Welcome Rain, Hawaiian Ginger & Antimicrobial Activity

Ginger farmers in Queensland, and the Gympie region in particular, have been worried about the drought-like conditions they have endured since the middle of last year. So they were relieved when it eventually started to rain with the arrival of the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Oswald. And rain it certainly has. According to The Gympie Times the Langshaw ginger farm received 600mm (nearly 24") of rain in four days. This amount of rain falling in four days would normally indicate very heavy downpours but it was actually gentle rain. Because of this there was remarkably little erosion and the crops survived. Queensland produces about 80% of Australia's ginger.

Patrick Atanalian, the executive chef at the Sanctuary restaurant in Minneapolis, has created a simple but unusual dish. He has taken a classic potato soup and given it a bit of a bite with the addition of ginger beer.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has revealed that Nepal has become the third largest producer of ginger in the world after India and China. In 2011 the country produced 216,289 tonnes of ginger. A continuing concern for the Nepalese government must be that India buys 98 percent of the country’s total ginger exports. (Source: The Kathmandu Post).

The Department of Botany at Gauhati University in North-East recently completed a research project entitled "Comparative Chemical Constituents And Antimicrobial Activity Of Normal And Organic Ginger Oils". It concluded that organic ginger oil was more effective than non-organic ginger oil at fighting Stephylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli and all the fungal strains except Penicillium sp.

The Ohio Breweries blog informs us that the Great Lakes Christmas Ale (which contains ginger as a significant component) was the top craft beer in terms of sales in Ohio and the ninth in the whole of the USA. And to think that it is only on sale for eight weeks. The brewery produced 359 batches (I don't know how large a batch is) which contained 7,000lbs of ginger.

For the last few years the University of Hawaii at Manoa has been conducting research into bacterial wilt of edible ginger in conjunction with Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE). Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) is the biggest threat to ginger farmers in Hawaii and many other ginger-growing countries. The aim of the project is to grow wilt-free ginger in pathogen-free soil. (Sources: University of Hawaii, SARE).

One of the participants in this research project is Hugh "Biker Dude" Johnson from Puna Organics in Hawaii. He supplies many of the ginger farms springing up in the eastern USA. Johnson was the first farmer in the world to export organic ginger.

Parts of Hawaii suffer from an infestation of Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum), an ornamental ginger which features in the top 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species. Interestingly, a strain of Ralstonia solanacearum has been used as a biological control against Kahili ginger.

The ginger harvest has started on time in the Nilphamari district of northern Bangladesh, according to The Financial Express. It is too early to speculate on the quality and quantity of this year's harvest but the district, which in the past produced enough ginger for the entire country, currently accounts for half of Bangladesh's needs.

Buderim Ginger announced recently that chief executive Murray Richardson had resigned for family reasons after just eight months in the role. I don't know what effect that will have on the company.

The Hairy Bikers, No Ginger Beer, Assam Ginger & American Kombucha

I've been watching The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation series on BBC2 each Tuesday. If you are not familiar with this wonderful programme, Simon King and Dave Myers are spending four months riding 5000 miles on their motorbikes across Europe introducing us to the best of traditional baking, both savoury and sweet. I knew that I was going to enjoy last week's episode in particular as the bikers were scheduled to stop off in Austria, my favourite country and one I love to visit. I wasn't disappointed. One place they stopped was the village of Seckau in the state of Styria. Here, they introduced us to Cafe Konditorei Regner, a family bakery since 1660, and their speciality gingerbread (or 'lebkuchen'). The gingerbread recipe was developed by the current owner and it was demonstrated on the programme by his son, Gregor, who, incidentally, won a gold medal at the International Baking Competition in Calgary, Canada, in 2009. You can see the Gregor Regner part of the programme on YouTube.

