| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Treacodactyl |
Grow Your Spices?In the wake of the food colouring problems I would like to do our best in growing some spices.We grow most of our own herbs, we grow saffron, chillies, and it is possible to grow your own ginger if you have somewhere warm. I would love to try to grow pepper vines at some point in my life, but that's a long way off. Are there any other spices that we could grow? Any hints and tips? I think we could try coriander & cumin, but what about cardamom in a greenhouse? |
||||
| jema |
Coriander is a must. You can get varieties that take longer to go to seed. | ||||
| Guest |
According to Tahir, cardamom is definitely possible here. I'm sure he will have something to add on the subject, the number one coriander fan. I grow coriander very year, and chillies, but that's about all. I don;t hink pepper is viable in this country,, from what I remember reading, but ginger is. | ||||
| Treacodactyl |
I'm not that keen on corriander leaves, although in a blen they fine. I think Bob flowerdew may have mentioned cardamoms.
Kew grow pepper vines, but I'm not sur eif they flower and they would only be a novelty...but there are quite a few different plants used as pepper so perhaps something may be possible? I also have some kaffir limes plants growing. 
|
||||
| tahir |
Unfortunately cardomom won't fruit here but the leaves have a lovely flavour.
You can grow all of the following very easily: Fennel Coriander Caraway Cumin Fenugreek Ginger Kaloonji (Onion seed) possibly Turmeric My advice would be to always buy whole spices and grind as necessary, in the case of chillis even whole ones are sometimes dyed. |
||||
| wildberries |
I have grown coriander to seed for the last two years.
My ginger plants are grown on window ledge in bedroom harvested at about autumn time.We finely chopped it packed it into small quanities and put it into the freezer.Also was able to make two gallons of ginger wine Horseradish we again chopped it and divided into portions and put in the freezer.Sauce is made up as required. All these are grown in pots as I have very little ground. |
||||
| Treacodactyl |
That's a good one. I'm trying to grow it but it's not keen on dry chalky soils. I love it, but can it be used for much else other than a sauce for meat etc?
|
||||
| wildberries |
Treacodactyl,
I grow horseradish in a great big container about 3 feet tall we tip it out at the end of the growing season collect the roots to use and repot the remainer of the plant.I have two plants growing so it is the second year plant that is harvested.Grown in homemade compost & liquid manure feeds. great as a sauce. Also Beef and horseradish soup. |
||||
| tahir |
Mustard seed is also very easy to grow in the UK | ||||
| jema |
I find spices introduce a question of ethics. Aside from the food miles, there is the ongoing question of cheap labour. I do wonder with things like mustard seeds, just how much work it would take to harvest some over here, when I can buy a big packet for £1 from the grocers. |
||||
| tahir |
Agree but them's the choices, on saturday I: Made burgers for freezing cut and trimmed a shin of beef cut up a fillet of beef into steaks for freezing jointed 2 chickens for freezing pulled up and cleaned 3-4lbs carrots and a swede Fed my fruit trees with potash Cooked three meals etc... It could have been so much easier... |
||||
| jema |
It is all a matter of balance, we make some convenient choices, and some choices that are hard.
But some choices have to be judged on whatever the downsizing equivilent phrase of "bang per buck" is. |
||||
| Treacodactyl |
Am I right in thinking radish seeds can be eaten? Could these be used as a mustard? If so then we often have a few that go to seed as the radishes haven't developed.
One thing with growing mustard I read that some brasica seeds are harmful to hens. Not sure how true or if all brasicas are affected, I think it was OSR. |
||||
| tahir |
The green pods can be eaten so I assume the ripe seeds should be edible | ||||
| Treacodactyl |
Thanks, wildberries. I try and dig a deep hole and fill with good soil and compost. I need to lift one soon to see how well it goes, if it's not very big I'll try a v. large pot / tub. | ||||
| Treacodactyl |
I'm sure bugs knows about this... |
||||
| Bugs |
I only know about the edible pods - and that some radishes are recommended especially for the pods. If you remind me tonight I'll look it up in my food plants book.
About mustard in general...which seed do you grow for mustard? I'm not sure that the black, yellow, white etc mustards are actually the same plant...and the seed you buy for growing mustard n cress, that's not really mustard you can eat as a spice, is it? Or is that just the supermarket boxes that are really rape seedlings or something odd? 
I have looked it up before but always get confoosled. |
||||
| Guest |
The green leaf mustard is not grown from the same seed as the culinary mustard from whihc you make up mustard (black, brown and yellow seeds).
Rat's tail radish is the one you want to grow for eating the pods - they are quite hot and spicy, but very good. Easier to get hold of now than they used to be. I'm growing it again this year; when I grew it before, not one of them got as far as the kitchen, though 
Radish seed can be sprouted like other sprouting seeds, and is quite hot and spicy if you want to try that too. |
||||
| selfsufficientish |
and it makes a good green manure, is good to repel wire worm if you have been growing potatoes in that spot. I have some frost hardy white mustard seed that I will be trying out later in the week. |
||||
| Treacodactyl |
Bugs has just noticed in her RHS seedlist seeds that we have Zanthoxylum piperitum. . . Sichuan Pepper! Not quite a real black pepper but it's a start.
