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Wednesday 20 February 2013

harvesting turmeric

Hi,

I had just finished transplanting some tomato plants and was about to clean up when I decided to take the plunge and empty the turmeric pot. The plant had been showing signs of drying up even with regular watering. So in went my spade to loosen the soil. Well, I was not very careless as no gardener ever gives up hope.
The dried plant came out in my hands with all the gingers attached to it. I gave out a whoop, and couldn't contain myself at seeing the turmeric; certainly my kids did not understand why their mother was looking at a clump of dirt with such joy.
The rhizomes were cleaned and weighed at the local grocery shop. The owner was wondering what a customer wanted to do with HIS weighing machine! The lengths we go to....!


haldi harvest 2013



Over a 100g; that was the quantity I got after washing. It is not a very big lot, but when I consider that I got it from a shallow 8 inch pot with no regular regimen of fertilizing and the leaves being perpetually attacked by caterpillars it is a good harvest.




I made an instant pickle out of this using lemon juice. That's another dish which gave double satisfaction of having grown the raw material on my own terrace.

 The stub of the plant with one root attached went back into the same pot after refreshing the soil with cow dung and cocosoil. The soil had become compacted hence I added some cocosoil.
Another year to go for the next turmeric harvest!