This morning I was looking for something to post on Instagram and at first I was going to post a photo of a beach. Beaches are yes soooo beautiful Barbados and they sure seem to get all the 👍 and ❤️ that you want your social media post to get but the truth is there is so very much more to Barbados than our beautiful beaches.
When scrolling through my photos I came across a photo that was so vibrant and although it was that of a flower it reminded me of fireworks. The picture was of a torch ginger which is quite ironic as it was taken whilst walking through Flower Forest Gardens in Barbados several Months ago. The torch Gingers line some of the pathways lighting up the Forest with its varied shades of green. They stretch up from the ground exploding in color lighting the way before you.
Below is the photo I was looking at.
I must remind you the in is important when visiting beautiful places across the world we should look with our eyes, listen with our ears and smell with our nose and when called for taste with our tongue. We should take in all the beauty the world offers us but in a garden we should not touch the beautiful flowers or leave litter behind.
When you visit Flower Forest I encourage you to enjoy the spectacular display these fabulous flowers put on for you, lean in and smell the essence of the tropics with its sweet floral fragrance and a faint hint of ginger.
Mesmerizing spectators with its striking appearance only reveals half of its beauty. The other half can be found in the exotic, sweet, flowery, piquant flavor of the waxy flower bud, which is high in antioxidants and antibacterial properties. When the bud is thinly sliced or shredded, it becomes a spice in many salads, sauces, and dips throughout its native home of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. In Malaysia - where the spice is called bunga kantan - it is an indispensable ingredient in Malay and Nyonya (Chinese-Malay) cuisine, where the buds are used to zest up curries and seafood stews. The fresh spice has the power to mask strong fishy tastes, as it does in the famous Penang asam laksa - a soury fish stew with a complex balance of flavors. In Singapore, the buds are called Rojak Flowers because of their use in fruit rojak - a popular spicy fruit and vegetable salad dish.
In Asia other plant parts such as rhizome (root), leaf and inflorescence of torch ginger have been used as a condiment and medicine. The essential oils are used as a therapeutic agent for treating sore throats, sea and travel sickness, and relieve cramps and rheumatic pains.
The rhizome (root) and inflorescence are used as a natural ingredient in cosmetics such as soap, shampoo and perfume
I have read that the Torch Ginger Flower Bud has natural anti-bacterial agents. It has high fibre content. Saturated fatty acids proteins, amino acids and other mineral compounds found in this plant are necessary for various physiological processes and potentially protect you against various diseases and reduce blood cholesterol levels, hypertension, heart disease risk and constipation. Not forgetting that it also has high-antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities.
In my little research this morning I came across two recipes that are very interesting one is about Torch Ginger tea and the other about Torch Ginger Sorbet ..... I am rather curious about both, what about you? I have posted them below, I hope you enjoy them 😊😊
Torch Ginger Flower Limeade Natural Pink Tea
Torch Ginger Flower Sorbet
