I finally got around to digging my roots! The plants had died off, so I had to remember where I had planted them! The turmeric and ginger were volunteer plants from the bits I missed last year, the spuds were just organic potatoes that had started shooting. The potatoes were very dissapointing - I got a lot more last year from the same number of spuds, but I used seed potatoes then. I haven't weighed the spuds, but it would have been about 3kgs from about 1kg potatoes planted.
Last night I decided to process some of the turmeric. The method is to scrub the turmeric and then boil for about half an hour. This morning I sliced it into thin slices and put in the dehydrator for the day. Then when it's dry, grind in a coffee grinder. I did a couple of batches, but I have a huge jar and will probably do another lot yet, so I will take it into my sister who has a Thermomix and she will do it in a fraction of the time! (I suppose I should ask her first!!) Last year I did this and got a huge jar of ground turmeric, unfortunately by about October it had all gone mouldy. This time I will freeze the ground stuff in small bags so that it keeps.
I will also peel and wrap some of both the roots in alfoil and freeze. Then when I want to use it, I just grate it. I've done this with ginger before, but not turmeric. I'm sure it will be simillar though.
Tomorrow I will make some ginger ale with the ginger - actually, I will probably make some turmeric and ginger ale. I have 3 times as much turmeric as ginger! I will weigh them both tomorrow - I should do this just for my records.
Hi Lucy, I wanted to thank you for your comment on my blog. We have come to the conclusion that milking routine is the most important thing, and getting the fostering thing sorted will come later (Bella was at the stage where she wouldn't come into her milking bales if "that calf" was around, and we don't want a repeat of last year's mastitis due to not letting us milk her for a couple of days, so now the calf is out of the way at milking time). Bella is very head-strong and we need to let her make her own decision to foster the calf. They are spending a lot of time together in the paddock, and eventually when she is more settled with milking, we'll let him have some from her in the bales, for now he is very enthusiastic with his bottle! Yes we will get sick of milking twice daily, so I hope that Bella will help us out eventually. Your comment reassured me that we've made the right decision, there's really no rush, as long as both are happy and healthy.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, glad I came over to your blog, because I had no idea how to process the tumeric that I've been growing, I suppose I should dig some up and see if there's anything worth processing. And its good to know that I should freeze it too. Cheers, Liz
Thanks for your comments Liz. I've had a lot to do with milking cows for many years and learnt all I know from my father who grew up on a dairy when you had to milk by hand. So, any time you want advice, don't hesitate to ask. If I don't know the answer, I'll ask Dad. I think milking cows all have their own personalities and if you can work out how to negoitate with them, you will be fine.
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