If you have the right climate and a sunny well drained spot, growing turmeric might be worth a try. It is a relative of ginger, and grows to a similarly attractive clump of lush leaves, which die down in Winter to leave a crown of tasty rhizomes.
Growing turmeric at home
Some friends gave me a handful of rhizomes in Winter last year, so I planted them in a bed on our North (sun) facing slope, then left them to their own devices, apart from some rescue weeding. Now the weather has cooled and the leaves are yellowing off, so I’ve had a go at lifting a plant.
I was a bit surprised at how extensive the rhizomes get. They are never as thick as ginger, but they form quite a mass of fingers from a fairly small plant, so there is plenty to re-plant as well as to use for cooking.
I’ve never used turmeric fresh before, and it is really very nice. It has a gentle, full flavour, without that bite that the powder has. My first trial was to grate it and have it with tofu and broccoli in a stir fry, then my second dish used it thinly sliced with chicken in a casserole. Both were good, and the turmeric paired well with cardamom and star anise. I look forward to trying it in other dishes, and experimenting with how to cook it.
It does stain just as well as the powdered spice, and now my chopping board is permanently yellow, but that’s no drama. Be careful with your clothes though!
So if you maybe baulk at the price or quality of fresh turmeric rhizome in the shops, maybe buy a small piece and try growing turmeric at home. Then you’ll have plenty to play with in the kitchen, and probably as many plants as you can cope with for ever more.
The leaves are also good for wrapping food for cooking, with a warm cardamom sort of fragrance. Next year when I have a lot more growing I can start to try that. I’m planning to plant a whole bank to it, where now there’s just troublesome grass, so that will be another problem solved.