Learn how to complete the Island Ingredients Quest in Stardew Valley!
The Island Ingredients is a special order quest in Stardew Valley provided by Caroline, one of Pelican Town’s NPC moms. Like most fetch quests in the Special Orders Board, you will be asked to get ingredients for Caroline’s cooking experimentation. Read on for detailed tips on how to complete this quest.
Despite the many flaws of her workaholic husband, Pierre, and the rebellious attitude of her only daughter, Abigail—Caroline has managed to become a supportive mother. Perhaps to show her appreciation to her family, she plans to cook a special meal for them. You will need to gather 100 pieces of Taro Root, Pineapple, or Ginger for Caroline, depending on what she asks.
If you encounter and accept this quest on the first day of any season, you will be given 28 days to complete it.
The Special Orders Board
The Special Orders Board was built to grant the requests of the residents of Pelican Town in exchange for rewards such as crafting recipes.
To start this quest, go to the Mayor’s Manor and walk south to get to the Special Orders Board. The bulletin board has a set of two tasks that resets every Monday. You can choose the Island Ingredients quest between the two tasks should you encounter it.
It is important to remember that you must collect and ship out the requested items while the quest is active.
Completing the “Island Ingredient” Quest in Stardew Valley
Taro Root, Ginger, and Pineapple are found in specific places on Ginger Island. To access the island, you must finish the Community Center (or JojaMart) route and repair the boat in the backroom of Willy’s Shop. It costs 1,000g to ride the boat, including the return trip.
You will be tasked to ship 100 tropical ingredients within a month. While the time limit is reasonably long, you can quickly lose track of time because of the overwhelming amount of activities you can do in this game. So here are all the efficient methods you can try to fulfill Caroline’s special request.
Taro Root
If Caroline asks for 100 Taro Roots, the best way to obtain many Taro Roots is to rinse them or plant them in nearby water.
You can plant Taro Tubers and water them for ten days until they mature. But as mentioned above, the fastest way to get Taro Roots is to grow them near ponds or lakes. Irrigated Taro Roots do not require daily watering. And they can be harvested after seven days.
You can also save time by adding Speed-Gros on the planted Taro Tubers before sprouting leaves. Additionally, your Taro Roots can grow faster with the Agriculturist Profession, a profession that speeds up the growth of any planted crops by 10%.
Taro Roots can grow all seasons on the Ginger Island farm, but they can only survive in Summer when cultivated on your main farm.
To unlock the Ginger Island farm, you must give 10 Golden Walnuts to the parrot beside the sleeping turtle near the docks. After that, head west, and you will find a whole new area for farming covered in debris.
Pineapple
Pineapple is another Summer crop you can grow on your main farm. But the most efficient way to produce Pineapples is to sow them in the greenhouse or on Ginger Island.
You can purchase Pineapple Seeds from the Island Trader. The Island Trader is an exotic blue bird that can provide you with 1 Pineapple Seed in exchange for a Magma Cap. After unlocking the Island Farmhouse for 20 Golden Walnuts, look for the parrot north of the beach docks, and purchase the Island Trader for 10 Golden Walnuts.
Plant pineapple seeds on tilled soil, water them regularly, and wait 14 days until pineapples sprout from their bushes. If you run out of Magma Caps, you can use Seed Makers to produce more Pineapple seeds.
Ginger
Ginger is a wild crop that grows in various places on Ginger Island. Unfortunately, you can not sow and grow Gingers on tilled soil.
To successfully gather 100 pieces of ginger, take a routine trip to Ginger Island. It is costly, but if you have a bunch of Warp Totem: Island, you can get to the island without spending lavishly on boat ride tickets.
Ginger can be dug out using a hoe like how you harvest Spring Onions in the valley. Wild Gingers are often near the Island farm and the Dig Site. They are also sometimes dropped by Tiger Slimes.
Quest Rewards
Once you collect 100 tropical ingredients, ship out Caroline’s order by dumping all the items in the Shipping Bin. Caroline will then reward you with the Solar Panel Recipe and Gold, equivalent to half the total value of all the crops you shipped.
The number of ingredients Caroline requests may be a little over the top, but this is all so she can concoct the perfect recipe for a tropical dish. The Island Ingredients quest can be repeated, meaning you can reencounter the task even after accomplishing it once.
And that is all you need to do to complete the Island Ingredients quest. More fun and challenging quests are waiting to be fulfilled in Stardew Valley, so take on more quests to earn more valuable rewards!
