Turmeric

I interrupt reminding you that kids have strokes (but if you want to read more about that, by all means scroll down, or get a broader picture from the Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association) to return to my roots resolution.

Beware- turmeric stains!

The edible part of turmeric (Curcuma longa) is not a root.  Like the edible part of ginger, turmeric is a rhizome, a horizontal stem modified for storage.  If you look at fresh (or dried) turmeric for long enough, you can convince yourself that it is strongly flavored, for it is definitely strongly colored, but, in my experience, there is a reason one blends it to make curry powder or yellow mustard.  It looks like it tastes strongly, but it just doesn't.

No connection between pansies and
turmeric.  I just need a purple flower
for the streak.

None the less, I was very proud of a butternut squash coconut milk curry using fresh turmeric (and carrots, and ginger, and cumin and coriander and a bunch of chilies).
I have not investigated the health benefits of turmeric, although there are reported to be many.  The plant is a tropical monocot in the Zingiberidaceae (the ginger family) and, despite the best efforts of the students who work with me in the greenhouse, I have been unable to propagate it from one of the Asian market rhizomes.