There was a most unusual story in Bermuda's The Royal Gazette last week. One of the country's leading soft drinks manufacturers, John Barritt & Son, famous for its Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer, actually ran out of the ginger beer for the best part of a month according to other sources. How did this happen? Barritt's ginger beer is made in Florida from a Jamaican and African ginger concentrate produced in Milton Keynes in the UK. The concentrate is shipped to the US as one of many goods in a container. A recent shipment was delayed by US Customs when a container was impounded whilst other goods were investigated by officials. Up until the end of 2010 the ginger beer was bottled in Bermuda which I assume means that the concentrate was shipped direct.

Green Bee Soda is beverage company from Maine, USA, with a unique selling proposition of making a range of sodas based on wildflower honey. The company made an announcement last week about the launch of a new flavour called Ginger Buzz. This drink contains freshly chopped ginger, coriander and the essential wildflower honey. Let me know what it's like if you are able to try it.

Organic farming is set to be the future according to the Assam state government in India. The Indian Express reported that the state goverment will allocate funding to encourage young people to take up farming and discourage existing farmers from using using chemicals. The range of eligible crops includes ginger and turmeric. The article also stated that Assam is one of India's major producers of ginger. I have read elsewhere that the state produces more than 70 percent of the country's ginger, some of it already organic. Interestingly, nearly 25 percent of Assam's farmland is already organic by virtue of the fact that there has been a shortage of chemical fertilisers.

Karbi Anglong is the largest of the 27 administrative districts in Assam. Four years ago, district officials applied to have Geographical Indication status for locally grown ginger. I don't know whether the status was ever granted but if it was then it confers an element of protection and exclusivity to what many people describe as a distinctive ginger. GIN-FED, the Ginger Growers Co-Operative Marketing Federation in Karbi Anglong, describes the local produce as the world's finest organic ginger. Traditionally, many of the ginger farmers in the district are women.

The Singhasan Hills in Karbi Anglong are said to produce the finest ginger in all India. But this area was the scene nearly ten years ago of an outbreak of violence between the Kuki and Karbi tribal communities over the Kuki production of ginger in the hills.

Last month I reported the story from The Gympie Times regarding the imminent sale of a family dairy farm and the switch to ginger farming. Well, according to The Gympie Times last week, the sell-off was completed successfully. But the latest story mentioned a detail of which I wasn't aware previously. The family already grow ginger on 10 acres of land and produce certified ginger 'seed' for Buderim Ginger.

So, whilst an Australian farmer is hoping to make a living from ginger seed, producers of ginger seed in one particular district of the Indian state of Karnataka are witnessing a dramatic fall in price. The Deccan Herald has reported that with fewer farmers wishing to grow ginger, the price of seed has plummeted from Rs 1,700 per bag to Rs 280. In fact, seed farmers may not even cover the cost of fertilisers and pesticides. It appears that it will be cheaper for the farmers to leave the ginger in the ground.

My understanding of the Indian ginger industry is that ginger is grown in areas which are isolated from and independent of each other. For example, the plight of a small part of the local ginger industry in Karnataka may be completely different to the state of the local ginger industry in Assam or Kerala. Difficulties in one area are not necessarily reflected elsewhere. There are too many factors involved such as variety, terroir, climate and export potential to name but a few.

The Maine Sunday Telegram carried a story about a relatively new start-up business in Portland, Maine. Urban Farm Fermentory (UFF) has introduced a range of alcoholic beverages called Urban Farm Fermentory Kombucha Culture which includes a ginger flavour. Kombucha is made from fermented green and black tea, and sugar. Interestingly, UFF is hoping to use local farmers to grow ginger in hothouses. These new drinks contain less than one percent alcohol.

New Season, Squatters Harvest & Ginger Discoveries

Following the recent initiative by the Jamaican government to give a boost to the agriculture sector in general and the ginger sector in particular, the Jamaica Information Service has reported that an integral part of the initiative will be for farmers to register for a praedial larceny programme. My first question after reading the report was 'what is praedial larceny?'. Praedial larceny is the theft of agricultural produce or livestock from a farm. To combat this type of crime the police will join forces with the ministry, judiciary and farmers.

