Ginger Cider, April Fool, New Launches & Reducing Waste

Next month Alnwick, in north Northumberland, will play host to a cider and chilli festival, according to the Northumberland Gazette. One of the features of this event, organised by both the Alnwick Food Festival and the Alnwick Beer Festival, will be the unveiling of a collaborative effort from Thistly Cross and Belhaven Fruit Farm called Ginger and Chilli Cider. Both Thistly Cross and Belhaven Fruit Farm use locally grown produce where possible. Both businesses are based in Dunbar which is officially the sunniest place in Scotland (but not warm enough for growing ginger). I didn't realise until now that Thistly Cross already produces an alcoholic ginger infused cider. If you can get to the festival on May the 4th and 5th let me know what you think of this intriguing new drink.

If you are a student of British political history you may already know this. It is 1855 and Lord Palmerston, at the age of 70, has become British Prime Minister for the first time. Following the formation of his government, Benjamin Disraeli, a political foe, wrote to a friend that 'Palmerston is really an impostor, utterly exhausted, and at the best only ginger-beer, and not champagne, and now an old painted Pantaloon, very deaf, very blind, and with false teeth, which would fall out of his mouth when speaking, if he did not hesitate so in his talk'. They really did have a way with words back then.

Last Friday the 2012 budget was presented to the Guyanese parliament. It wasn't something I was waiting for in particular but my attention was drawn to a comment made by the finance minister, Dr Ashni Singh, regarding last year's successful introduction of a spice project. This project was introduced to promote diversity in hinterland communities by growing crops like ginger and turmeric. A Guyana Office for Investment aim is to become the breadbasket of the Caribbean whilst at the same time increasing exports to North America and Europe. The latest available UN Comtrade figures show that in 2010 Guyana was a net exporter of ginger with the Caribbean being the principal destination.

Today, as we all know, is April Fool's Day and it can be quite interesting and, at times, frustrating trying to find the obligatory spoof or silly story in the newspapers. Having found the story in my newspaper today I had a look at past stories and found a particularly relevant one in the Daily Express from 2006. "Scientists yesterday revealed that broken biscuits are in fact the perfect material to help resurface roads,” the Express informed us. “Years of experimental research revealed that crushed-up ginger nuts are the best biscuit for a road’s sub-base, as they are more porous and allow water to drain away.” The story was accompanied by a picture showing serried rows of gingernut biscuits being steamrollered into the tarmac. I love these stories.

The Jamaica Information Service reported on a scheme which is proving to be financially beneficial to many farmers. The Jamaica Exotic Flavours and Essences Company, in conjunction with the Jamaican government, will buy any produce which has been rejected by customers for being too small or unattractive and convert it into purees, flavours, essences and juices for the food and beverage industry. This scheme applies to a wide range of crops including ginger. It's difficult to imagine ginger being rejected for being unattractive. This is a scheme which can and should be adopted by many other countries.

Back in February I posted that Kumbalangi in the Indian state of Kerala would be the first flat coastal location to grow ginger, a crop normally associated with hill farming. IBNLive has now reported that the project officially started yesterday.

A new report on the spices and seasonings market states that the Asia-Pacific spice market will grow by 5.6% over the next five years, according to FnBnews.com. If you couple this with the increasing world demand for spices, driven by a growing awareness of the health benefits and a fascination for ethnic cuisine, then the outlook for farmers in countries such as India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka appears to be very positive indeed.

The Financial Express informs us that the eastern Indian state of Orissa has decided to identify horticultural crop clusters and then use these areas to develop a streamlined marketing infrastructure. Ginger clusters can now be found in the Phulbani and Koraput districts. The state is said to have perfect rainfall conditions for growing ginger, so good that it has now become self-sufficient in the crop.

Fentimans has launched a cool & less fiery version of its traditional ginger beer. The new drink is called, unsurprisingly, Cool Ginger Beer and will be available in the familiar 275ml bottles. It has been botanically brewed in the usual way with Chinese ginger.

