Jerry's Journal
“God’s Own Country” for Pepper and Ginger
Spring and early summer are very busy for us with the cooler weather annual plant harvests and plantation spices and teas from Tropical regions. I’ve just returned from traveling to several countries; however let’s focus on one of my favorites…India!
What could be written for India is infinite, and luckily we’ll have more opportunities in the journal to cover many topics. But for today we have our sights on the south for black pepper and ginger. We connect through Mumbai (Bombay) and finally dock on the southernmost beauty: The Malabar Coast.
We enter Kochi (colonial name is Cochin), an age-old panorama of history in the state of Kerala, affectionately known as ‘God's Own Country.’ Arabic, Dutch, Portuguese and British settlers have been part of Cochins development. Teaks, mahogany and marbles adorn the formality of aged structures welcoming all to the prominent port city that is the Gateway to the state of Kerala, where we find ourselves in our quest for black pepper and some varieties of ginger.
Kerala is a beautiful tropical paradise of lush green, known for its backwaters, mountains, coffee, tea, rubber trees, coconuts and spices. Spiritually diverse Kerala has Hindu temples, mosques, churches, and synagogues. Wow! And is considered the Ayurvedic healing center of the world as well.
The Kerala Backwaters; serpentine canals, rivers, and inlets, lead us inland to the mountain regions where we will find our bounty. The spice trade of Southern India is more than 5,000 years old. Before Greece and Rome, ships came for Indian spices, and carried them to Mesopotamia, Arabia and Egypt.
Relatively speaking, spices today are inexpensive when considering in ancient times gold was exchanged for black pepper—by the corn! Around 1500 Vasco Da Gama took two years to sail 24,000 miles round trip from Portugal to India and back. His cargo of spices was worth a King’s ransom and probably the highest valued haul of the time. During the Middle Ages, a pound of ginger was worth a sheep, a pound of mace worth three sheep or half a cow.
Today black pepper prices are better than paying with sheep, but have been holding at a higher average this year. This higher level is due to several factors:
- Producers in Kerala and Karnataka (the connected state to the north) and other origins have been anticipating higher prices
- Farmers are converting to other premium price products, such as rubber and cardamom in Kerala, and this could lower the supply of black pepper
- Labor requirements for harvesting pepper are more expensive
- Low hold over availability of stock from last years crop surged pepper prices in the international market at the beginning of the year
- Internal consumption for black pepper in India, Brazil and China has increased at a steady pace
- The Indian rupee and other source currencies have appreciated in value
Black pepper is a vine that grows on shade trees above coffee or tea crops in Kerala, the largest area in India dedicated to pepper cultivation. The word pepper is derived from the Sanskrit pippali. In the 16th century “Pepper” was used to mean “spirited” and in the late 1800s and early 20th century, this was shortened to “Pep!” Black pepper requires the rain, humidity, heat and soils of the tropical mountain areas of Kerela.
We buy black pepper from several source countries, but have always committed to significant volumes from India due to the quality. Although organic Indian pepper is considered a superior quality, costs are in line with other sources of premium grade.
Kerala’s climate and soils also provide ideal conditions for growing ginger. It’s advantageous to produce diverse products in this area. We gain greater efficiencies from the resources we use for the pepper production by working with other crops in the same area. The most important benefit of multiple products is to the farmer, for crop rotation and greater opportunities.
One of my greatest joys is to meet the farmers and their families. Growing various crops organically, they have become self sufficient, sustainable and safe from dangerous chemicals. The soils of their land are composted from cover crops, green waste and manure from their own animals. Healthy soils build a strong immunity to pest and disease in the plants. The farmers prepare soils with oilseed cakes prior to planting, which prevents various soil born diseases & pest attacks. Farmers treat the seeds with different natural bacterial cultures. Each farm is carefully mapped and gives us full traceability of the products.
Ginger is originally from India and China. The Sanskrit word stringa-vera, translated as “like antlers,” is the root word for Ginger. Important in Chinese medicine for centuries, ginger is one of the earliest spices known to the West. It sat next to salt and pepper on European tables. Ginger increases digestive fluids and helps relieve indigestion. Ginger’s properties stimulate blood circulation, and detoxify many body systems and organs.
Ginger is cultivated in almost all states in India with Kerala’s output representing 70% of the cultivation. Other major ginger growing states are Orissa, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
There are three main varieties of Ginger. Himachal is grown in the north and the south. It has a light, white color and is mild in spiciness. Rigodi is grown in the south, relatively dark in color and very spicy. Rigodi is also more fibrous. Maran is grown in the south and is between rigodi and himanchal regarding color and flavor with an average spiciness and medium fiber.
The process of planting and production is under strict supervision of several technical teams trained in state-of-the-art certified organic farming methodologies. Regular treatment with holistic preparations provides micronutrients and boosts immunities to maximize plant health.
The ginger and pepper are dried under the sun in well-protected, screened areas. The dry product is packed in sterilized cotton sacks and moved promptly to the raw material warehouse. The production facility meets HACCP and ISO 22000 standards. There the products are sorted, steamed and milled to customer specification. The Dry Steam Sterilization equipment is state of the art Swiss technology. We maximize the effect of sterilization, however we aim to minimize the impact on flavor, taste, color and proper moisture.