Bangladeshi farmers are only a week away from planting a newish variety of ginger. BARI Ada-1 (developed by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute) is due to be planted from the last week of March to the last week of April. This variety is said to be suitable for cultivation anywhere within the country which must be a big selling point. When I read through the specification sheet for this particular variety, I was surprised to see that one of the recommended sources of fertiliser is cow dung. It's nice to see that something natural is being used.

The Gympie Times in Australia carried a story about a topic which we've heard before and I'm sure we will hear again. A dairy farmer from Kia Ora (a small town near Gympie) has decided to sell his cattle because he cannot command a satisfactory price from the supermarkets. He said that he is being paid less from the supermarkets than the cost of production. This is becoming a regular occurrence here in the UK as well. But whereas some farmers in this situation sell up and seek alternative employment, this particular farmer is switching to ginger cultivation. He is in an ideal location in the ginger-growing heartland of South East Queensland and is only 41 miles from Buderim, Australia's largest ginger processing company. I wish him well.

Last November I wrote about a Fijian government scheme to give squatters the opportunity to become ginger farmers. Well, The Jet has reported that a community of 25 ex-squatters in Lomaivuna has started harvesting its first ginger crop with an estimated value of over $30,000. One acre of the harvest will be used for next season's 'seed' stock. The Fijian Local Government minister is now calling for more squatters to join the scheme.

VietnamNet Bridge reported that a team of Vietnamese and international scientists have discovered two new ginger genera in central Vietnam. The plants have been named Newmania serpens N. S. Lý & Skornick and Newmania orthostachys N. S. Lý & Skornick. My feeling is that they are ornamental rather than edible. According to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) the discovery of a new plant genus is unusual whereas the discovery of a new plant species is far more common. The NMNH reported ten years ago about the discovery of a new ginger genus, Smithatris supraneeana, in Thailand.

Back to Jamaica again and a speech given by Roger Clark, the agriculture minister. The government is putting a lot of effort into restoring the Jamaican ginger industry to its former glory and with ginger among the fastest growing spices in international trade, now is the time to do it. Clark said that over the last ten years global ginger imports have increased from 276,000 tonnes to 423,000 tonnes with Jamaica's contribution estimated to be less than four percent. Although domestic production is now increasing, the country is only able to supply 10% of its direct international orders. Jamaican ginger is being grown specifically for niche markets where its high quality can command a premium. The national short-term production target of 21,000 tonnes will require 3,000 acres at an improved target yield of 7 tonnes per acre. One target set for this year is the production of 589 tonnes of disease-free 'seed' stock for open-field cultivation next year. Another target is to allocate 10 acres of covered cultivation which, I imagine, is to protect against the vagaries of the weather.

The Deccan Herald had an interesting feature on how ginger cultivation has changed land-use patterns in the Indian state of Karnataka. Local farmers in the Banavasi region, known in the past for its deep-water paddy fields, switched to ginger after discovering the vast profits to be made when ginger farmers from the neighbouring state of Kerala started renting farmland. Ginger cultivation is very capital intensive as it requires considerable quantities of fertilisers and pesticides to achieve high yields. In this region land had to be drained which must have been expensive.

Gingerbread Ale, Migraine Relief & Molecular Gastronomy

Every now and then a picture comes along that catches my eye. Invariably, I can't explain why but there is always something about it that I find fascinating. And so it was last week that I came across a giant gingerbread man on a poster for Dough Head Gingerbread Ale from the Vancouver Island Brewery in Victoria, British Columbia. Unfortunately, this limited edition seasonal beer has only been brewed for the Christmas period. Brewer Chris Graham has used ginger, clove and cinnamon to create a beer which tastes and smells like a gingerbread cookie. Although most of us will never taste the beer, at least we will have the poster to look at (I'm sure the brewery won't mind).

