Chapter 17: Postharvest Handling Fresh

The Chinese prefer dried while root purchases. The Koreans however, have keen preference for fresh root. During the relatively short time span in which ginseng has been grown in the Northwest, a small unfolding fresh root market has developed in the larger cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. Thus far root sales have been primarily between individual growers and buyers, who then sell the root into their Korean community. Thus far sales have been primarily confined to the West Coast. Large, fresh market roots can return up to $20/lb. Field run fresh roots typically return $11-$12/lb. (see Chapter 18: Enterprise Budget for how his affects the gross return possible per acre).

Refrigerated root storage
Bert van Dalfsen (bvandalfsen@galaxy.gov.bc.ca), Agricultural Mechanization Engineer, with the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in Abbotsford BC has studied the effect of refrigerated cold storage on fresh ginseng root quality. In replicated trials he has reported that ginseng can be successfully stored for up to 6 weeks with high humidity and temperatures between 32 and 35 F. After 4 weeks of refrigerated storage the roots were still soft and pliable. After 6 weeks the surface of the cold-stored roots began to shrink and wrinkle. Air holes were noted inside the roots upon cross-sectioning them for observation. Another important finding of the study was that roots took up any odors in the refrigeration room itself. Ginseng roots that took on un-pleasant odors had a low quality.

Advertising fresh root
As for promoting the availability of fresh root for sale growers have found that taking ads out in popular Korean magazines and newspapers has been lucrative. It has also been useful to talk with staff at local Korean churches. Certainly the development of web page should help sales.

Besides the monetary incentives associated with fresh sales there are other advantages as well. Drying costs are reduced naturally, but probably not eliminated as a certain percentage of the roots will simply be terribly deformed or broken and thus un-suitable for fresh sales. Thus far there does not seem to be a market for sliced fresh roots. Long thin roots that would normally dry into long thin, low valued dried forms can still be sold for fresh.

Keeping roots under refrigerated conditions as outlined above can further extend the fresh market shipping window.

Disadvantages of fresh
Roots suitable for fresh sales will have to free from any blemishes, rusty root, and certainly any rot. As buyers will be looking for size, growers will have to dig through alot of root in order to find the largest ones. Roots that make the size determination will probably have to be dried or used in a value-added enterprise.