Ginger Research, Import Concerns, Theft & Christmas

Let's start with a sporting trivia question. What did Babe Ruth, the legendary American baseball player, enjoy for breakfast? Apparently, he drank two pints of bourbon and ginger ale. Ruth must have enjoyed his ginger as he personally endorsed Red Rock Cola, a popular ginger ale and cola product.

The story about Fijian ginger exports to Australia continues. Queensland farmers and politicians are concerned about the risk of pest infestation and the threat to jobs resulting from cheap imports. These farmers have raised their concerns with the Australian Senate Rural and Regional Affairs committee. This committee will produce a report by the 29th of November. Interestingly, Queensland farmers are also concerned about the import of pineapples from Malaysia.

Ginger is a very important export commodity for Fiji. The bulk of these exports, at 830,000 kg and worth $6million, takes the form of immature ginger principally for the New Zealand and European markets.

James White Drinks has extended its Beet It range of beetroot juices with the launch of Beet It With Ginger, an organic beetroot juice with ginger. The Food & Drink Innovation Network reports the owner of James White as saying that as only 30% of people love beetroot, adding ginger will immediately increase that percentage. I should be able to find a bottle in my local Waitrose.

McCormick, the international herb and spice producer, has identified ginger as one of seven must-have flavours for the forthcoming festive season, according to a company news release. I've never really thought about ginger with my Christmas turkey but the possibility of a ginger and orange glaze immediately comes to mind. What do you think?

The Birmingham Mail reports that thieves have made off with £12,000 worth of Fox’s ginger nuts and shortcakes from a Walsall industrial estate. This haul is obviously too much for personal consumption so will have to be offloaded somewhere. So if you are having a quiet pint in a West Midlands pub, don't be surprised if someone whispers over your shoulder, "Psst, want some ginger?".

As we have seen in previous posts, Americans have developed a taste for Belgian-style Witbier with ginger. I've found another one, this time from San Francisco's Triple Voodoo Brewing, called Witopia. This 5.5% abv wheat beer contains ginger, coriander & orange peel. (Source: Shanken News Daily).

Still in the US and November 1st sees the launch of this year's Christmas Ale from the Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. This four-times World Beer Championships gold medal winner is a holiday ale which has been brewed with the addition of fresh ginger, honey and cinnamon. I think that this shows that ginger-spiced beers and ales can not only be refreshing in the summer but also warming in the winter.

And here is another one from the States. Sabra Dipping Company has just launched Asian Fusion Garden Hummus where Asia meets the Mediterranean. This interesting sounding hummus is made from ginger and sesame (and a few other things).

Next year will see the publication of a research paper entitled "Value-added bioethanol from spent ginger obtained after oleoresin extraction". Conducted by the Food Engineering and Technology Department at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, the research will show that spent ginger can be used to produce bioethanol. The spent ginger is what remains after the extraction of oleoresin and constitutes more than 90% of the original raw material.

I like to keep an eye on ginger agricultural developments in the US. This is a country which, apart from Hawaii, has not been known for growing ginger. But an increasing number of innovative, adventurous and entrepreneurial farmers have taken the plunge and started to produce ginger. To assist these farmers, the University of Minnesota has established a ginger research programme at its Southern Research & Outreach Centre in Waseca. Researchers here plant 100-150 pounds of ginger a year in high tunnels.

The Kathmandu Post reports that the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Nepal Ministry of Commerce and Supply will be promoting the production of ginger in Taplejung and Bhojpur districts. Both of these districts are known for growing ginger. This new initiative will introduce improved ginger 'seed' with the intention of harvesting ginger with a lower fibre content. Low fibre is a characteristic in demand in the international markets and can command a higher price.

