Ginger
(Zingiber officinale)

The hot, spicy rhizome of the ginger plant is used fresh, dried and sometimes pickled or candied in savory dishes and desserts across Asia and the Middle East. In Europe, the United States and the Caribbean, ginger is primarily used in sweets like gingerbread, as well as candies and sodas. Native to China, it was the first Asian spice to be cultivated commercially in the Americas. Ginger is well known as a folk remedy for nausea and is also used as a traditional medicine for colds, coughs, headaches and fatigue. It is currently being researched as a possible treatment for many illnesses, including cancer.

*These portraits of unusual finds at our local farmers market were inspired by Jonathan Lovekin’s photographs from Tender, chef Nigel Slater’s lovely homage to his vegetable patch. The ginger and turmeric here were grown by Clay Bottom Farm (Goshen, Indiana).