Chaya - Meeting a New Plant

When we moved from West Virginia to north Florida, I started meeting plants I'd never heard of. 

Like Chaya. 

I first met Chaya in David the Good's, Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening (pp. 43-44), and learned that the plant is a perennial that can grow in poor soil, and that Chaya leaves are "ridiculously good for you." 

After I saw Green Deane's picture of a beautiful Chaya tree in Longwood, Florida, and read, in his Eat the Weeds blog post, "Chaya: The Spinach Tree," about Chaya leaves being "generally twice as nutritious as spinach, Chinese cabbage or amaranth," I began searching for plants to start in my garden. 

This September, my friend, Tammy (who's a resilient and creative gardener) generously gave me a branch from her huge Chaya plant! 

I made cuttings and,

six weeks later they were well rooted.  

Now, eleven sturdy baby Chaya plants are tucked in to our unheated greenhouse, where they can wait out the cold weather and be ready for setting out in the Spring.

By the way, if you like knowing plants' botanical names, Chaya with star-shaped leaves like these is Cnidoscolus aconitifolius. Chaya with leaves like maple leaves is Cnidoscolus chayamansa. Green Deane explains the origins of these botanical names here. 

How I Care for Ginger and Turmeric in my north Florida (Zone 8b) Garden

Turmeric in half-barrel planter

Ginger and Turmeric plants are easy to grow in north Florida (USDA zone 8b). I grow mine in containers. About 16 rhizomes can be grown in a 4-gallon half-barrel plastic planter. 

Ginger in containers

In smaller containers, I aim for about four inches between rhizomes. The plants like plenty of water and grow well in the shade of our oak trees. 

Deanna, at Homestead and Chill, has a nice post on growing Turmeric in containers. Her tips on choosing containers and planting rhizomes are great, although her growing season is a little longer than ours (she gets about ten months growth while we get eight or nine).

Pretty flower on edible Turmeric

After the first frosts, when the leaves have died down, I harvest my Ginger and Turmeric to use in healthy recipes. Growing my own saves me a lot of money (recipe links at the end of this post)! 

I keep my Ginger and Turmeric fresh, all winter long, by storing the rhizomes in sand in covered containers. I learned about storing Ginger and Turmeric in sand from Morag Gamble's YouTube video. 

To be sure to have Ginger and Turmeric for next year, I save some of the rhizomes for planting. In the Spring, I freshen the soil in my planters with compost, divide the rhizomes into smaller pieces, and replant.

Sometimes, to make things even easier, I leave some of the rhizomes in their containers to overwinter, and just harvest enough to prevent overcrowding. Large containers can be left in place, while smaller containers are best moved into a sheltered spot. Overwintered Ginger and Turmeric plants will come up on their own in the Spring. They do well with a little added compost and mulch snuggled in around their shoots and each year they increase in numbers.

When ready to use the harvest, I first brush off any loose dirt or sand from the rhizomes, then wash them in water, using a brush to clean them thoroughly. The best way to peel Ginger and Turmeric, surprisingly, is with a spoon! (I wear gloves when peeling Turmeric to keep it from staining my hands.) 

No matter how you use your fresh Ginger or Turmeric, they both add flavor and health benefits to your meals. I like fresh sliced Ginger in stir fries, and grated Ginger in a healthy shrub or in "Switchel." Here are some fun Ginger recipes:

• Ginger Veggie Stir-Fry
• Stir-Fry Sauce
• Thai Ginger Chicken
• Pineapple Juice and Ginger Shrub Mocktail
• Ginger Switchel
• Ginger-Turmeric Herbal Tea

Fresh turmeric is flavorful and healthy. Some example of how to use it include:

• Creamy Turmeric Chicken Skillet
• Turmeric Pickle
• Fresh Turmeric Golden Milk

I'd love to hear how you grow and use your own Ginger and Turmeric in the comments!

Ashwood Homestead Plants and Products

Our plants and products become available for you throughout the seasons. 

Here is an updated list of what is ready now. (pdf available for easy viewing and printing)

(edited for changes to plant availability 8/22/22)