Was supposed to post my ginger update on Monday, 10/28/13, but messed up my photos and could not post. Got the photos straightened out so here is the belated post. (Was going to post about my “mess up” but it was so stupid, decided at the last minute it was too embarrassing.)
Due to our short growing season, must start the ginger rhizome indoor. This year I started in January (see 1/14/13 post, for updates, go to 2/18/13 and 4/22/13 posts) and planted out into the garden on May 28, 2013. Harvested on October 27, 2013.
Ginger
The ginger pieces at the top left in photo are the original pieces
I was surprised to see the original pieces (top left in above photo) I started with in January were still in good edible condition (note the pale yellow cut end of the section in the middle).
Not only did I get new rhizomes to harvest I also got my investment back. Pretty good deal.
Observing the original pieces, I noticed there were “eyes” (the 2 light color dots on the cut piece of ginger).
Got me to wonder: if I replant those pieces, will they grow new rhizomes? Only way to find out is to replant, and that is just what I did (indoor in container). This is so exciting, (little things like this make me happy) can’t wait to see what happens.
Not sure what is the best way to store the newly harvested ginger since they did not reach the mature stage (when the skin turns brown) so am experimenting.
Storing ginger in moistened pro-mix
Storing most of the rhizomes in damp pro-mix in the basement (may be they will continue to grow and mature), making ginger wine with some of the rhizomes and placing one piece of rhizome in the freezer. Will see which method is the best and post updates.
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While shopping, came across some gorgeous beef soup bones. Had to buy and decided to make a pot of soup with the root veggies and cherry tomatoes in my garden. There was a small head of cabbage and some crimini mushrooms in the fridge, add those also. The result was a big pot of deliciously hearty soup that I shared with a couple of elderly friends and my freezer.
This is one of those soup where a recipe was not needed, just tossed in what I harvested and had on hand.
Leek, carrots, parsnip, celeriac, thyme & parsley from the garden
Beef, Root Veggies & Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
• Beef soup bones (see NOTE below)
• About ½ cup each: diced onion, carrot and celery
• Tie in cheesecloth: few slices fresh ginger, peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaf, 2-3 sprigs thyme 2-3 cloves garlic and parsley
• handful of cherry tomatoes
• 2 – 4 cups sliced cabbage
• 1 – 2 each parsnip, celeriac, carrots and leek. Peeled and cut into desired size pieces
• fresh mushrooms, ¼ or sliced
• 1 – 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
NOTE: I tossed the beef bones with a bit of salt, pepper and oil and broil until browned on all sides. You could also brown the bones on top of the stove or skip the browning step altogether.
Preparations
1. In a soup pot, add oil and diced veggies and sauté until onion is translucent.
2. Add beef bones, herbs in cheesecloth bag and tomatoes.
3. Cover with 1 – 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, remove and discard surface scum, if any. Lower heat to medium low and simmer soup for 1½ – 2 hours or until meat starts to fall off the bones.
4. Remove meat and bones from pot and set aside to cool slightly. Also remove and discard bag with herbs.
5. Add cabbage, root vegetables and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, simmer until vegetables reached desired doneness, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones, cut meat into smaller pieces and return to pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with fresh parsley, optional. Enjoy!
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Copyright © by Norma Chang. All Rights Reserved. Do not use/repost any photos and/or articles without permission.
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Garden to Wok 
Norma, just tonight I made a beef bone soup, harvested a leek from the garden and a couple of wonky looking carrots! Great minds think alike 🙂
Hello Lisa,
Yes, great minds think alike.
Norma, you are amazing! And inspiring. Hope to see you at the next Locust Grove event. Judy
Hello Judy,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. Yes, see you at LG.
Thanks for the update on the ginger. Ginger is one of my favorite seasonings. I’d so like to be able to grow it. Too bad it didn’t get fully mature, but at least you got some. And your soup looks delicious.
Hello Daphne,
You are welcome. If I can grow it so can you and you probably will grow it to maturity.
I am amazed at your lovely ginger. I tried growing it a few years ago, but didn’t get any tubers. I guess I didn’t start it early enough. I think I can start it indoors, then put it in the greenhouse to get a jumpstart before planting it outside. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hello Dave,
You have a longer growing season than I and with a green house you will be very successful.
Amazing! What about drying the ginger? Slicing it thin and they you might be able to reconstitute it. But, then again, that defeats the purpose of growing your own and having it fresh.
