Search is your friend! I did a Web search for the exact phrase fresh turmeric and the word recipe and found these results. Since turmeric has little flavor on its own, many people seem to work it into all kinds of recipes and just enjoy its health benefits.

You can plant the roots you bought. Look for the root buds, break off a piece with two or three of them, and plant about 2 inches deep in a pot. If you Google "planting turmeric roots?" you'll find a lot of basic info.

This sounded really good to me:

Turmeric/Coconut Milk drink

1 c. coconut milk

1 3" piece cinnamon stick

1 1' piece turmeric, unpeeled, thinly sliced

1 1/2" piece ginger, unpeeled, thinly sliced

1 Tbl honey

1 Tbl coconut oil

1/4 tsp whole black peppercorn

Whisk all ingredients together with 1 c. water in small saucepan and bring to low boil. Simmer about 10 minutes. Strain through fine mesh sieve and top with dash cinnamon.

(You can substitute 1/2 tsp dried turmeric for the whole).

It is a nice looking plant. Like a tropical hosta. You have the climate for it. Needs just a few months. I just soaked a piece along with a ginger. It stays put an compact...does not sprawl like horseradish. (ask me how i know, yikes)

*we had record high temps last week so i may have jumped the gun planting here but easy enough to start over next month.

Grate it on a microplane like ginger. i don't bother peeling. That will get the most out of it. I always think of fresh-is-best if available though i keep dried for my mustards. It freezes well.

You could make a nice tonic. Anti-inflammatory, digestive, cold/flu fighter.

ginger, tumeric, horseradish, white onion, hot pepper, crushed blk pepper. Grind/grate and cover with ac vinegar and add a half a lemon in a ball jar. Ready in a week with a daily shake. I fridge mine, some don't. I strain mine, some don't. I have frozen the pulp with lime or lemon, minced cilantro leaves, green onion minced, for a nice zing added to soups, chowders, chilis, dressings.

The strained 'tonic' will last a week easy. Some say 3weeks. I use it up pretty quickly.

Those stains can be troubling. Happens so quickly. Like beets. An empty lemon half with baking soda is a good start but BarKeeps works fast. I have a designated cutting board that i don't worry about but even it comes clean without much effort.

Lars, I tend to be very careful with spices and herbs taken in larger than usual dosages. This is from WebMD, a reliable medical site (recommended by my family doctor):

Turmeric is LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth or applied to the skin appropriately for up to 8 months.

Turmeric usually does not cause significant side effects; however, some people can experience stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, or diarrhea.

In one report, a person who took very high amounts of turmeric, over 1500 mg twice daily, experienced a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm. However, it is unclear if turmeric was the actual cause of this side effect. Until more is known, avoid taking excessively large doses of turmeric.

Special Precautions & Warnings: Pregnancy and breast-feeding: During pregnancy and while breast-feeding, turmeric is LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth in amounts commonly found in food. However, turmeric is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth in medicinal amounts during pregnancy. It might promote a menstrual period or stimulate the uterus, putting the pregnancy at risk. Do not take medicinal amounts of turmeric if you are pregnant. There is not enough information to rate the safety of medicinal amounts of turmeric during breast-feeding. It is best not to use it.

Gallbladder problems: Turmeric can make gallbladder problems worse. Do not use turmeric if you have gallstones or a bile duct obstruction.

Bleeding problems: Taking turmeric might slow blood clotting. This might increase the risk of bruising and bleeding in people with bleeding disorders.

Diabetes: Curcumin, a chemical in turmeric, might decrease blood sugar in people with diabetes. Use with caution in people with diabetes as it might make blood sugar too low.

A stomach disorder called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Turmeric can cause stomach upset in some people. It might make stomach problems such as GERD worse. Do not take turmeric if it worsens symptoms of GERD.

Hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Turmeric contains a chemical called curcumin, which might act like the hormone estrogen. In theory, turmeric might make hormone-sensitive conditions worse. However, some research shows that turmeric reduces the effects of estrogen in some hormone-sensitive cancer cells. Therefore, turmeric might have beneficial effects on hormone-sensitive conditions. Until more is known, use cautiously if you have a condition that might be made worse by exposure to hormones.

Infertility: Turmeric might lower testosterone levels and decrease sperm movement when taken by mouth by men. This might reduce fertility. Turmeric should be used cautiously by people trying to have a baby.

Iron deficiency: Taking high amounts of turmeric might prevent the absorption of iron. Turmeric should be used with caution in people with iron deficiency.

Surgery: Turmeric might slow blood clotting. It might cause extra bleeding during and after surgery. Stop using turmeric at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

[end of copy-paste from site)

Link to site: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-turmeric.aspx?activeingredientid=662

Those are lovely roots. I use fresh and dried both. I prefer the fresh when I find it. Although fresh dyes everything it touches. I like turmeric with ginger and pepper.

I just made a concentrated drink by simmering sliced turmeric with ginger lemon juice and honey - part of my cold recovery. Then grinding it in my blender. I drink it in small quantities usually mixed with water or juice. Or almond milk. I do agree with Wintercat that one should be careful ingesting huge quantities of anything.

wow -- eye shock. I initially thought I was looking at a plate of grubs. lol!

That's really cool! I've never seen anything other than turmeric powder and I primarily use that in pickles.

I think I will try planting some - just to see what happens. I will keep it in a pot, however, as I do not trust my soil, unless it grows really large, and then I could risk putting some of it into the ground. My soil does not drain well, and that causes problems for a lot of plants. I'm not really familiar with hostas, as they are not common here. I wonder if I can use the leaves if I grow the plant.

This web site tends to say that positive effects from turmeric are much greater than the negative, but I do not intend eating huge quantities anyway. A lot of recipes I've found combine it with ginger, but I do not always want ginger, even though I do like it a lot.

I might try adding it to pickles, or perhaps just make it into pickles and use it as a relish.

Lacyvail, I guess you mean a 1" piece instead of 1', as one foot seems like a lot.

Lars, there is a lot of good info about using Turmeric here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/415313751866609/

Rusty

Thinking about how easily it stains things.... do you have any need for a natural dye in that color? :)

Can't see facebook here. I'll have to look at that later.

I did not notice any staining. I grated it on a Microplane and then dumped it into the pot with the rice. The rice did turn yellow, but the Microplane and chopping board did not.

People tend to way overdo supplements. Someone writes an article just to fill up magazine or blog space that they read somewhere, then it goes viral, then someone like Dr oz needs to fill air-time...on and on.

The dried and ground will stain, fresh not so much.

It likes a pot. Maybe you could even get it to flower.

I think I've said this before in the forum: Turmeric is my go-to when an improvised soup (vegetarian) doesn't quite taste right or good. It yummifies it. In food quantities.

I think I will start adding it to soups, but we do not have much soup weather. I did seem to feel better after eating it, but I do not know whether there is a relation or not. I guess I can continue adding it to rice and also to potatoes. I might also add it to grits and egg dishes and maybe some bean dishes. We have quite a bit of leftover Chana Masala now, but it probably already had turmeric in it.

Since I'm only eating fresh and not taking supplements, I don't think I will OD on it.

I'm looking forward to possibly getting flowers from it, as the photos of them are pretty. I did not know that what I bought in the market would be okay for planting, but I might as well try it.