Difference between revisions of "Ginseng"
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I went ginseng foraging in [[Kentucky]] in 2016 with Mom. | I went ginseng foraging in [[Kentucky]] in 2016 with Mom. | ||
Ginseng berries ripen in early fall, seeds enter soil. Take up to two years to sprout. Takes another year or more for plant to grow another prong of leaves. Can live for up to 50 years. Older ginseng is more valuable. Dried ginseng can last up to seven years.<ref name="khimm2016">Suzy Khimm. [https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/07/the-thrill-of-the-hunt-ginseng-smuggling-poaching-boone-north-carolina-china/ "China’s Gold Rush in the Hills of Appalachia."] ''Foreign Policy'', September 7, 2016.</ref> | |||
Slow, steady decline in wild ginseng harvest. Pressures affecting supply, demand, and price: | |||
* Deer eat the leaves, turkeys eat the seeds. Timber companies cutting the trees providing shade.<ref name="barringer2005">Felicity Barringer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/07/us/in-appalachia-stalking-the-wild-ginseng-gets-tougher.html "In Appalachia, Stalking the Wild Ginseng Gets Tougher."] ''New York Times'', May 7, 2005.</ref> | |||
* Brent Bailey, assistant professor of biology at West Virginia University. Doctoral dissertation found positive correlation between ginseng harvests and state unemployment rate. "The forests are a social safety net in Appalachia. Ginseng is Plan B for many households."<ref name="barringer2005" /> | |||
Wild simulated ginseng. | |||
* [https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/01/17/578687175/episode-818-the-problem-of-the-root Planet Money Episode 818: The Problem Of The Root] | |||
= Foraging = | = Foraging = | ||
Global market for ginseng more than $2 billion. Mostly grown on farms under fabric canopies (you see these all over the place in Korea). Wisconsin produces 95 percent of farmed American ginseng. Started with Paul Hsu, a Taiwanese immigrant in Wausau, Wisconsin, who started planting crops in 1978 and currently has more than 1,000 acres. Wild ginseng grows in temperate forests and fetches a higher price. In East Asia, wild stock nearly extinct. Only other place where it's indigenous is North America. Dwindling supply and robust demand inflating value to up to $800/dried pound.<ref name="khimm2016" /> | |||
= Preparing Ginseng = | = Preparing Ginseng = | ||
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You can slice ginseng like any root vegetable. Mom's grandfather, who was an herb doctor, says that you should always lop off the stem, as you can see from the picture to the left. | You can slice ginseng like any root vegetable. Mom's grandfather, who was an herb doctor, says that you should always lop off the stem, as you can see from the picture to the left. | ||
= References = | |||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Food]] [[Category:Foraging]] | [[Category:Food]] [[Category:Foraging]] | ||
Revision as of 19:06, 16 October 2018
<flickr>4145898809|frame|m</flickr>
Ginseng is a root primarily found in Asia (although there's apparently an American version). I've been drinking Korean ginseng tea for as long as I remember, and I love it in 삼계탕.
I'm used to working with the dried root, but Mom brought some fresh roots back from Korea in October 2009, and I stole a few of them. They smell really potent, and they cook beautifully.
I went ginseng foraging in Kentucky in 2016 with Mom.
Ginseng berries ripen in early fall, seeds enter soil. Take up to two years to sprout. Takes another year or more for plant to grow another prong of leaves. Can live for up to 50 years. Older ginseng is more valuable. Dried ginseng can last up to seven years.[1]
Slow, steady decline in wild ginseng harvest. Pressures affecting supply, demand, and price:
- Deer eat the leaves, turkeys eat the seeds. Timber companies cutting the trees providing shade.[2]
- Brent Bailey, assistant professor of biology at West Virginia University. Doctoral dissertation found positive correlation between ginseng harvests and state unemployment rate. "The forests are a social safety net in Appalachia. Ginseng is Plan B for many households."[2]
Wild simulated ginseng.
Foraging
Global market for ginseng more than $2 billion. Mostly grown on farms under fabric canopies (you see these all over the place in Korea). Wisconsin produces 95 percent of farmed American ginseng. Started with Paul Hsu, a Taiwanese immigrant in Wausau, Wisconsin, who started planting crops in 1978 and currently has more than 1,000 acres. Wild ginseng grows in temperate forests and fetches a higher price. In East Asia, wild stock nearly extinct. Only other place where it's indigenous is North America. Dwindling supply and robust demand inflating value to up to $800/dried pound.[1]
Preparing Ginseng
<flickr>4183622999|frame|m|left</flickr>
You can slice ginseng like any root vegetable. Mom's grandfather, who was an herb doctor, says that you should always lop off the stem, as you can see from the picture to the left.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Suzy Khimm. "China’s Gold Rush in the Hills of Appalachia." Foreign Policy, September 7, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Felicity Barringer. "In Appalachia, Stalking the Wild Ginseng Gets Tougher." New York Times, May 7, 2005.