Many of the products mentioned here in the journal are also available with Fairtrade Certification. Fairtrade’s goal is to assure: better prices that never fall below market; decent working conditions; self-sufficiency and sustainability; and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Fairtrade helps the farmers to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
While I visit the farms in Kerala, I’m often treated to amazing meals — Indian style. One of my favorite benefits of traveling.
Thanks for reading along with the journal, until next time – stay well!
Jerry
Printer-friendly versionLand in the Clouds, Guatemala
Coban is the capital of the state of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. At a height of over 4000 feet, this major coffee growing region was founded by Dominican Friars in 1543. The city began its development in the late 1800’s by German coffee growers. Its mountainous rain forests are laden with orchids. Coban’s name is from the local indigenous language of Mayan Q’eqchi, which means, “Land in the Clouds.” That is where we begin our journey for the best Cardamom in the world!
Cardamom loves the humidity, a warm temperature and the proper environment. Coban with year round average temperatures of 70 degrees, lush rainforests and it’s distinction as the Land in the Clouds, certainly seems like Cardamom Heaven! The ecosystem is well maintained with a determined and controlled reforestation process. The soils are rich, well balanced clay and limestone that have aged under the forest canopy and afford a powerful nutrient exchange to grow the finest Cardamom, Coffee, Allspice and other plantation spices.
The local Organic Growers are very adept at sustainable methods. It was great to see the old growth on the Cardamom plants circling the plant base to decompose into soil amendments. The shade for the plants is provided by old growth forestation, new forest plantings and in some areas trees that can be pruned at the right time to ripen the fruit. And the cuttings are used for firewood to dry the Cardamom!
Organic farming of Spices is done on many small farms rather than large clear-cut ranges. The natural landscape is a well maintained partner of the grower! It really is a pleasure to link the local indigenous farmer with our international clientele.
I traveled to Guatemala at this time specifically due to an El Niño that had been officially declared in July; this weather pattern was expected to cause dry, warm conditions in much of the country. This turned out to be true, and although Coban has not suffered in any extreme, the lack of rainfall has produced a delay in the Cardamom harvest and will shorten the season. The normal Cardamom season is from September 1st to May 1st. This year will start late due to unripe seeds and end early due to a lack of late stage flowering.
Thus we expect the harvest to begin October 1st and end around the 1st of the New Year.
We are confident with our Cardamom supply, but where the prices will be are unknown at this point. The quality of the finished product will be excellent.
Allspice is the other product we get from the region and will be in ample supply with a stable price.
Both Cardamom and Allspice are beautiful, powerful plants. I have included photos in the journal to show how wonderful they are, and how magnificent Guatemala is as well!
As always, Joy to the Palate!
The forests of Sumatra Indonesia
As I head into the forest area of Sumatra Indonesia, I am awestruck by the pageantry of the Kerinci (Korintje) Seblat National Park, the country’s largest preserve. This wonderland is home to rhino, bear, elephant and yes, even tigers! Here the highest volcanic peak and volcanic lake in Southeast Asia is dotted with colorful hornbills and luckily for us, in the agricultural perimeters – Cassia Cinnamon.
For over a decade we have been working in the local villages nestled in the tapestry of the forested mountains. This area once known for slash and burn clear cut agriculture, has become an ongoing project to maintain the ecosystems that are critical to long term sustainability.
In our organic project areas, it’s thrilling to be able to dig your arm down to the elbow in a rich layer of natural forest mulch. Due to the abundant rain and the warm climate, the forest vegetation decomposes rapidly, creating a nutrient filled blanket of compost that will maintain for years to come.
Korintje Cassia is the delicate, spicy-sweet variety most consumed in the US. The Cassia tree (Cinnamomum burmanii) has a pungent bark that is selectively felled after many years of growth when the optimum volatile oil level is achieved. This thick bark of the main trunk is used for ground cinnamon and essential oil. Cinnamon sticks come from the smaller upper branches of the tree, where the inner bark is removed to “curl” into quills, dried, then cut and sized. Cinnamon trees are “coppicing” trees, which means the remaining stump of the harvested tree generates new growth, which is managed to maturity and harvested again.
Hundreds of growers in the area have adopted organic practices and received our support for technical expertise and assistance to be successful. Regular visits, audits and method documentation assure traceability, safety and the reliable product quality we strive for.
The growers, by adopting approved practices of pest and disease control, weeding, nutrient inputs and soil conservation create a safe environment for themselves and their children.
Indonesia provides us not only with Cinnamon. Ginger is interplanted with other crops for efficiency and diversity. Black Pepper grows on long vines supported by teak and other tall trees. Vanilla is the beautiful climbing orchid that is trellised on the Dew-Wood tree. Cloves, the flower and fruit of a majestic tree (Eugenia carypyllus) grows predominately on the Mentawai Islands to the west of Sumatra.
From the forest splendor, to you, a treasure trove of Tropical delights.
Joy to the Pallet!
