Fresh baby ginger and turmeric are harvested while the roots are still young and tender and before the skin has formed. The flavor is much milder than that of the mature root. They can be used to flavor rice, stir fries, soups, and many other dishes. You may find  fresh baby ginger or turmeric at your local farmer’s market or in your CSA basket. Recently, I have been lucky enough to find both in my CSA basket. This week’s basket contained some green tomatoes, as well. So the obvious thing to do was to cook them all together.

Green Tomatoes with Fresh Baby Ginger and Turmeric

• 1 leek (or large onion), thinly sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3 T minced fresh baby ginger*
• 3 T minced fresh baby turmeric*
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 4 medium green tomatoes, quartered and thinly sliced
• salt to taste

Saute the onion in a small amount of oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and turmeric and cook 5 minutes more. Add the green pepper and green tomatoes and continue cooking until the tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally . Add salt to taste. You can add a small amount of water to keep the tomatoes from sticking to the pan if needed. Serve with rice or the grain of your choice.

*If fresh baby ginger and turmeric are not available, you can use the mature root, but since the flavor is stronger, reduce the amount by about half. Alternatively, you can use ground dry ginger and turmeric, 1 teaspoon of each.

Local analysis of the dish I made last night:

Local – everything from the CSA except the salt and oil!