Last Updated on December 19, 2024 by Lisa Keys
Growing ginger indoors is an easy winter gardening project. All you need is a pot, some dirt and a small piece of sprouting organic ginger root. Start it now and you will be harvesting fresh homegrown ginger by this time next year. That's right. It takes about 10 months if all goes well.
How to grow ginger root indoors
First, purchase an organically grown healthy piece of ginger with visible buds. They look like pale nodules on the surface.
Second, soak the ginger in warm water for a few hours to stimulate growth.
Next, choose a wide planting container that has drainage holes. Ginger roots grow horizontally and need to spread out.
Fill the planter with a well-draining potting soil to a depth of 12-inches.
Finally, lay the ginger root with the nodules pointing up and cover with 2-inches of soil. Water the soil well, but don't let it ever get soggy.
Place your pot in a warm sunny window. I keep mine in a window right near the heat vent. Ginger root grows well under warm (70F.) and humid conditions, so you can mist the plant occasionally.
Growing ginger indoors in a pot simply requires patience. It is a slow grower. Depending on the conditions it normally takes on average 10 months to reach delicious maturity. You will know when it is ready to harvest when the green stalks turn brown. Now, just push the dirt aside and gently dig it up.
I just love an easy indoor gardening project, but more than that I love using the harvest in baking. I can't think of a better recipe this time of year than these fresh ginger cookies. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside bursting with fresh ginger flavor and a touch of orange. Unlike these delicious ginger rugelach which only use dry spices there are no dry spices in the fresh ginger orange cookies.
Fresh Ginger Orange Cookies
Equipment
- 1 microplane for grating ginger
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons 42 grams grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
- ¼ cup finely chopped dried sweetened orange slices
- Demerara sugar or other course sugar for rolling cookies
Instructions
- In large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In stand mixer, fitted with paddle, combine brown sugar, sugar and ginger until well mixed. Add oil, molasses and egg, blend well.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add crystallized ginger and dried orange and mix until just combined.
- Shape dough into a flat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours or as long as 3 days.
- Heat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a standard cookie scoop portion out dough. With your hands roll each portion into a smooth ball and then roll in the sugar to coat.
- Place on baking sheets 2-inches apart. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. The cookies will look cracked on top.
- Transfer cookies on the parchment paper to rack to cool.
Lisa Keys says
Always a joy to use what I grow in delicious recipes like these cookies.