Hsu's Ginseng SKU 129-4 | Half Short Jumbo | Cultivated Wisconsin American Ginseng

American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.), a wild and native plant of North America, primarily grows in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States. The root closely resembles a parsnip, ranging from 6" to 18" in length, typically bearing 3 leaves with 3-5 leaflets. This perennial plant requires 3-5 growing seasons to reach full maturity and be cultivated. American ginseng is highly prized and sought after globally for its unique taste, which is imparted by the rich soil, minerals, and climate found in Marathon County, Wisconsin. The plant's reputation as a "cure-all" root among the Chinese and Native Americans led to the establishment of the cultivated American Ginseng Industry.

Paul Hsu founded his company in 1974 as a mail-order business, and in 1976, he hired his first employee, Ron Sandquist, as the farm manager. In 2011, the second generation of the Hsu and Sandquist families joined the company. Will Hsu and Nick Sandquist now continue the tradition of growing the highest quality American Ginseng in Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Hsu's Ginseng currently has over 1,000 acres of prime American ginseng farmland available for cultivation. Selecting the right growing conditions is crucial, as ginseng plants prefer loamy, well-drained, shady, and humus-rich soil that is at least 12 inches deep with a high organic content and a pH of 5.5. American Ginseng can only thrive in virgin soil, and in Wisconsin, the fertile soil used for ginseng cultivation is never used again for the same crop, only for raising other crops. These special characteristics make American Ginseng grown in other areas of the USA different in appearance and taste.

In early fall, the American ginseng seeds are gathered as the stems and leaves of the plant above ground begin to yellow and die off. For the gardens planned for harvest, the shade fabric is removed, along with the posts, cables, and straw cover. Just before harvesting, the beds are scraped to remove the straw cover, leaves, and stems. On smaller farms, a digger is pulled behind a tractor to mechanically dig each bed, allowing the American ginseng roots to be brought to the surface. The roots are then harvested by hand off the ground.

After the roots are harvested, they are sorted and graded by lot, and the roots that are dried are washed and chilled in walk-in coolers for weeks. The final step is to sort and grade each root by hand, allowing them to be weighed and packaged. All of the grading and packaging facilities follow current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

The roots are graded on a scale developed by Paul Hsu when he started his business. First, the roots are sorted by diameter (inches), and then by length (inches) once the root is dried. SKU Numbers are then applied to the grades, and the products are wrapped for final sale.

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