December 2003

 

 

Wild Ginger – Asarum canadense

Origin: North America

 

 

 

 

Traditionally one of the mainstays during holiday times is gingerbread…houses, men, etc. I'm going to put a new spin on things by suggesting gingerbread with a twist, Wild Gingerbread. To get the bread, you need to have the main ingredient, which is wild ginger.

This native North American perennial can be found growing in shady, moist soils within the woodlands of the eastern states. A robust groundcover, wild ginger produces large six-inch wide, kidney-shaped leaves, which have the aroma of spices. The tri -petal flowers start out as a rich purplish brown then change from chocolate to dark maroon inside. Wild ginger roots can be used fresh or dried as a flavoring and also have many herbal medicinal uses.

Wild ginger does well in slightly acidic to calcareous soils and can easily be cultivated in a very shady location. It is grown from a rhizome.

And as promised, the recipe...

 

Wild Gingerbread

 Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups sweet brown rice flour
• 1 2/3 cups buckwheat flour
• ½ cup ground flaxseeds
• 2 Tbsp lecithin granules
• 1 ½ tsp wild ginger (or commercial ginger)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp salt

 

Wet Ingredients

• 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (or other fruit juice)
• 2 tsp liquid stevia (optional)
• ½ cup corn oil

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Mix the dry ingredients together. Now mix the wet ingredients together. Combine the dry and wet ingredients but be careful not to overmix. Press into an oiled baking dish. Place into oven. Bake for one hour or until an inserted toothpick emerges clean. Makes one loaf

 

Recipe courtesy of The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook

 

Happy Holidays!