If you can find the tubers in the grocery store, now's a good time to plant turmeric.

http://garden.org/ideas/view/B...

Thanks for that link Sandi, I missed that article back in May and you have answered one of those little tickly questions that hang around in the back of your brain. Grocery stores here have bins of this, I think more so at certain times of the year. I never knew what it was, it was labeled Curcuma and when I asked them if it was like ginger they said yes. Well, that's one of the problems with communicating in a second language. I meant was it USED like ginger and they probably thought I meant was it grown like ginger. Anyway, I bought some and tried a piece and... bleh! It's pretty strong raw and I couldn't figure out what to cook with it so I tossed it. Now that I know what it is in English, I will find some recipes to use it.

edited to add: I just looked it up in a spanish/english dictionary and yes, Cúrcuma means Tumeric. Duh! I should have done that a long time ago. Those little tickly questions never surface when you are in front of the computer though unless someone else brings them to mind.

Glad to be of help, especially since you were so kind to let me use your photos for our garden newsletter!

I planted some in the garden where I had gingers already. Fall came and I couldn't tell the difference in them. I'm going to let them all come back up to see if I can sort them out. I think the best turmeric is found here in late fall. That's when it dies back and is dug up. The ones I found this spring were much smaller and not as plump. Not sure if they were maybe imported from somewhere else.

Hope you'll plant some and see if they bloom for you. A few years ago one of my Mexican friends gave me some "ginger" tubers that she'd been given to plant. After finding the turmeric in the store, I'm fairly sure that I already have turmeric growing with the other gingers. The tubers she gave me were much smaller than the store ones, but I'm going to "sacrifice" some and dig them up early to see. They seem to be the first to come back in early spring.

I'm running out of sunny spots unless I pay (and get permission) to cut back trees on my neighbor's lot. The trees are getting bigger and my sunny spots are getting smaller. Because of that many of my gingers and heliconia are not doing well. If it will grow in a pot I might try some on my roof garden. First though, I need to find some recipes and try it.

Turmeric will to fine in pots. I went outside this afternoon to look for the dead straps of the gingers that are in ground. Too much rain and too many leaves out there. I'll have to wait until late Feb. when it warms enough to poke around.

The time 'they' plant tumeric around here is in April....

I am planting a lot of it - it has been recommended to use for my arthritis pain...and really any inflamation problems. I've found an herbal med. called Curamin which has taken the pain/ache out of my hands (where the arthritis is) and learned about making a tincture of tumeric to use in the same way....and it will save a lot of $$$$ as the Curamin is pricey. I was told (yesterday at the market) to just sprinkle grated tumeric on salads, put some in a smoothie etc. You don't need much! Taking a bit of cayenne with it is supposed to speed up the effects!

OK...so I was told to chop up the tumeric, put it in a jar with a lid and over it to about and inch over the top with vodka. Let it steep for about 40 days and then decant....use about 1 - 2 teas a day. Here's my first try....

At the market I bought more tumeric, so I am going to put it in the blender with vodka...pulse it to chop finely, put it in a jar and top off with the vodka. Purpose of the vodka is the alcohol...so it can be really cheap stuff.....

That a great "recipe," Carol. I think turmeric is definitely an acquired taste. I'll try it on a salad next. DH won't have anything to do with it!

I sprinkle cayenne and tumeric - both dried - into my smoothie each morning because of arthritis in my hands. I can't sympathize with that hurt Carol

The spices definitely help

I have so far only used it in powdered form but would like to see what it does for my hands. Us gardeners do eventually get creaky hand-joints, don't we?

I just pulsed a mess of it in small batches watered down with Vodka...watch out cause it stains.

I used to put about 1 teas powdered in my smoothie...couldn't taste it...but I think the tincture would be good in Iced Ginger tea and in oriental stirfries....and if it works for my hands, I'll drink it in water no matter how horrible it tastes. I also paint and the hands are very necessary
!!!!