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Post by daylilydude on Dec 20, 2010 19:44:22 GMT -5
Aren't spices just cheaper buying than taking up room in your garden.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2010 19:51:24 GMT -5
I can't imagine many of us can grow spices Dude. Most of the spices we normally use come from tropical or sub-tropical regions. In terms of herbs, out here, it is pricey to get good fresh herbs. By growing my own, they are available all the time and in generally good condition.
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Post by w8in4dave on Dec 20, 2010 22:35:32 GMT -5
So what spices do you grow?? I am not very knowedgable at growing spices I just grow Basil I love my Basil
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Post by w8in4dave on Dec 20, 2010 22:37:19 GMT -5
Aren't spices just cheaper buying than taking up room in your garden. Well alot of things are cheaper buying rather than growing but when you get it fresh from your garden it is amazing!! putting fresh Basil in my canned tomatoes is amazing!!
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Post by cw on Dec 21, 2010 8:47:14 GMT -5
I like the cardamom spice,tried on and off for years to grow it,never been successfully,kind of know I never will,no harm in trying.Once a friend brought me some seed from their travels,looked promising but nothing came of them but even if I did get them to shoot a little I could never put them outside.I use the spice a lot,love it in apple pie,cookies and some times I put a pod in the coffee pot and if you want a good breath freshener that's natural one or 2 of the little seeds from the pod will do the trick,just chew on them,some people swallow, I spit them out.
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rintintin
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Post by rintintin on Dec 22, 2010 22:25:23 GMT -5
Most 'spices' will not grow in the US/CA, but most herbs will. Most of the Mediterranean herbs (the most common in American cooking) are essentially weeds in their homelands. They typically grow on rocky hillsides with only the occasional summer rains. They are wild plants that need little to no care, and will do well in any corner of the garden that gets fair sun. Fresh will always taste better than dried. They will always find a spot in my garden.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2011 10:15:08 GMT -5
I love to keep Basil, Mint, Dill and Rosemary growing in/around this place as I use it a lot & the smells are wonderful!!! The rest I buy as I need. Tried Cilantro once, didn't work but that's o.k. 'cause it was hubbies (I don't like it) here's a great reference I use- www.redgoosespice.com/SpicesCD.aspxCILANTRO & CORIANDER (Coriandrum sativum) