GROWING GINGER. WHERE? IN JAMAICA.
The most favorite spice of America is ginger. Where did Americans get their ginger from? Since early 1900 American ginger was grown in Jamaica. The plantations of ginger in Jamaica were so famous, that Afroamerican girls were proudly called - gingers. Name Ginger was a very proud American name, which meant the family is rich and the father of the girl talks simple language with anyone.
Jamaica had most probably only about twenty five to thousand inhabitants in the year 1916. The main source of income of the population of the island has almost been entirely coming from the ginger crop. The main culture of the whole island of Jamaica and the money for essential to maintain of the existence of the entire population of the island of Jamaica was coming from the plantations of the most popular spice of the USA- GINGER.
Who is Quashy?
The natives of the island of Jamaica are the Quashies- a title given to the colored and brown people there. This is a very proud name and the title of native Jamaican resident- let us say, a proud endearment name which has survived more than two hundred years. Quashies of Jamaica- or Jamaicans are distinctive race as from the other Afroamericans.
How ginger was grown?
Big plantations and large fields of ginger has been rare in Jamaica. The ginger plant was grown in little plots and beds of each household, here and there, alongside of the pineapples and other fruits, amid a tangle of the bush or weeds.
The planting of the ginger is always done in months of March or April, by placing the pieces of the ginger root each containing one eye or the embryo into the holes of the grounds or, the trenches. Yes, the gingers are grown and planted like potatoes- exactly same way.
Gingers are the plants, who need plenty of sunshine and rain, so planted in early spring, they soon reach the height of five feet. The verdure is luscious with its cone topped flowering stems, is very attractive and showy. Shortly after the plant went through the blooming, the stalk of the ginger blossom withers and then the spicy and delicate roots of ginger can be harvested.
The ginger rootas are harvested from the month of December or January to the month of March. The roots are twisted out of the ground with a fork and by the hands, using the utmost care so as not to injure the precious roots. The fibres of the root, and the soil which adhere to the precious spice root, must be removed quickly. else the ginger will chage the color and will not be white anymore. Just because the root is so precious and is spoiled with the least injury to the root or simple keeping it in the heaps, neither the ginger root can be stored in heaps, nor it can be moved through the big conveyer belts, else it will mould at once. It is thrown into the water and peeled by hand, and only then, impeccably clean and gorgeous is sent to the merchant for sale.