Most people encounter turmeric as a yellow powder in a spice jar. What we bring to the Carrboro Farmers' Market is something different: a freshly harvested rhizome, still carrying a little Granville County soil, with a vivid orange interior and an earthy, peppery aroma that the dried version can only approximate.
We grow turmeric, galangal, and ginger in our greenhouse and open beds here on our 40-acre farm in Oxford, North Carolina. These are not crops you typically find at a North Carolina farmers' market, which is exactly why we grow them. Our customers — home cooks, chefs, and health-conscious shoppers from across the Triangle area — have come to rely on us as their source for fresh rhizomes that simply are not available anywhere else locally.
Turmeric
Fresh turmeric root has a thin skin and a deep orange-yellow flesh packed with curcumin, the compound responsible for its anti-inflammatory reputation. Grate it into golden milk, blend it into smoothies with black pepper (which dramatically increases curcumin absorption), or slice it thin and add it to rice dishes and soups. The flavor is earthy and slightly bitter — more complex than the dried powder, and far more vibrant in color.
Galangal
Galangal is a close relative of ginger, but with a distinctly different flavor profile — sharper, more piney, with a citrus note that ginger lacks. It is a foundational ingredient in Thai and Indonesian cooking: essential in tom kha soup, green curry paste, and rendang. Fresh galangal is almost impossible to find in grocery stores in North Carolina; we are one of the few farms in the region growing it.
Growing your own
All three rhizomes — ginger, turmeric, and galangal — can be grown in containers or in a warm, sheltered garden bed. We sell well-rooted starts at the market for customers who want to try growing their own. They are rewarding plants: lush, tropical-looking foliage all summer, and a harvest of fresh roots in the fall.
Find us every Saturday from 7 AM to 12 PM at the Carrboro Farmers' Market. Fresh rhizomes are available seasonally and in limited quantities.