We woke up in a soggy campsite (lucky it only cost $10) so we packed up and headed off to the Buderim Ginger Factory. Yum!
Unfortunately, the boiler blew up in the factory so we could not go on a proper tour. Instead, we went into the tasting room and watched a DVD about how ginger is grown and how it is made into different products.
To grow ginger, you just chop off a bit of ginger about the size of a golf ball and stick it in the ground. The soil around Buderim is moist, volcanic and warm which is just right for growing ginger.
To harvest it, they either do it by hand or use a machine that pulls up the plant and shakes the dirt off.
Next it gets delivered to the factory and soaked in brine. This stops the ginger getting too much of a tough skin.
Then they chop it up and send it through a big machine which has a laser that sorts the pieces by shape, size and how much fibre it contains. Compressed air shoots it into the right bin.
It then gets made into a lot of different ginger products. We got to taste some ginger refresher (which is the syrup that is left over from when it is soaked in sugar and water),ginger BBQ sauce on a meatball, ginger infused pineapple and ginger and cream cheese on crackers. (Mum thinks you will all think that she never feeds us.)
We bought a few yummy things at the ginger shop. (Few isn't really the right word ....more like LOTS!)
We ate some in the car on the way (in the rain) to Agnes Waters.
We're loving hearing about your adventures Team Rayward! So many amazing experiences and SO much fun! Zoe was pretty impressed with the landmarks named after her and would also like you to know that she is starting karate next term, instead of ballet. Max is hoping that Will's foot is all healed up and that Hamish is ok after his tree crash and that you keep having fantastic adventures. We love you all loads! xox
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