Ginger Plants & Rooted Mint

Sprouting ginger.

The news from our backyard containers is good, especially with regard to the budding ginger root and the mint transplants.

Our ginger buds are beginning to send up shoots. Now, from what I have read online, we would do best to find a location with filtered light and establish a small stand of plants, then leave it be for two years before harvesting any ginger root for our own use. If we plan to harvest regularly, a series of small stands of ginger is recommended.

This concerns me a bit because when I first set out the root thumbs, a few days later I discovered that some critter had eaten away every last shoot.

Transplanted mint--established.

Now hardware cloth covers the pot, to keep out intruders. This will work, of course, only until the shoots get tall enough to reach the rim of the pot.

The other good news is about the feebly little mint transplants that were re-potted not too long ago. After struggling for a few weeks, they have taken off and are now going like gangbusters. Once again we can enjoy mint in our morning smoothies, and savor chocolate mint ice cream in the evenings.

Life is truly good.

Smoothie

Smoothie: captured with flash photography.

This morning's low-glycemic index smoothie recipe combined high fiber and protein--provided by flax seed, chia seed and quinoa--with the fruit and vegetables at hand. Employing two exciting super foods--cocoa and maca root powder--the drink powered the members of our household for several hours before hunger returned.

Interestingly enough, the two photos are of the same beverage: the pinker color appeared when the camera's flash went off, and the more chocolaty color came when the dark background was removed and the automatic flash elected to not activate.

Same smoothie, without camera flash.

The ingredients: 

• fresh, raw goat milk--12 ounces
• chia seed--palm full
• flax seed--a palm full
• quinoa--a palm full
• raw, organic cocoa powder--2 tablespoons
• raw, organic maca root powder--1 tablespoon
• Action Whey [TM]--one scoop
• one fresh peach
• one garden tomato
• six overgrown green beans (that needed to be eaten)
• mint--a sizable handful of fresh leaves
• maple syrup--a quick pour, to offset tartness of maca
• frozen blueberries--1/4 cup
• frozen strawberries--8 to 10
• ice

The smoothie whipped up thickly and tasted fine for our needs. I would not try serving it as a restaurant or to anyone used to restaurant smoothies for it was far from sweet. That said, it was filling and refreshing, and carried us solidly until our midmorning snacks.

Growing Herbs

Some mint transplants beginning to thrive.

Here in Tennessee, I am still learning to cultivate plant life. A lifetime ago, in the northeast, I recall having a catnip patch--started from seed and planted for the felines of the neighborhood--that was thick enough that a dozen cats could disappear in it together. We also had mint growing as a weed, spreading and invading at will; it was marvelous. Here, practically all of our herbs and spices still reside in containers. Perhaps this winter I will find the time and energy to build some permanent herb beds on our rocky hillside.

In summer, my most favorite herbs to enjoy raw are basil and mint. At times I believe I could live on pesto. Having mint available for teas, smoothies, and frozen treats makes my taste buds so happy that I smile widely with every sip, slurp, or bite.

Ginger root with developing buds.

This year we had basil and mint early on, but the June drought ended that. Although the plants are still alive, the basil leaves are narrow and hard, and the mint leaves are small and yellow-green. For all the mint sprigs I rooted in water in June, none survived transplanting into soil. Thankfully, the spreading shoots of the presently-nonproductive mint plant offer many rooting shoots and some of those have transitioned well. Now I finally have flavorful fresh mint again available just steps from the door.

A bud from a bit of ginger root, potted and place outdoors.

Inspired by the budding ginger root in the kitchen, this week I transplanted some root chunks with developing eyes. Growing ginger is novel for me, and while I understand that the plants will need a couple of years to develop before I start picking away at their roots, I am eager to give it a try.

Having fresh herbs and spices available can make the experiences of cooking and eating so much more enjoyable. When I take the time to eat mindfully, knowing the sources of my food and how it was raised allows me to connect better as I contemplate this cycle of life.