Yandina Community Gardens

41 Farrell street, Yandina

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Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

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Hardy clumping perennial from the ginger family.

Other Names: Indian Saffron, Yellow Ginger

Origin: SE Asia, India

Size: 1m high, 1m spread

Growing conditions: full sun

Propagation: Replant rhizomes in spring after autumn harvest.

Growing tips: Dig rhizomes up when the tops have died down. Can be left in ground during winter dry season or lifted and stored in dry sawdust or sand.

Use: Like ginger and galangal, turmeric is a spice and can be added to any cooked vegetable dish. Grate turmeric with some onions and saute in hot oil. Raw, it has a pungent bite and can lift a salad. Used to colour rice and curry dishes and curry powder.  Makes a great ‘turmeric, galangal and chilli paste’.

Availability in shop: late spring to summer

Galangal (Alpinia officinarum)

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Clumping perennial with aromatic roots used in asian cooking.

Other Names: petit galanga, colic root, catarrh root, lesser galangal

Origin: China, South-East Asia

Size: 1.5m high, 1m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to partial shade

Propagation: from tubers during summer

Growing tips: Cut back stems that have flowered, as they will die down. Use prunings as chop & drop.

Use: With a spade, dig into the galangal clump from the outside and break off whatever root mass you can. Look for the curled, pink-coloured rhizomes. These range in length from 4 – 7.5cm and are about 2cm thick.  Use like ginger within a week.

Availability in shop: all year, best in summer

Arrowroot

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Arrowroot

Arrowroot (Web)Canna edulis

Origin: Hot, humid Queensland

Plant: Any time

Harvest: 12-18 months for edible rhizomes.

Suggested Recipes: Root Vegetable Curry, Vegetable Pikelets

Use as a ‘chop n drop’ mulch, or leave to form a weed barrier with pigeon pea, lemon grass and comfrey. Good bulk food to grow for livestock.  Arrowroot can be

Arrowroot Rhizome with 'Eyes'
Arrowroot Rhizome with ‘Eyes’

planted to provide a windbreak or shade for more delicate vegies.  They will grow almost anywhere, in any type of soil and with minimal water requirements.  Propagation is simply planting a piece of the rhizome that has an ‘eye’. This eye will become your new plant. Keep arrowroot for eating separate from that grown for ‘chop n drop’ as it needs to be grown over a longer period – at least twelve months old – to develop the tubers; it is best harvested when still young and before the fibre develops. The tubers can be cooked (add lemon juice to cooking water to prevent oxidisation) and grated then added to stews/casseroles as a thickener; tubers can be roasted or sliced thinly and cooked as chips (use a bit of garlic in the oil as well). The starch can be extracted and used to make arrowroot biscuits.

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Acknowledgement of country

Yandina Community Gardens acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) people, past and present and emerging. We recognise and wish to learn from their spiritual and cultural connection to the land.