shell), a giant bunch of ginger and a stalk of turmeric.

The ginger is 2nd year ginger and is incredibly potent. It's also a flavor that I don't really like in cooked foods, but I can eat it on its own, like pickled or candied (only not now). Turmeric -- I have no idea.

Does anyone have a good method of pickling or making the ginger more palatable? I want to use it, but the flavor is just too strong to use in foods.

And turmeric -- what do I do with THAT? Especially fresh out of the ground?

[1Maryann]

I'm only replying to this to bump it to the top of the page. I have no idea what the answer is, but I'm very curious to find out.

47 sweet potatoes! I'd be in heaven! But I don't know if I could eat them fast enough.

[ClaireDeluxe]

Thanks Maryann!! I can figure out the ginger - probably - but I really don't know what to do with this hunk of turmeric. I don't even know what it tastes like, but I do know that it's good for you so I'd like to at least give it a shot.

And the sweet potatoes are like an early Christmas present. My dad says to keep them in a dark place and to not turn them over once I've stored them -- something about the sugars settling or something. He's the farmer and food expert, obviously...not me!

[Andrea D.]

A nice way to spice up your water...

2 quarts water

1/2 sliced cucumber, peeled

1 organic lemon, sliced

1 tsp.fresh ginger, grated

Put everything in a pitcher and chill.

or...

Pineapple-Pepper Teriyaki Sauce

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (reserved from can of chunks)

2 1/2 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (balsamic would be nice as well!)

2 Tbsp. coconut aminos

2 tsp. arrowroot

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

In a small saucepan, combine jalapeno, pineapple juice, water, vinegar, coconut aminos and arrowroot. Heat on medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in ginger.

http://simplylivinghealthy.org/2012/08/07/grilled-pineapple-pepper-pork-chops/

[kb0426]

Will your dad adopt me?

That teriyaki sauce sounds great!

[1Maryann]

I just looked up Turmeric in Wikipedia. It says most often the rhizomes are boiled for many hours, then baked in hot ovens to dry, then ground into powder. It does reference the leaves being used to wrap food for cooking, and some use of it fresh, like ginger. It references its use in ethnic cooking, so maybe researching Indian, Persian, or Thai recipes would help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric

[Susan W]

Is the turmeric fresh or powder form? I am guessing fresh like the ginger?

Ginger makes wonderful tasting tea. Just slice it into coins. I also slice it into coins and add cucumbers and cilantro to a big jug of water and let it steep. Ginger freezes beautifully so I think the turmeric will too. At least you can do some googling to see what you want to do with it. I LOVE those green shelled eggs. So pretty. Those are probably from Aracuana chickens.

[ClaireDeluxe]

The turmeric is still in root form. Looks like I will need to dry it out somehow and grind it into powder form. I wish I liked ginger more -- I know it's so good for me.