Friends of Moody Gardens will gather to extoll tasty joys of ginger

When the Friends of Moody Gardens wanted an expert on ginger to speak at their upcoming Herb Fair, an obvious choice was evident. After all, who would know more about cultivating ginger than someone named after the spicy, fragrant plant? But their speaker, Ginger Benson, is far more than a namesake.

Genevieve "Ginger" Benson, the Galveston County Extension Agent for Family Health, is a nutritionist and health advocate, and as the guest speaker at the Friends of Moody Gardens Herb Fair Luncheon on May 3, will explain the many uses of edible ginger plants. The annual Herb Fair is an all-day event held in the ballroom of the Moody Gardens Hotel featuring more than 40 vendors with herbs and other plants, gardening supplies and gifts and books.

The Friends of Moody Gardens coordinate their lunch menu and speaker to focus each year on a culinary plant, and the ginger theme opened up a world of possibilities. Moody Gardens chef Aaron Sekula immediately suggested enough ginger-scented dishes to fill several menus. "Like garlic, ginger is an essential herb, especially in preparing Asian foods," he said. "It is an explosion of flavor, and it pulls in flavors. It has a little heat to it, and it has a variety of uses."

Sekula leaned into the Asian influences to create a menu for the Herb Fair Luncheon that includes a Chinese salad with ginger dressing, Hawaiian fried rice, ginger soy grilled chicken and Asian stir-fry. The buffet lunch is served shortly before Benson takes to the lectern for her presentation on ginger. Benson, a longtime resident of the area, has been a County Extension Agent since 2022, and in that position combines her love of gardening — she has been a Texas Master Gardener since 2015 — and cooking.

In addition to the luncheon presentation, Benson will be on hand at the Herb Fair to demonstrate the BlenderBike, which uses human pedal power to blend fresh ingredients into a shake or smoothie. Once fruit or veggies and juice are added to the blending chamber on the stationary bike, a cyclist starts pedaling and in less than a minute has created a nutritious drink.

The Friends of Moody Gardens Herb Fair, now in its eleventh year, has become one of the local kick-off events for summer gardening, because it features educational presentations on growing plants along the Texas coast and offers the opportunity to purchase appropriate plants from vendors, including the Friends of Moody Gardens. The Herb Fair runs from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., with the Blessing of the Garden scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the Moody Gardens Hotel Rooftop Garden. Proceeds from the event support Friends of Moody Gardens outreach programs, including enabling local schoolchildren to visit the Moody Gardens Aquarium and Rainforest on field trips, and bringing environmental education to senior adults and preschool children.

Admission to the Herb Fair is free, and luncheon tickets are available for advance purchase at Eventbrite.com or through the Friends of Moody Gardens Facebook page. Advance luncheon tickets are $50 for members and $60 for non-members, and tables of eight may be reserved.

Bernice Torregrossa: [email protected].

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, to taste

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, to taste

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a jar or small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until fully blended. Sometimes, if your mustard is cold, it will need a few minutes to warm up before it fully incorporates.

Taste, and adjust if necessary—for more tartness, add another teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, or for more sweetness/balance, add another teaspoon or two of maple syrup. Serve on slaw or salad. Makes 3/4 cup.

— Recipe from "Love Real Food," by Kathryne Taylor

2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (90ml) unsulphured or dark molasses

1/4 cup (60ml) hot water

2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil

1 large egg, at room temperature

SPICED CREAM CHEESE FILLING

6 ounces (170g) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup (1/2 stick; 60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Small pinch of each: ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.

Whisk the molasses and hot water together. Give it a minute to slightly cool down, then whisk in the sugar and oil. Finally, whisk in the egg. Pour these wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold everything together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined– or use a mixer on medium speed. (It's a bit too heavy for a whisk.) Dough/batter is heavy and looks a bit oily.

Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 350°F . Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Spoon or scoop mounds of batter, a scant 1 and 1/2 tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 13-14 minutes or until the edges appear set. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Make the filling as they cool.

Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and beat until smooth and combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and spices, then beat on medium speed until combined. Taste. Add a pinch more of the spices if desired.

Pair the cookies up based on their size. Spread or pipe the frosting onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with the other. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Cover leftover whoopie pies and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 12.

— Recipe from "Sally's Baking Addiction," by Sally McKenney

1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sherry or Chinese cooking wine

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut oil

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the stock with the soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch slurry, vinegar and sesame oil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil until shimmering. Add the ginger and crushed red pepper and cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant and golden. Add the stock mixture and boil over high heat until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a glass jar and let cool. Makes 1 cup. Add to stir-frying pork, chicken, shrimp or beef. Use as a dipping sauce for dumplings, steamed vegetables or rotisserie chicken. Drizzle over grilled meats or fish.

— Recipe from "Get Saucy," by Grace Parisi

I discovered one of my favorite uses for ginger in an Indian restaurant several years ago - cranberry juice, vodka, simple syrup, grated ginger, and an orange twist. Another favorite is homemade ginger ale - steep a bunch of sliced ginger in hot water for 20-30 minutes, add sugar and plain carbonated water. So much better than store-bought. Ginger is also a great addition to just about any sort of hot tea. Crystallized ginger is great in oatmeal or breakfast cereals.

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