Peru technically has organic ginger year round, but its production is from June/July to December.
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"After January the product is usually shipped by air or very limited volume by sea due to the rains. Peruvian organic ginger is as fresh as it gets. We don’t warehouse any and it is harvested to order.
"Energy costs in Pichanaki and the resources that would be required in order to store the ginger, as it is in China, for example, are not something Peru wants to develop in the natural rainforest”, explains Kent Lancaster from Asica Organics from Peru.
Asica Organics, is the Organics division of GRUPO ASICA which ships and distributes organic and fair trade organic ginger, organic mangoes, organic avocados and soon organic pineapples and organic bananas.
Asica Organics have been dealing with organics for the past 5 years and growing every day.
Kent explains that their organic ginger is grown in Pichanaki, on the other side of the Andes, in the Peruvian rainforest.
"It is grown using rotational crops where we change the crops planted so we replenish the nutrients. Ginger is a very vacuous crop and quickly depletes all the nutrients in the soil.
"In order to avoid this deleterious practice Asica Organics, in an effort to preserve soil integrity, developed a reforestation program using timber trees which becomes a source of income for local communities while simultaneously allowing sustainable production leading to a more well-rounded organic ginger production.
"Therefore, since the organic ginger grown with this method, complemented by the climate, makes the organic ginger very distinct from other countries. For instance, the flavor profile in the Peruvian ginger is bold, intense, and packed with vitamins.
"In addition, because our organic ginger is grown in the perfect conditions for the ginger root to develop correctly, there is no need to add anything, which could be detrimental to the environment, and provide for a true organic product from the Peruvian rain forest." ■
A strong storm that originated over the Pacific has tracked through the Great Basin and is currently transitioning across the Rockies to redevelop across the central High Plains later today into early Saturday morning.