Ginger

I've had more than one piece of supermarket gingerroot start sprouting at my house, little roots and green sprouts appearing. They're not scary-looking like sprouted potatoes, so last year I decided to put them in actual dirt and see what happened. What I got were stalky plants up to a yard tall, with long narrow leaves on either side. Last year was the first time I tried this, and I couldn't figure out when to dig up the ginger, so kept letting it grow. Unfortunately, my plants didn't like being inside, and died, and by the time I dealt with their corpses, any gingerroot was far beyond saving (this was at the office, where dealing with dirt always seems a bit out of place). (I haven't found information about raising ginger at home, rather than in a jungle, so I've been winging it; the office seemed likely to be more consistently warm than my house.)

This year I again found some sprouting ginger, and decided to try again. I got more stalks than pieces of ginger, so I figured I must be doing something right. I brought them inside when the weather turned, but this time kept them at home, near the French doors; I've learned my lesson about the quality of light in the office with not only last year's ginger, but this year's attempt to grow lettuce at the office (salad on the hoof!): the full spectrum doesn't make it through the type of glass they use.

It's been a couple of months, and the ginger started looking poorly, with one stalk dying, another starting to go brown. Feh. I don't know if there's an annual die-back, or it doesn't like the sun/ water/ temp it's been getting, or what. This morning, I decided to get some more information. I rooted around in the dirt on the side the dead stalk had been on, and found that there are lots of roots around, pretty thick roots, too. And there's gingerroot, too. I couldn't get to it without breaking a fair number of roots, excavating the dirt, but in the end I got two pieces of ginger out, each breaking in the process. I washed them off, and found that two parts are obviously older, probably pieces I buried in the spring: they're dark brown. The other two parts are new, very light yellow, with barely any papery skin, though there are places that roots were attached.

I'm excited, and trying to figure out what to do next. Should I excavate the rest of the pieces, assuming that the plant die-back means the system is failing, or is this a seasonal reaction, perhaps to being in a non-humid climate? The roots seem pretty strong, and the roots are the important part, having generated the rest. I wonder about the leaves; when they were green, they had a faint gingery smell; they're too tough to eat, but could I use them as flavoring in soup, or as packages for food (like corn husks)? And this new ginger I have. I might try to candy it, since it's new enough to likely be pretty tender, without so many tough fibers in the middle. And the older ginger, what should I make? Toss it into soup or stir fry, or add it to whatever I try with the younger ginger? Ideas and suggestions welcome...

Miscellany

In the last few days, I have reorganized my CDs onto a rack (half-empty; I seem to be deficient), cleaned out the menorah and put it away, and gotten the fridge partly cleared out. I've played Catan, and seen far more movies than usual (many on DVD; thanks, Queue). I've read a number of books, and cooked, and had time to hang out with people. Still, I'd like to do something a bit more out of the ordinary, even if it's something small. Perhaps I will finally make it to the Mapparium, or tour Longfellow House (if either is open). Does anyone have suggestions of some interesting/ quirky thing to do of a morning or afternoon?

The king has indeed returned. I was surprised at how quickly the time flew. Of course, there are always questions left unanswered (no spoilers, really!), like "Why *are* important people so unlikely to wear helmets in battle?" and "Why is Gimli there, when there seem to be no other Dwarves left?" and "Why doesn't Aragorn find some hair conditioner?" (Legolas would likely share some of his).
(Yes, I have other questions that are spoilers, too. :-)

(Just in case she's reading LJ) Pheromone: the card is circulating, and stickery goodness appreciated. Also, the peace soap looks like it will make it through the end of your SLP, if barely.

Midwinter lunch:
gingery chicken soup (how is it that there is always soup left?)
plain flatbreads, some of them with pocketses
pesto chicken salad with halved grape tomatoes and some crushed walnuts

edit, 2030
How could I have forgotten to mention that I now have my Boggle Champion T-shirt, at long last! Great excitement. Now I need something appropriate to wear it to!

Also, one other RotK note: all I could think about this time when I saw the oliphants coming in to fight was the battle between the Maccabees and the Syrian-Greeks, where one of the brothers shows that these massive beasts can be killed, changing the tide of the fight, though dying in the process.