|
||||
| Bugs |
Refused to germinate 
In this month's TKG (which I have mislaid, I wanted to look for Hils in it) there was question re onion seed for breads. They wanted to know if the same onion seed they use to grow onions was the same as can be used for topping breads and the reply said certainly. Is that true (see, I trust - some - of you lot more than one of my favourite publications, how flattered are you?!)? Even so I think the reply could have been a bit more specific that they would not want to eat packet seed which could be treated, I assume they meant letting onions flower and set seed. |
||||
| bernie-woman |
I thought onion seed for cooking was in fact nigella seed (love in a mist seed for those boys or girls who think you may be able to grow your own nigella)
Whenever I have used onion seed in cooking curry it has been nigella seed that I have used -
Just read that it is referred to as onion seed just beacuse it looks like it but is also known as black cumin - you learn something new everyday - its just remembering it I have the problem with
I am intrigued by the actual eating of onion seed though
|
||||
| sally_in_wales |
ilike nigella seeds, good on bread. Don't forget poppy seeds too, beautiful flowers then useful seeds afterwards
|
||||
| cab |
I've been planning to try out wild hogweed seed as a spice. If you chew on one its really spicy, very flavoursome, and I rekon there might be some mileage in it. | ||||
| Bugs |
I always thought damascena was the garden flower and sativa was the spice provider (I also thought sativa had yellow umbellifer like flowers which Google images doesn't back up). Is there actually any difference or are the seeds of both interchangeable as far as eating them goes? |
||||
| bernie-woman |
Oi Miss Bugs - will you stop it - it is Friday and I have no wish to load my brain with anything else other than making scones and drinking wine But I did find this - you are right that there is a difference bewteen the culinary and the garden flower Pics are in this link http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Nige_sat.html |
||||
| gil |
Just going back to coriander for a moment : there are (at least) two types of seed sold : one is coriander for 'leaf', aka cilantro, which will not bolt as easily as the usual kind, and will give you mainly the green herb, with seed eventually. The other is coriander which runs to seed easily, and would be what you want for spice. The heads are easily collected, dry on a tray in a warm place, then jar.
Fennel likewise. And it's perennial. Needs deep soil for its tap root, and plenty of water in dry weather, though it doesn't like being planted in permanently damp places. Other uses for horseradish : great with oily fish, such as mackerel, or in fishfinger sandwiches. Also with beetroot. I'll be growing fenugreek as a green manure this year. I'm assuming the leaves will be usable as a vegetable (methi ?) as well as letting some of it go to seed. Fenugreek seed tea (at least 4 heaped teaspoons of whole seeds in a teapot, or 1 teaspoon boiled up in a pan, or ground up and made into tea poured out using a strainer) is good for clearing up sinuses / runny nose. |
||||
| tahir |
Yup |
||||
| judith |
Daft question. Are the little yellow things that I know as fenugreek in my spice drawer the whole seeds? Are they likely to germinate? | ||||
| gil |
Yes, they are the seeds. You could try sprouting them (like bean sprouts), to see whether they do anything. Depends on their age, I guess.. (?) |
||||
| judith |
Thanks Gil. I can't vouch for the age  but I'll give them a go.
|
||||
| Mary-Jane |
I grow loads of coriander as we're all curry-crazy in our household and it's a 'must' for all curries: Thai, Indian etc. I grow it at the end of some of my raised beds; in successive rows for the fresh green leaves - then in other beds (and let it bolt) for the seeds. It can grow quite tall so you need to give it a bit of help sometimes. But when the seeds have set and it's ready to be dried, I cut it all down and tie it into big bunches and hang them upside down in the polytunnel with cotton pillow cases tied underneath to catch the drying seeds that fall - then give them a good shake for the rest to fall into the cases. |
||||
| Gervase |
But does she ever plant enough?
Does she bu**ery! *sigh* |
||||
| Mary-Jane |
Oh do be quiet, get on with the plastering and leave the growing to me will you. *Tsk* you just can't get the staff these days... |
||||
| judith |
Just to resurrect this thread, I did and they did! Like crazy in fact. Much faster and easier than alfalfa which seems to be a lot more temperamental. Slightly lacking in fenugreek flavour, which was a bit disappointing, but still lots of lovely crunch. I would definitely recommend it as an easy seed to sprout. |
||||
| James |
Tasmanian Pepper
It’s a forest plant, doesn’t mind shady, damp conditions, and can handle cold weather. The peppercorns are bright red, taste strong, like a mixture of pepper, lemon and cinnamon. The leaves can be chopped up and used to flavour rice- they have a fresh lemony cinnamon flavour, with a delayed very hot chilli pepper hit. It’s a lovely clean, complex flavour, very powerful (about an inch of leaf eaten raw will blow your head off) I found out about this stuff from Peter Coxhead (he’s left a comment on the “Plants for a future” link, below), who lives in the forests of Tasmania (this plants native habitat). He harvests the wild seed & leaves. The seed MUST be sown as soon after its ripe as possible. Because it matures in autumn in Tasmania, this means that seed is available now. My worry is that it’s going to be hard to germinate, and wont like our damp winters. The seed is traditionally eaten by birds, so some kind of artificial bird stomach may be needed (a quick vinegar soak?) The plant is endangered by the Tasmanian logging industry. I’m interested in getting some seed in the next few weeks, fancy sharing a package from Tasmania? Plants for a future write up: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Drimys+lanceolata Tasmanian Pepper seed sales (interestingly, by "Forestry Tasmania") http://www.forestrytas.com.au/forestrytas/seedcentre/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=102_120&products_id=614&osCsid=b3b5e15c9b9b3b1562c27914164fc588 |
||||
| tahir |
I'd love to. Tasmania's fairly damp isn't it? | ||||
| James |
Yes, although the rain forest that this stuff grows is dry rainforest (yes, there is such a thing). The intensity of sunlight is much greater also, and their winters are quite dry. Worth I go, however |
||||
| gil |
Yes, I'd be interested in some of that, too. |