Da Kine Ruhi
Da Kine Ruhi (ru-hee) is our new cultivar of organic ginger, originating in India and grown in Hawaii with Aloha. As you can see in the picture below, the coloring is very unique but just wait till you taste it!
The story of this ginger spans several years. Perhaps a decade ago a friend of mine brought me a shriveled little piece of ginger from his sojourn to India. I cut this piece of ginger into small pieces and planted it in my greenhouse. I did not think much of it at the time, figuring it was a nutrient-starved hand of the common white Chinese ginger.
It grew quite well and nine months later I harvested it. I was surprised to find that it was not Chinese white ginger at all. I was also astounded to find that two distinct types of ginger had grown from the same original hand of Indian ginger. After some initial plantings we found that just because we planted one type did not mean that we would always get that same type in return. So we planted and separated varieties for ten years until now we can predict which color we get from the color we plant.
The first variant was smaller and more gnarly with a darker skin. Its’ inside color was a darker blue to cream with often purple at the tips. This ginger was dense and more pungent in flavor much akin to my Hawaiian Organic Yellow Ginger. We named this first variant Brother Bubba Babas Hawaiian Organic Blue Ginger.
The second variant was large and smooth, with an inside color ranging from a pale bluish gray to cream and with bright yellows tips. This ginger was more juicy than the yellow ginger I have always grown and it had quite a rich flavor. It is a chefs delight as it is so easy to work with. We named this ginger Da Kine Ruhi Hawaiian Organic Ginger in honor of a friend of mine who is a poet named Ruhi who has lived many years in India and is a Meher Baba devotee. He is as close to a holy man as anyone I have ever known. To me this ginger is like Ruhi. Not because of its large size but because of what’s on the inside; smooth and mellow at the onset yet so very, very intense.
I know of no one else in the world organically growing this rare cultivator of Indian ginger for export. It is truly beautiful to behold. We feel this ginger has great potential in the market place and hope you enjoy eating it as much as we loved growing it.
Da Kine Ruhi, Vertical Slice showing the blue lines and yellow tips.
Da Kine Ruhi, Angled slice showing the interesting and juicy interior.
Marc “Ruhi” Frank
The following is from “Sketches of a Spiritual Wandering”:
My given name is Marc Bruce Frank. My pen name is Ruhi, given to me by a dervish in India. It means the soul and how God plays hide and seek. I have spent my life wandering. It is an interesting and unusual way of life. It takes courage and abandonment to fate, for it is a life of freedom. Something deep within me compelled me to renounce an ordinary life in the world and to take to the road of adventure to experience living in the active present without thought of consequences for the future and survival in the world. I sought, for one thing, the meaning of existence and the freedom to realize my own Real Self. It was a work I promised myself and God to fulfill no matter what, and to keep expanding myself whatever the cost.
Some Poems and Stories by Ruhi
Elvie and Ruhi
moon beams
awakening dreams
moon bright
stars alight
moon eye
reflecting life
Ruhi with the Tiki Man
http://www.tikiartshawaii.com/
cold morning air
gradually sun rises
giving light & heat
