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There's plenty to explore and lots to do on Ginger Island, the location added in Stardew Valley's 1.5 update. There's even a huge patch of land in the west area of the island where players can farm to their heart's content.
In the northeast corner of this island farm, once the farmhouse has been restored, players can wander into a cave that houses a mysterious creature. This giant frog seems to speak in riddles, and talks about wishing to see certain crops grown on the island once again. He'll reward the player handsomely if they can grant his wish. As the new caretaker of the Ginger Island farm, players have to help this frog relive the glory days of his youth. However, his requests are a bit cryptic. Here's what crops to grow for Stardew Valley's Ginger Island frog.
Updated April 12, 2024, by Demaris Oxman: Eight years after its initial release, Stardew Valley's popularity shows no signs of waning. The recent 1.6 update has made that clearer than ever. Players all over the world flock to the comfort and charm that this little farming sim offers, and veteran players are returning to see what new content has been added to the game. On Ginger Island, though, not much has changed. Players still collect Golden Walnuts and explore a tropical paradise, and the Gourmand Frog still sits in his cave. In version 1.6, he has the same requests as he did before, but his phrasing is a little different. This guide has been updated to reflect those changes.
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Accessing The Frog's Cave
Ginger Island West
When players first get to Ginger Island, large sections of the new map will be inaccessible. They can only be unlocked by collecting Golden Walnuts for the local parrots. To get to the area where the frog resides, the farmer must unlock Ginger Island West. Upon arrival, this area will be blocked by a giant turtle taking a snooze. To wake him up, the player must collect 10 Golden Walnuts for the nearby parrot, who will shoo him away and unblock the path.
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The Ginger Island Farm
There's still one more hurdle before the player can access the Gourmand Frog's cave. In order to enter the frog's home and speak with him, the player must use their Golden Walnuts to restore the farmhouse in the Island West area. This upgrade will cost 20 Golden Walnuts and will be completed immediately upon purchasing it. Fortunately, there are plenty of fixed locations around the island where walnuts are hidden.
Once the farmhouse is restored, players can head to the upper right corner of the farm as seen in the image above, where they will see a cave that was not there before. Go inside to talk to Stardew Valley's Gourmand Frog.
The Gourmand Frog's Requests
When the player speaks to the Gourmand Frog, he remarks on how the island used to be teeming with fresh food and describes an item he wants to see growing again. He says that he wants to see each item "in its natural state," telling players, "Do not pluck it from the ground." However, he doesn't seem to know the items' names — at least not in a language the player understands — and relies on descriptions instead to tell the player what he wants. He will have three different requests, and the player has to use his descriptions to puzzle out what they need to grow.
There are three items that the Ginger Island frog wants to see again, in the following order:
- Upon first meeting the frog, he will ask the player for a crop that is round, pink, and juicy Plant and grow at least one ripe melon to fulfill his request.
- Next time the player visits, he'll ask for something "yellow and tickling" which "waves in the wind." Golden Wheat fits this description.
- Finally, the frog wants to see "zesty ground fruit, that maketh the breath stink." Pungent, underground-dwelling Garlic fits the bill here.
Players cannot complete all the quests at once; rather, once they collect the reward for one, the frog will tell them what he wants to see next. They can, however, grow all crops at the same time and simply return to the frog immediately after each quest is completed to receive the next objective.
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Growing The Crops
When growing the items, the frog will be equally pleased no matter the crop's quality, so there's no need to use fertilizer in the soil to complete this quest. Since all crops can grow on Ginger Island in any season, there's no need to wait until the right time. However, the player may need to wait to buy the proper seeds first, so read on for descriptions of where and how to acquire them.
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Melons
Melon seeds can be purchased during the summer, costing 80g at Pierre's and 100g at JojaMart. Gunther will also give 9 seeds to the players after they donate 12 items to the museum.
Once planted, melons take 12 days to mature. This can be reduced to 10 days with Speed-Gro, 9 days with Deluxe Speed-Gro, or 8 days with Hyper Speed-Gro. Players can also try for a giant crop with their melons, by planting at least 9 seeds in a 3x3 square. However, this is not necessary to impress the Gourmand Frog; he will be content with a regular-sized melon.
Wheat
Wheat seeds are available for purchase in the summer and fall. They cost 10g at Pierre's and 12g at JojaMart. Unlike most crops, these must be harvested with the scythe.
Wheat matures 4 days after planting. Because its growth cycle is already short, the only Speed-Gro that affects it is Hyper Speed-Gro, with which it will be ready in 3 days.
Garlic
Players can buy Garlic seeds in the spring, but only from Year 2 forward. Since most players likely won't get to Ginger Island in Year 1 anyway, this is unlikely to be much of a hindrance.
These seeds cost 40g at Pierre's and are not available at JojaMart. Like Wheat, they take 4 days to mature and are only sped along by Hyper Speed-Gro.
All crops will also grow 10% faster with the Tiller profession. This stacks with any fertilizer the player uses, and can help players complete these quests quickly.
Collecting Rewards
The player's first instinct may be to pick their ripe crops and deliver them to their froggy friend, but Ginger Island's Gourmand Frog wants to see crops growing. When the appropriate crop is fully grown, do not harvest it. Instead, head back into the Gourmand Frog's cave. When he asks if the player has something to show him, respond "Yes." A cutscene will play in which the frog and the player admire the crop, and the frog reminisces about his youth. Despite remarking on wanting to eat them, the frog will not actually harvest any of the crops, and the player is free to collect them later.
After the cutscene, the player and the frog return to his cave. Here, the Gourmand Frog will reward the farmer with 5 Golden Walnuts. Completing all three crop requests thus nets 15 Golden Walnuts in total, a significant reward for an easy task. Spend them on upgrades around the island!
