Turmeric plant: a tropical herb to use as a spice in the kitchen and beyond ...
Turmeric is a valuable aid in the kitchen, not only because it allows you to prepare spicy and tasty recipes but also because it gives your foods an edge. With turmeric they also prepare delicious drinks and herbal teas: in combination with ginger it is a panacea in case of colds and sore throats. If you want to fight colds naturally, watch our video!
- Turmeric plant: an ornament for the house if you plant it in pots and for the garden if you grow it in the ground
- · Turmeric plant: the cultivation of this tropical plant species, taking advantage of summer and spring
- Turmeric plant: the moment of sowing in pots or in the garden (watch out for spring!)
- Turmeric plant: a spice for a friend
- · The therapeutic power of this special spice
Turmeric plant: an ornament for the house if you plant it in pots and for the garden if you grow it in the ground
Turmeric is a plant that is very reminiscent of Lotus flowers. To grow in a healthy and luxuriant way it needs a warm humid climate. If you want to take care of its cultivation with love, even if you don't have much gardening experience yet, never forget to water it on time, especially in the summer. If the heat is really intense, mist its leaves every day. Make sure that water does not build up in the saucer, as this could cause it to rot at the root. When the flower has withered and the leaves turn yellow and fall at the beginning of the autumn season, it is best not to water it anymore, in order to make it dry completely. In the period from May to September, turmeric is good outdoors, loves light, even if not direct exposure to the sun, but since it is a tropical plant it does not tolerate cold temperatures well and is damaged by frosts. Therefore, it will be necessary in the cold season to move the pot and put it away in the warmth of the house, in ventilated, cool but not humid rooms, with a temperature not lower than 12-15 °, but far from the radiator. When it starts to sprout again in spring, you can start watering it again and the green leaves and pinkish flowers typical of the turmeric plant will embellish your balcony or garden again.
Turmeric plant: the cultivation of this tropical plant species, taking advantage of summer and spring
The Curcuma plant belongs to the Zingiberacee family, the same as Ginger and Cardamom. The temperature it prefers is around 20/25 ° C. The rhizomes of the exotic turmeric do not create problems if planted in any month, although usually the plant is put in pots in spring so that it can complete all its development in the summer until the autumn drying of its leaves. of a normal and natural cycle of cultivation of each plant, which is repeated annually. The cultivation can take place in pots or in a vegetable garden and, despite its tropical origins, it grows happily even under our sky, if more or less conditions are reserved for it. less similar. The vegetative cycle goes from spring to the beginning of winter: it does not require complicated and tiring care, but its needs must always be followed. Very often it is preferred to cultivate it in pots to be able to move it to a sheltered place when the first cold weather arrives. , to protect it. If it is grown in the vegetable garden, the soil must not be poorly ventilated, but fertile, well nourished and deeply tilled. To avoid excessive compactness, it must be worked with a spade, then with a hoe, adding manure or compost and then leveling everything. before sowing; it is good to repot every 2 or 3 years so that the plant grows naturally and quickly. It is not so much the pests that worry as the possibility, that if the plant is not well cared for, its root will spoil and rot with rhizomes. If you decide to grow turmeric in pots, you need to get one that is deep enough, at least forty centimeters, and quite wide; you have to remember to water it often, especially if the pot has good transpiration. Pest damage can be prevented by regularly spraying the plant with homemade repellent extracts with garlic, strong chilli and nettle and cleaning its leaves often.The turmeric plant has a moderate price: you can buy it without spending and enjoy its flowers as well as benefit from its flavor in the kitchen. In short, having it in the garden is always a good idea!
Turmeric plant: the moment of sowing in pots or in the garden (watch out for spring!)
Pieces of the rhizomes are used to sow this plant of each species. You can buy them at nurseries or online or buy organic turmeric root at your local supermarket at a good price and plant it between March or April. Spring is the ideal time to cultivate this species and to let its beautiful pink flower bloom. Before putting the rhizomes under the ground at least 3 cm deep and well spaced, you do well to make them sprout a little "outdoors". From a root with several sprouts you can get more plants. The important thing is that it is not planted in the shade. In order not to damage the roots with thermal trauma, you should use lukewarm water to water the pot, leaving the buckets full in the sun. In this case, an organic product, such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, can be used to keep mosquitoes away. It is very important to periodically eliminate weeds. There are various species of this plant. The species that is used to produce the well-known spice, again thanks to the tuber root, is Curcuma longa, a plant with long leaves and showy flowers. Curcuma Longa is native to southern Asia, India and Malaysia in the more tropical climate areas. Curcuma Alismatifolia has pointed leaves at the ends, lanceolate, light green in color. It comes from India and is also called Tulip of Siam. A good soil suitable for the cultivation of Curcuma is based on peat, sand and soil for the garden. Usually in winter and autumn it should not be cultivated but you can benefit from the plant sown in spring.
After harvesting the rhizome, let it dry indoors, then chop it into a powder and store it in a dark glass jar in the kitchen spice cabinet.
Turmeric plant: a spice for a friend
The turmeric plant, in addition to being a type of plant suitable for both indoors and outdoors, a decorative ornament of rooms or balconies, terraces, the vegetable garden, is also a spice widely used today in the kitchen and certainly cannot be missing. in the pantry of your home. Gardening and cooking are two passions that share a lot of dedication and creativity. Turmeric has an underground rhizome, a part of the root from which the spice powder is obtained. If you like, use this one. spice for your recipes, when in autumn it dries up, dry the rhizomes well, very similar to the Ginger root and inside that typical yellow-orange color. This spice, also called Tameric (as well as Indian Saffron, because its color recalls Saffron, which derives from Crocus sativus), is widely used in Indian and Asian dishes in general. From the intense yellow powder of its shredded roots, the basic ingredient of curry is obtained, a mixture of Indian spices that has also spread to Europe. We can find turmeric powder in sachets or dark glass jars or fresh in the form of somewhat tubular rhizomes. The fresh rhizomes collected from the cultivation of this plant can also be kept in the fridge for a short time. Turmeric is usually grown for its ornamental beauty, but this does not exclude that its precious rhizomes can be used for the preparation of this special spice. which can make the dishes of dinners at your home tastier and more exotic.
The therapeutic power of this special spice
According to Ayurvedic medicine, this spice has antiseptic power and antioxidant, detoxifying and even antitumor properties, both pharmacological and nutritional. The most abundant element it contains is curcumin, the subject of scientific studies. Turmeric is used in the cosmetic sector, to give brightness and color to the skin, and also in the textile industry to dye fabrics and in the food industry as a natural dye. Since ancient times, the turmeric plant was considered an effective natural remedy for various diseases and ailments. This is because curcumin, unlike other antioxidant products, is able to both prevent the appearance of free radicals, but also make those already present ineffective. Furthermore, it has a rather remarkable anti-inflammatory power, for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, pancreatitis, obesity, diabetes, psoriasis, respiratory diseases and cancer. Particularly interesting is the role of tetrahydrocurcumin for neurological protection; by reducing oxidative stress and neurological inflammation, it can exert a preventive action to hinder the neurodegeneration caused by Parkinson's disease and according to some studies it would also have positive effects in the treatment of Alzheimer's. Its properties on the intestinal macrobiota and for rheumatoid arthritis are beneficial. Turmeric, associated with olive oil or another type of fat, becomes more soluble and is more easily absorbed by the human body.
