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  • Results 1 to 11 of 11

    Thread: Black Tumeric...is it edible?

    1. #1
      Greenthumbnails's Avatar
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      Question Black Tumeric...is it edible?

      Wondering if anyone knows if Black Tumeric is edible?
      I just bought some bulbs/plants for the "hidden flower" which looks like the same in the ginger family. Wondering if all tumeric is edible.

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      never heard of Black Tumeric...

      but Tumeric the whole plant is edible
      Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. - Benjamin Franklin.

      you cant fix stupid no matter how hard you try.

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      CraigP's Avatar
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      Based on my reading, all members of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, are edible, in the sense they will not poison you; but, that is totally different from being palatable. < g > Your plant didn't happen to come with the botanical name did it?

      I have two gingers commonly called black turmeric and neither are what I would consider culinary. The one that is a ' true ' turmeric is Curcuma caesia and it is said to be extremely bitter, if I am remembering correctly, for the most part the tuber is carried on ones person to ward off evil spirits. The other is Thai black ginger, aka Krachai dum, and a Kaempferia, K parviflora. Of the two, the Kaempferia is the one that has a "hidden" flower. Again from my reading...its primary use seems to be as a botanical "viagra", so medicinal and also not culinary.

      I'll attach pictures for you to compare, the first photo is K. parviflora. Pictures of the cut rhizomes can be found here on post #5: https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showth...Planter-s-Moon
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      Craig

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      Craig- No Botanical name was given. Posting pics of what I bought...have not shipped yet but on their way.

      To me these blooms look the same, but one red and one pink. However, the red one is supposed to be tumeric and the leaf is definitely different with the red stripe down the middle.
      Left is the Ginger bloom and Right is the Tumeric bloom and leaves.

      I like the blooms and wanted to try something different on land this year.
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      Hey Greenthumnails, how did the story turn out? Did you get the plants and were you able to ID them? My white, aka mango, turmeric is up and blooms before the leaves emerge. As you can see the black turmeric, C. caesia, is only now producing a sprout. I should have extra if you plants didn't work out for you.

      Another of my favorites Kaempferia galanga is starting up. Odd plant the leaves all lay flat on the ground and when it hits its stride, it produces a small bloom daily.
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      Craig

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      Hi Craig,
      Well, after battling squirrels which constantly try to did up anything new and bulb or root-like that I plant I think the tubers managed to survive the winter and the hidden gingers (pink) and the one pot of tumeric seem to just now be sprouting green shoots which look like leaves unfurling. I never got any blooms last year upon first planting. Plus was battling spider mites bad...they are such a nuisance and somehow even got into the ginger plant in the patio that is enclosed.

      That is interesting that the hidden ginger plant or tumeric you have flowers before it puts out leaves. Never did get an official id as was an ebay seller, and well, you know how that is....but the tumeric pot does have the red stripe down the middle of the leaves. Of course if you have any extras of anything I would be more than happy to receive. especially since I do not think I will be buying from that vendor again. This year I got a plant from him/her and it came covered in aphids!...as if I needed help to add to my aphid problem

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      After what seems an interminable period of nights in the 50's, warm weather has arrived and the black turmeric sprouted. If you decide you need one, I should have a spare.
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      Craig

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      Sounds good Craig!

      By the way, have you found the tumeric to have any particular pests that like to attack it or are they pretty much pest free (other than probably aphids and mites).

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      We've finally warmed up and the oddball gingers are sprouting. I plan to go sort the medicinal plants this weekend and I'll set a black turmeric aside for you.

      And I find the gingers to be relatively pest free....the lubbers chew a leaf now and then, but that really makes me no nevermind. One thing I do worry about are moth larvae that will attack the rhizomes, so Thursday is spray day and I hit everything with the M-Pede/Dipel combo. I know I sound like a broken record, but it is my considered opinion that products designed and tested for horticultural use are going to perform better than kitchen products. To me it is obvious, but to doubters....why spend the big bucks on your plants and then cheap out on caring for them? I think M-Pede costs me about .50 cent a gallon of treatment and Dipel Pro with the better coverage has to be less than the shake and bake stuff that leaves your plants looking like hell while providing spotty coverage. Preventive measures and proven treatments will save you money/aggravation in the long run.

      I do keep spinosad ( Conserve ) on hand as well, but use it sparingly. It is OMRI approved, but a good pest management plan includes rotating three insecticides that function differently to kill.....reduces the risk of pest building resistance.
      Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi

      "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix

      “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking


      Craig

    10. #10
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      Thanks Craig

      I found a site that sells Safer brand products. I like to use stuff that is safe for my feral ear-tipped cat that lives outside and likes to drink from my stock tanks and inground tubs. I was able to get the 3 in 1 that is a fungicide/insecticide/miticide product concentrate and makes a lot of spray bottles. Also sells a spray BT which I am going to try instead of the dipel powder I have but which is messy and kinda ugly in pictures.

      How is your M-Pede/Dipel Pro combo different from say the Safer brand BT spray or Dipel dust? If I use the BT product and the Safer brand 3 in 1 would it accomplish the same thing?

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    11. #11
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      Your welcome Greenthumbnails.....I expect you'd get the same results using the Safer products as the ingredients are essentially the same; the Three in one has sulfur added as a fungicide. The primary differences are of scale and economics, M-Pede concentrate is $30/gal and the smallest size is 2.5 gal jug,you can get a 55 gal drum if the aphids are really bad. <g>
      Somewhere I saw a gallon of the Safer 3 in 1 selling at $60 /gal. The DiPel products are both about $13/lb, but the spray is applied in a more directed manner with with a much more even coverage...so it ends up costing less per application.

      Both the Safer and the M-pede are soaps....potassium salts of fatty acid... and soaps the fatty acids are of biological origin. The detergents some people prefer for the perceived convenience are, I'll quote "Detergents are generally made from petroleum products with surfactants, foaming agents and alcohol being their primary constituent. To remove the disagreeable odour of these chemicals, detergents are heavily scented with cheap, synthetic and artificial fragrances. Detergents ingredients also include preservatives and antibacterial agents (to increase their shelf life) that make the detergents frequent causes of allergies and reactions. I'm not a fish person, but reading that I'd be a little leery using detergents around fish.

      Plus the labels on the horticultural products saves you money....you can tailor the amount of the chemicals used to the pest and intensity of infestation. So if you are doing a prophylactic spraying, the dose may be half of that used to battle an aphid outbreak. The DIY recipes are all one size fits all. < g >
      Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi

      "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix

      “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking


      Craig

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