Hello Barbie,
I have somehow never taken to dried ginger but I may give it a try, thanks for the idea.
Wonderful results with the ginger, and what a surprise that the original rhizomes are still edible! The young ginger’s also perfect for pickling…
Hello Debra,
I know you do a lot of pickling, I use to but have not for a while. May be next year when I have more planting I will harvest sooner at a less mature stage and try pickling.
I love that root veggie soup! So delicious!
Hello Angie,
Thanks, it is/was delicious. Still have all those root veggies in the garden so will be making another pot soon.
I need to read through your archives, and see how you grew ginger. I find the idea very appealing.
Hello Lisa and Robb,
If you have any questions or need additional information feel free to send me a note anytime.
I love the richness that you get from the browned beef bones here, Norma. This looks and sounds like an amazing soup!
Hello Angela,
It was an amazing soup, yes, browning the beef bones does add richness and depth, but sometimes when I am short on time I skip that step and the soup still turns out delicious.
The ginger harvest looks great, Norma. I’ve grown ginger before, from roots that sprouted, but never got really good results. Maybe I needed to let them grow longer. You’ve convinced me to give it another go. And the soup looks awesome, so healthy with plenty of vegetables. I need to get me a bone! Thanks for the recipe, Norma. 🙂
Hello Angie,
Were you growing ginger from the food market? I find ginger from the food market will sprout but will not grow, I got my ginger roots from the health food store.
Yes, it was from the grocery store! No wonder! They probably sprayed it with some kind of growth retardant. It would sprout a leaf or two, then stall, and the root never really “multiplied”. Thanks for the info, Norma. I’ll try to get my root from a better source next time.
Hello Angie,
The ginger root from the health food store is not treated with growth retardant.
Your soup looks warming and full of flavour 😀
Cheers
CCU
Hello Uru,
Thanks, it is/was.
Your soup looks amazing! Wishing I was eating a bowlful right now! Great information about growing ginger!
Hello Patsy,
Thanks, the soup is really easy to make. Comfort food for the cold weather we are experiencing.
I’m amazed by the difference in new ginger and older ginger. The new ginger is much lighter in color and nowhere near as spicy as the mature ginger. I love them both. One of the largest ginger growing areas in the world is right here where I live. There’s even a tourist attraction (with a train) called The Ginger Factory. 🙂
I really like your soup!
Hello Maureen,
Can you grow ginger year round where you are? Shall google The Ginger Factory to learn about it. The soup was really good and comforting.
I only make a beef stock when I make French Onion Soup, what a wonderful way to change it up. Your ginger looks amazing Norma, I’m so pleased that you had such a good response from them. We just moved our little fig tree to the garage, I may have to wrap it in burlap if it gets really cold this winter.
Hello Eva,
I am really pleased with the ginger results this year, hoping to do even better next year.
Is your garage detached from the house or attached and under a room? My garage is under a room next to the familyroom, I have my fig tree on the side of outside wall (hope I am not sounding too confusing) and it survives our winter.
Hi Norma, our garage is attached to the house but there is no door from inside the house. I’ve tucked the little tree into a corner and wrapped it in burlap. The instructions indicated that I should water with one cup of water per week while dormant, would you? Does it drop its leaves? I’m really hoping it will survive.
Hello Eva,
It’s the root that needs the protection. If you are worried, then place the container in the corner by the wall that is attached to the house. Yes, the leaves will all drop. I read about the one cup of water per week, but I forget so what I do is when I remember, I feel the soil surface, if it is dry I gave it a quart or 2 of water, but then my container is, I think, a 20 gallons tub. Hope I helped.
Yes, thank you. My house wall is the same side as my drafty man-door, but I’ll move it when I get back next week. We’re in Chicago! I just heard Charlie Trotter passed away last week, so young, so sad.
I am amazed that you got your original ginger pieces that you planted back. That is so wild! I had no idea that would be the case. I’m just as excited to see if the “eyes” sprout new rhizomes as well. Hope all is well and you are enjoying fall. It’s been a brisk one. Oh – and I moved my sage inside (first checking for bugs) as you suggested and so far so good!
Hello Kristy,
I did not either, actually I threw a few pieces onto the compost pile before I noticed the original ginger pieces were still firm. That’s when I got a knife to cut one end and discovered it was a perfect piece of usable ginger.
