How to Harvest Ginger: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

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How to Harvest Ginger: 12 Steps (with Pictures)
How to Harvest Ginger: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

Video: How to Harvest Ginger: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

Video: How to Harvest Ginger: 12 Steps (with Pictures)
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Ginger is known to be spicy and flavorful. There is no secret to planting it, but harvesting can be done in different ways. Most people grow the plant to use the rhizomes (or roots), which grow underground and have a more intense flavor. To harvest ginger, dig the entire plant or cut only part of the rhizome. After a good wash, it will be ready to be frozen or used immediately in the kitchen.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Generating Good Growing Conditions

Harvest Ginger Step 1
Harvest Ginger Step 1

Step 1. Plant ginger in well-drained soil

Ginger grows best in soils that are more easily drainable and do not accumulate surface water. Notice how the soil reacts after heavy rain. Does the water pool there for hours or does it soon permeate the land? The ideal place is where the water penetrates the fastest.

When you pull out the ginger, you'll see that it is firmly on the ground. If it feels mushy or soft, it is possible that it has soaked through from excess water in the soil

Harvest Ginger Step 2
Harvest Ginger Step 2

Step 2. Fertilize the ginger every two weeks

When watering the plant for the first time, add some slow-release fertilizer to the water. After the first watering, start using liquid fertilizer every two weeks. For safety and for best results, read the manufacturer's instructions carefully.

  • If the soil contains a lot of organic matter, it is not necessary to use fertilizer.
  • Try to use an organic fertilizer to minimize the plant's exposure to chemicals.
  • If the rhizomes are growing poorly, start using fertilizer. If, when picking the ginger, you notice that it is too small, it may be that the nutrients were not enough.
Harvest Ginger Step 3
Harvest Ginger Step 3

Step 3. Kill nematodes by solarizing the soil and rotating crops

Nematodes are like little earthworms that eat the roots of plants, damaging the crop. To get rid of them, plant some brassica plant, such as broccoli or kale, in the same soil. Another option is to warm the soil around the ginger before harvesting. Put plastic wrap on the soil around the sprouts to trap the sun's rays.

  • If the ginger rhizomes have a lumpy, bumpy appearance, they may have been infested with nematodes.
  • If you don't rotate the soil and keep planting ginger there, future crops will likely suffer from the same problem. The pests remain there, in the ground.

Part 2 of 3: Removing the Ginger from the Ground

Harvest Ginger Step 4
Harvest Ginger Step 4

Step 1. Harvest in autumn

In most regions, it is necessary to plant ginger in early spring or summer. This way the plant will have the opportunity to receive heat from the sun and develop strong, healthy roots. The plant will mature and be ready to be harvested in mid to late autumn.

On average, the plant will begin to develop roots after two months of planting. You can harvest them any time after that, but ideally between eight and ten months

Harvest Ginger Step 5
Harvest Ginger Step 5

Step 2. Wait for the ginger to fully bloom

Most ginger species ripen and are ready for harvest after completing a flowering cycle. You will notice that the flowers will die and fall off the plant. Then it will be the turn of the leaves, which will dry up and fall to the ground.

Different varieties of ginger produce flowers of different colors

Harvest Ginger Step 6
Harvest Ginger Step 6

Step 3. Using a spatula or small shovel, dig a circle around the sprouts

Make a 2 to 10 centimeter deep furrow around the buds, forming a circle. Go digging until you reach the rhizome.

  • It is easy to identify the rhizome. It is white or light brown and will contrast with the earthy brown.
  • Generally, the ginger rhizomes are two to four inches deep, which means you won't need to dig too much.
Harvest Ginger Step 7
Harvest Ginger Step 7

Step 4. Pull the plant out of the ground

Now that the roots are exposed, use the spatula to gently remove the entire plant from the soil. If you end up breaking the roots a little in the process, that's fine. Then you take those pieces that are left behind.

To make removal easier, use one hand to hold the outside of the plant firmly and pull it up

Harvest Ginger Step 8
Harvest Ginger Step 8

Step 5. Remove a piece of ginger instead of the entire rhizome system

In a location 2 to 10 centimeters from the leaves of the plant, make a small hole 2 to 10 centimeters. Go digging for the rhizome and, when you find one, remove a piece of it with the spatula. Then cover the hole with soil and the ginger will continue to ripen and grow in the soil.

  • Do this when you urgently need a piece of ginger to make tea, for example. The procedure takes a few minutes and does not affect the plant.
  • If you don't find the rhizome the first time you dig, dig again to the side.

Part 3 of 3: Storing and Cooking Ginger

Harvest Ginger Step 9
Harvest Ginger Step 9

Step 1. After harvesting, wash the ginger with warm water

Hold the ginger under a tap of warm water and scrub it vigorously with your hands or a clean brush. Due to the unusual shape of the rhizomes, wash carefully, also rubbing the corners and crevices.

  • If in doubt if the ginger is clean, let it dry for a few minutes and repeat the process.
  • For impeccable cleaning, use some vegetable sanitizing product, available at supermarkets and garden stores.
Harvest Ginger Step 10
Harvest Ginger Step 10

Step 2. With a knife, cut the shoots from the rhizome

Place all the ginger on a kitchen board and separate the sprouts from the roots. Then discard them or use them to garnish the dish. If you are not going to use the rhizomes at this time, keep them.

Prepare the sprouts in the same way as chives. With a sharp knife, cut them into very small pieces. Then sprinkle them over the food to give the dish a little ginger flavor

Harvest Ginger Step 11
Harvest Ginger Step 11

Step 3. Before cooking the ginger, remove the skin with a paring knife

Put it on the kitchen board. Holding the root firmly in one hand, grasp the knife with the other. Slide the blade under the ginger's skin, peeling it off slowly. The goal is to expose his light-colored flesh.

  • Due to the shape of the rhizomes, it will be necessary to have the patience to gradually remove the skin. It's not as simple and quick as peeling an orange. Be patient and do the job until the end.
  • When finished, rinse the peeled ginger in warm water again to remove any debris.
Harvest Ginger Step 12
Harvest Ginger Step 12

Step 4. Freeze remaining ginger in 2 or 3 cm pieces

Place the peeled rhizomes on the kitchen board and cut them into cubes. Then arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Without covering the ginger, freeze it for an hour or two. After this time, put it in a bag and return it to the freezer.

  • If you do everything right, ginger can last three to four months frozen.
  • This method is good because it allows you to use small amounts of ginger over time, reducing waste.

Tips

Ginger grows healthier if it gets two to five hours of sunlight a day. If the leaves turn brown in the first few weeks, it's because they're getting too much sun

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