harvesting and drying tumeric

[kalianna]

I was shocked to day to find that the little 2$ bag of tumeric I bought at the farmer's market has turned into a 50 lb harvest.  I'm overwhelmed.  I watched several videos and learned a lot, (ie don't boil it first and don't dry it in the oven) but I still have questions.
1)  some of the roots are deep oranger and some are more yellow.  Are the orange roots better?
2)  The videos said to slice it thinly, then dry, then grate.  What about putting it through a food processor before drying?  Wouldn't it dry faster that way?  
3)  I'll keep some fresh for tea, but how much fresh tumeric should I use per cup of tea?  

Thanks for any suggestions.