As the end of the year is almost upon us, we can reveal the most searched for ginger story on Google in 2011. It was back in June that Reuters, and a number of other sources, reported the encouraging findings that a homeopathic preparation of ginger and feverfew may provide some pain relief for migraine sufferers. According to Wikipedia, migraines affect more than 10pc of people worldwide so it's not surprising that this story was so popular.

I imagine that Australian ginger farmers are having their best Christmas in a number of years. The Gympie Times reported the good news that after two years of suffering from persistent rain and pythium root rot, the farmers, with the assistance of Buderim Ginger, now seem to be heading in the right direction with fresh seed stock, new land and the promise of a 21pc pay rise.

Did you know that ginger beer is said to be the Christmas beverage in Trinidad and Tobago?

Traditionally, December is the time of year for unusual and quirky articles. Well, it is in the UK at least (see New Scientist for a classic example). That 'international weekly journal of science', nature.com, recently carried an article about a Cambridge theoretical physicist, Sebatian Ahnert, who also happens to be an amateur molecular gastronomist. It was in this latter capacity that he published the initial results of research into the matching of flavour molecules in recipes from around the world. Ahnert began the research after becoming intrigued by the anecdotal suggestion that some foods go well together because they contain the same flavour molecules. Apparently, that is why caviar and white chocolate can be served together but only in North America and Western Europe. You wouldn't find this combination in Latin American, Southern European or East Asian cuisine. The Cambridge team found that some common ingredients in North American cooking - milk, butter, cocoa, vanilla, cream & eggs, for example - share flavour compounds with many other foods. But some common ingredients in East Asian cooking - ginger, beef, pork, cayenne, chicken & onion - shared the least flavour compounds. I've been brought up on traditional English fare but I have found myself moving towards the delights of Italian cuisine. This could explain why I find most dishes by Heston Blumenthal (probably the world's most famous molecular gastronomist) so unappealing. If you are still uncertain about which of these two groups you belong to, consider the next flavour combination which Ahnert is keen to try - coffee and garlic!

I shall sign off now by wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Australian Ginger Future, Squatters, Increasing Production and Antimicrobial Properties

The Fijian government is taking a novel approach to the problem of squatters. The Jet community newspaper has reported that twenty one families with farming backgrounds have been selected to take part in a pilot programme. The government has set aside 30 acres between the families and will provide each with a home. The families will also be provided with seeds for crops such as ginger, given the appropriate training and encouraged to sell the resulting harvest at local markets. I wish the scheme well.

Last week I read how two neighbouring regions are experiencing diametrically opposite views about the ginger industry. First, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported that farmers in the coastal region are seriously considering giving up growing ginger following the second successive poor harvest caused by the dreaded pythium rot disease. And then, on the same day, The Gympie Times reported that the Gympie region, an area immediately to the north of the Sunshine Coast, is the ideal location for growing ginger. To emphasise the point, Gympie was chosen to host last week's inaugural conference of the Australian Ginger Industry Association.

Participants met at last week's Australian Ginger Industry Association conference to discuss a proposed five-year strategic plan to develop the industry. At the moment I don't have any more information about the conference but when I do I will let you know.

The Sri Lankan government is offering ginger farmers subsidised fertiliser in an effort to become self-sufficient in the crop. The country is in a similar situation to India in that it has a thriving export market coupled with increasing demand from the home market. This increase in domestic demand seems to be driven by the popularity of ayurvedic medicine which has forced the Department of Ayurveda to import ginger. This has a consequent effect on the country's balance of payments so it makes sense to increase production.

Browsing through the Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases the other day (I do like to vary my reading material occasionally) I found the results of a Brazilian study into the antimicrobial activities of certain essential oils and propolis. To be honest, I did rather regret varying my reading material so much that day. It was one of those documents that had me posing questions such as what does this mean, what does that mean, and have I already looked up the meaning of this word. Anyway, the conclusion of the report, I think, was that ginger essential oil with propolis (a resinous substance that honey bees collect from some plants) does have an observable effect on microorganisms such Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. If you would like to read the report of the study and let me know what it means, here is the link.