Startup company Berry White launched a range of white tea-based organic drinks including a lemon, ginger & acai berry flavour. I like to think that if you are going to launch a new range then ginger is a must. The drinks were released to the trade at last week's Food & Drink Expo 2012 in Birmingham.

off licence news reported another launch last week when Stone’s Ginger Wine released a limited edition "Fabulously British" pack for this summer. This Accolade Wines product aims to highlight the brand's British heritage. Its lifespan will also cover the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympics.

Finally, a request from the Lancashire Evening Post. A Preston man is on a quest to find a part of his family history - a John Herbert ginger beer bottle. I know it is unlikely but can you help?

Captain Scott, Indian Christmas Beer, Skills Shortage & Ginger Tea

Well, by now everyone must have welcomed in the New Year. I hope that all you have wished and worked for comes to fruition. I'm certainly looking forward with excitement to the coming year. Why? I'll let you know in due course.

The Telegraph revealed the Christmas menu enjoyed by Captain Scott and his team during their doomed 1911-12 attempt to be the first people to reach the South Pole. Although thwarted in their bid by Roald Amundsen, on Christmas Eve 1911 the confident team tucked into horsemeat flavoured with onion and curry powder. This was followed by an arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh (a thick stew); plum pudding; cocoa with raisins, and finished off with a dessert of caramel and ginger. If you live within easy reach of London, you may be interested in an exhibition commemorating the centenary of the polar explorers attempt which opens at the Natural History Museum on January 20th.

Occasionally I've mentioned about new ginger-spiced beers which seem to be very popular these days, particularly in the UK and USA. So I was pleased to read on livemint.com about an Indian beer brewed with the spices traditionally associated with a Christmas cake. The Biere Club, Bangalore's first craft brewery, has created a Christmas brew, with ginger amongst the ingredients, for the festive season only or until the limited run of 2,000 litres has been sold.

The other day I came across a beer called Old Danish Braggot. This has been brewed with honey and ginger from a recipe dating back to 1700 by the Dansk Mjød A/S brewery in Billund, Denmark. Incidentally, Billund is the home of Lego and well worth a visit. I've since discovered that a braggot is a type of beer made, according to Beer Advocate, by "blending spices and herbs with mead and beer to produce a strong concoction with uncommon flavours". Now there's an excuse to take the family to Legoland.

I'm not a science fiction fan so I apologise if I've discovered something which you already know. Today I read about a collection of books (which I've never read) by the American writer Harry Turtledove (who I've never heard of) which feature aliens, known as The Race, who invade Earth during the Second World War. Apparently, these aliens find ginger so addictive that it has the same effect on them as cocaine does on humans. Can anyone tell me whether ginger features heavily in the stories?

You may remember a couple of recent posts in which I referred to the Indian state of Orissa. Well, on the 1st November 2011 it changed its name to Odisha. I mention this because the following story from Orissadiary.com refers to the new name. Odisha is an important producer of ginger and there is a possibility that the state may run out of ginger farmers. A study by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), an Indian Ministry of Finance quango, has identified a shortage of 2,600,000 skilled workers by 2026 in Odisha alone. The aim of the NSDC is to provide the appropriate training to enable people to either gain employment or become self-employed. One particular area in need of assistance is ginger processing industry and the recently discovered financial benefits of adding value.

I'm sure that I read the other day about another ginger-producing country, Malaysia I believe, and the difficulties it is already facing with a shortage of English-speaking workers. What I did definitely read about Malaysia was an academic study into the chemical variations of three locally grown ginger cultivars. A team from the International Islamic University in Pahang wanted to know whether the previously detected chemical variations could be attributed to genetic factors rather than environmental or intrinsic factors. A metabolic fingerprinting exercise using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry revealed that the variations were due to genetic effects.

The Kerala state government in India has declared Wayanad an agri crisis area following the recent spate of farmer suicides. This news, briefly reported in IBNLive, also stated that farmers were expected to get assistance and relief.