All is well now, thanks for asking. Glad your sage is doing well. Actually sage is a hardy perennial. I incorporated one plant among my perennials.
That’s very interesting about your ginger. I’ll look forward to seeing what develops. And that soup you made sounds very hearty and full of flavour and how wonderful that all those vegetables came from what you had on hand xx
Hello Charlie,
I will be posting updates about the ginger developments.
The soup was, yes, full of flavor especially since the veggies were added the same day they were harvested.
If I’ll ever have a small house with a garden it will be because of you. You are so inspiring. And I love all the informations you give us. I will try your soup for sure.
Hello Marta,
Thanks, you are so kind. I hope you get your house with a garden in the not too distant future.
Good to see your nice juicy ginger roots, the soup looks yummy.
Hello Mac,
I am very pleased with my ginger, did not expect such large rhizomes. Planting more next year and hoping to do even better.
I have never browned my soup bones before but from now on I will, what a great idea for adding better flavor to the soup! Your ginger is amazing, Norma. I wonder if this could be made into the same pickled ginger we buy with our sushi? I love it because it is a touch sweet too, perhaps there is a relish of some sort. Anyway, can’t wait to see what you do with your ginger:) xx
Hello Barbara,
My ginger rhizomes had very strong ginger flavor, I believe pickled ginger is made with less mature, milder ginger, I need to do some research as I plan on planting a larger area next year so I can have ginger at different stages to experiment with.
Your ginger growing is inspiring, I have got to try that one of these days. Good idea to start it indoors.
Hello Michelle,
Make sure the ginger you plan to grow is not treated with growth retardant. I get mine from the health food store.
I love the taste of fresh ginger! Yours is beautiful. The soups looks delicious too!
Hello Sandra,
Thanks. The soup was wonderful especially since the root veggies went into the pot soon after harvesting.
Very impressive ginger tests, Norma. I’m amazed the original pieces were still edible. Your experiments bring such fascinating results. I think you were wise to brown the beef bone before making your soup. It gives the soup such a nice, deep flavor. That is one tasty looking bowl of soup, perfect for our weather.
Hello John,
Thanks, I thoroughly enjoy my little experiments (even the failures). I am anxious to see if the replanted original ginger will re-sprout.
We are having below normal temp these last few days and windy too. Looks like we are in for a long cold winter.
I love the pretty color of the immature ginger. I had no idea it looked like that as I’ve only seen it picked and brown dry skinned. You soup sounds like its perfect for cool weather…I just made a soup with cabbage and root veggies, too. A great idea to brown the bones first for richness.
Hello Betsy,
Now that I know ginger can be grown successfully in the mid-Hudson valley, I am going to plant more next year so I have extra to harvest at different stages and also experiment with making pickle.
Browning the bones does add richness to the soup.
What a fabulous ginger test Norma and how lovely to use your own grown veggies to add to your soup.
🙂 Mandy xo
Hello Mandy,
It is a real treat to enjoy veggies the same day they were harvested.
Your gardening skills are amazing! And that soup looks gorgeous.
Hello Sarah,
Welcome. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. The soup was delicious.
Love reading about your experiments Norma – looking forward to seeing whether those ginger bits take root! Your soup looks delicious, and I love your idea of tying all the herbs and spices up in cheesecloth – I’m forever losing bay leaves in my pots of soup!
Hello Saskia,
Thanks, I do love to do experiments, lots of fun and learning. I was spending too much time finding and fishing out my bay leaves etc. tying them in cheesecloth is time saving.
i loveee fresh ginger and I always get it whenver I see it in the market! It works so well in stir-fried meat. Great job harvesting all the wonderful stuff in your garden! Thanks for sharing the delicious cabbage soup!
Hello Yi,
Welcome. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. For some reason my young ginger was not mild as I had expected may be it is the variety I planted, need to investigate a bit.
This receipe is yummy.. I make it for myself at least once every 2-3 weeks. I eat the 7 containers (usually as dinner) that have been frozen over these weeks. My husband ONLY likes vegetable soups no meats added. The only thing it needs I feel is A’LOT of pepper (NO SALT) when serving up. I also buy a bag of Chicken bones and include with the stock. Only problem if you do this you have to be very careful of any bones that fall off while cooking and to remove when splitting chicken up. If serving at a dinner party exclude these Chicken bones.
Hello Devon,
Welcome, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. Glad you like my soup. To solve the problem with the chicken bones perhaps you could strain the stock.
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