Import Concerns, Loans Write-Off, Crabbie's Back & Big Kahuna

Australian ginger farmers will be meeting this week to discuss a report which recommends the import of fresh ginger rhizomes from Fiji. According to The Weekly Times, it appears that the farmers are not necessarily concerned about the competition but more about the possibility that the imports could introduce exotic pests and diseases into the country. If the Australian government does allow imports, the ginger will have to pass a number of stringent tests and abide by certain conditions. Naturally, the ginger will have to be free from soil and any other visible foreign matter. Once harvested, the ginger must be inspected and certified by the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji. And finally, the ginger must be acceptable to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The Press Association revealed that Tesco stores in Scotland will stock the latest offering from Mackintosh of Glendaveny - a ginger flavoured rapeseed oil. That could be interesting. Ginger flavoured chips perhaps.

Last year, Crabbie's became one of Everton Football Club's official partners. The drinks company has announced on the club's website that it will be back for the start of the new season this coming weekend with the popular Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer and the newly rebranded John Crabbie's Cloudy Ginger Beer.

The Guardian from Nigeria carried an interview with Dr.Gloria Elemo, the Director-General of the Nigerian Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO). When asked what technological initiatives the institute has undertaken, Dr.Elemo responded with a number of examples including some ginger developments. The domestic production of ginger powder under the institute's guidance has reduced imports which has resulted in a corresponding saving in foreign exchange. And the production of ginger oleoresin (a naturally occurring mixture of resin and essential oil) has the potential, it is believed, to stimulate the rural economy.

Stone's Ginger Punch is now available for a limited period in 250ml cans decorated with the Union flag. The drink is a mix of ginger wine and lemonade (source: Packaging Europe).

The Indian state of Karnataka is normally one of the country's major ginger growing regions. I say "normally" because this year many parts of the state have been hit by a drought. For some unknown reason the monsoons decided to give this state a miss. To help ginger farmers (and producers of vanilla and arecanut), the repayment of up to Rs25,000 of loans has been waived. But, according to the Deccan Herald, the state government has been urged to waive all farm loans.

The Canadian Beer News announced that Vancouver-based Granville Island Brewing's Ginger Beer is returning again for the summer only. The 5.0% abv beer is brewed with malt, hops, yeast and Big Kahuna ginger from Hawaii.

Big Kahuna is an organic white ginger which is ideally suited to Hawaii. It has been widely distributed to growers throughout North America. But I did notice earlier this year that East Branch Ginger, a major ginger 'seed' supplier from Pittsboro in North Carolina, stopped supplying Big Kahuna for this season and replaced it with another Hawaiian organic variety called Da Kine Ruhi. This replacement variety differs from Big Kahuna in that it has yellow tips. Yellow in ginger indicates a high level of curcumin, known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Alzheimer's Disease, Ginger Tea, Medicinal Plants & Corfu Ginger Beer

A leading authority on the causes and prevention of Alzheimer’s eats ginger every day to prevent the possible onset of the disease, according to a report in The Vancouver Sun. Neurology professor Pat McGeer, from the University of British Columbia, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Vancouver that ginger can help prevent the protein plaque buildup in the brain which leads to the disease. McGeer, who is 84 and still active in Alzheimer's research, said that as pharmaceutical companies are nowhere near finding a cure, it is quite reasonable for people to look elsewhere such as in their own kitchens. He also said that as well as ginger you could try blackberries, rhubarb, cinnamon, turmeric (from the ginger family), cranberries, pomegranate and blueberries.

Salada Foods is the largest coffee processing company in Jamaica and has been in coffee for over half a century. Last October the company, in a major departure from its core activities, launched a ginger tea. This drink is made, quite naturally, from Jamaican ginger. But now, according to the Jamaica Observer, the company has encountered a slight problem. In order to meet export demand for the new ginger tea they obviously need ginger. But Jamaica is not producing enough to meet the company's requirements. So Salada has started working with farmers and the agriculture ministry to increase production.

There has always been a strong relationship between man and medicinal plants. Right from the start of civilization plants have been used as medicine by men and animals, probably by animals before men. These were the introductory sentences to a workshop last week called, unsurprisingly, Man and Medicinal Plants. Organised by the Department of Botany at Bharathiar University in Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the aim of the workshop was to provide an understanding of how medicinal plants can be of use to man and to identify research opportunities. Zee News reported Dr K Nirmal Babu, Principal Scientist at the prestigious Indian Institute of Spices Research, who stated that spices, such as ginger and its close relative turmeric, play an important role in curing diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The modern study of the medicinal properties of food is known by the term nutraceutical, a portmanteau of the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” coined in 1989 by Dr Stephen DeFelice.