BBC America carried a personal view of the drinking habits of British people, A New Year’s Guide to British Booze. If you navigate to page five of this ten page gallery you will see an entry for alcoholic ginger beer. I can confirm that alcoholic ginger beers are a big hit here in the UK and I'm sure that there will be more to come this year. And this is in addition to the renaissance in ginger-spiced real ales.

GantDaily.com, from central Pennsylvania, reported the interesting story about the effects of rising sea levels and the consequent saltwater intrusion in Vietnam's fertile Mekong Delta. This has necessitated a major rethink regarding the crops that are grown and simple farming fixes. Oxfam has piloted a small project to help farmers with hardier varieties of watermelons and introduce simple methods to save fresh water. Oxfam has now started a similar project with ginger. I must contact Oxfam for progress on this particular project.

Something that has become quite widespread but which I first picked up on China Daily was the story that Simon Cowell attributes his 'youthful looks' (not my words) to drinking ginger tea all day and a few other things. I can't be bothered to write anymore about this except to say that I'm going to start drinking ginger tea on a regular basis. Just a coincidence, I'm sure!

Bhutan Crisis, Travel Retail, Value-Added Project & World's No.1 Ginger Ale

Back in May I wrote about the hardship being felt by ginger farmers in Bhutan whose crops had dropped dramatically in value compared to the previous year. BBS, Bhutan's National Public Service broadcaster, has now reported that the price has continued to fall and has reached a new low. It isn't clear what has caused the fall in price although some in Bhutan blame it on a 'bountiful' harvest in India. I'm not so sure about that as Indian ginger farmers are also suffering from a drop in price. It is ironic that the price is set at the Gelephu auction yard which is also the site of a World Food Programme centre whose role is to alleviate poverty in the country by distributing food aid.

The Boston Globe featured a potted history of the Clicquot Club as told by Paul LaCroix, the great-grandson of the founder of the ginger ale manufacturer. I'll let you read it but I will mention something that I didn't know. The name "Clicquot" was taken from the famous French champagne Veuve Clicquot way back in the 1880s.

A number of sources carried the news that India's largest retailer Future Group has entered a partnership with the Himachal Pradesh state government to promote a range of products, including ginger, under the brand name 'Brand Himachal'. It is hoped that Himachal farmers will have a guaranteed market for their products in Big Bazaar outlets in 80 cities and towns and 65 rural locations across the country. The state chief minister, Kumar Dhumal, believes that the partnership will help farmers to compete in a market currently dominated by China.

The Moodie Report reported that Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) has identified travel retail as a market with potential for The King’s Ginger. Although the high-strength 41% abv liqueur has been around since 1903, it has only recently been given a new lease of life by BBR. The macerated ginger root drink is made by De Kuyper. If you will allow me, I'm going to shamelessly plug this drink. I'm not a spirits drinker. For years I've only drunk beer and wine. But when I reviewed this product for the All Things Ginger website I instantly fell in love with it. So give it a try. You'll find a link near the top of this page.

When I read the previous report about travel retail it dawned on me that I've never really known what it is. So if you are like me, here is a definition I gleaned from last year's Airline Retail Conference. Travel retail can be defined as "All types of sales to the travelling public". It encompasses duty free sales at airports, on board aircraft and ferries. It also includes sales at off-airport shops, border shops, seaport shops, military and diplomatic sales. Rather obvious really, isn't it? Incidentally, I've also read that travel retail is the best way to advertise a product and build a brand.

Whilst browsing during the week I came across a large project being undertaken in the Indian state of Orissa. The project, A Value Chain On Ginger & Ginger Products, started in April 2009 and will last until next summer when Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology and its four business partners will report on the outcome. The aim of the project is to increase the income for farmers by switching to elite varieties of ginger, improving post-harvest management techniques, introducing value-added product processing and, finally, commanding better prices when going to market. A website has been created for the project if you would like any further information.

The Ginger Ale Authority has named Boylan Bottlework’s Ginger Ale as the World’s No.1 Ginger Ale. The Ginger Ale Authority is a US organisation which reports on the world of ginger ale. A worthy undertaking.