Digging It
Photograph by Dave Bradley
If you think the gnarly ginger root you find in grocery stores has kick, wait until you’ve tasted a knob of the freshly harvested stuff. As an antidote to those supermarket offerings — which are typically flown in from warmer climes, losing much of their pungent punch along the way — Brookline’s Allandale Farm has started growing a variety called Big Kahuna, and harvest comes this month. Eaten raw, the fresh ginger root has a subtle fragrance followed by a stinging heat; when cooked into a dish, it imparts bright aromatics and a slow, soft burn. While some of the stock is slated to go to the farm’s CSA members, field manager Jim Buckle plans to reserve a stash to sell at Allandale’s farm stand — so get it while you can.
259 Allandale Rd., Brookline, 617-524-1531, allandalefarm.com.