There is small company in Columbus, Ohio, called Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams which has created a seasonal product called Influenza Sorbet. It contains bourbon, honey, lemon juice, ginger, cayenne pepper and orange juice.

Nigeria is a major ginger producer and exporter which seems to have cornered the market in dried-split ginger. Dried ginger can be offered whole but is usually in sliced or split form. The sliced version is easier for manufacturers to grind but tends to lose more flavour than the split version where the rhizomes are 'split' but not necessarily parted.

Ginger and other spices from the south-western Indian state of Kerala are very popular in many cities to the north. Until now these commodities have been transported by road with traders having to absorb or pass on the many costs incurred such as inter-state tax tariffs and road permits. The Indian Spices Board has now been offered a train service by Indian Railways to transport the spices and other products to cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Jodhpur. The Business Standard also reported that the new train will be called "Kairali Queen" and will be faster and cheaper than by road.

Last week I learned all about the British occupation of the Greek island of Corfu. In 1809 the French ruled Corfu and the British had taken all of the other Ionian islands. Quite naturally the British wanted the complete set and made an unsuccessful attempt at invading Corfu. I don't really know what happened in between but in 1815 the Ionian Islands became a British protectorate known as the United States of the Ionian Islands with Corfu as the seat of the British Lord High Commissioner. The islands continued to be administered by the British until 1864 when they were handed over to Greece. So why am I telling you this? Well, the British have been in love with ginger for centuries and introduced ginger-based products to many parts of the world. They introduced ginger beer to Corfu and it became an instant hit. In fact, it has become so popular that many now regard it as Corfu's traditional refreshment drink. Known variously as "tsin tsin birra" and "tzitzibira", the drink is made with grated ginger, lemon juice, lemon oil, water and sugar.

It has been nearly a year since Sri Lanka embarked on a major initiative aimed at changing the way people lead their lives. In the past Sri Lanka was built around a network of self-sufficient villages where households produced much of their food requirements themselves and those with larger areas of land produced excess quantities to sell in town markets. This lifestyle changed following the arrival of first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British. The aims of this new initiative, known as Divi Neguma, include restoring self-sufficiency, food security, healthy diets and reducing malnutrition. The government has provided households and farmers with seeds and plants (including ginger) and assistance as part of the project. The report in the Daily News also stated that Sri Lanka's vegetable and fruit consumption is less than half that of a developed country.

An Australian woman was feeling ill last week so she went to the shop to buy some ginger ale and, presumably on impulse, a lottery ticket as well. She won over A$3.3million.

Brigadier Kasirye Gwanga is the Ugandan Presidential Advisor on Military Affairs. He is also a shrewd farmer as well, according to allAfrica. Gwanga benefited from the vanilla boom from the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s. Now that the boom is over he has diversified into ginger and believes that he will become the largest grower of the crop. He has noticed that ginger, which has been grown for many years in Uganda, has now become scarce and domestic demand has to be supplemented by imports from Kenya. It looks like he has spotted an opening there.

The Ugandan government has predicted that preserved ginger has a big future. This prediction has been backed by a plan to build a ginger processing plant. But there is one problem - an insufficient supply of locally grown ginger. I couldn't possibly suggest that the Ugandan government speak to Kasirye Gwanga because of the obvious conflict of interest. But surely there must be plenty of farmers who could also start ginger cultivation now that they no longer produce vanilla.

I've come across a number of unverifiable reports that there is more incentive for Indian farmers to grow ginger this coming season than turmeric.

I'm going to finish with something unpleasant. The Miami Herald featured Andrew Zimmern, a TV celebrity who eats unusual foods. The article described his visit to an uninhabited Samoan island where he ate grilled giant fruit bat seasoned with ginger juice. Personally, I would never have used ginger but if you haven't got any cranberry sauce to hand what are you supposed to do?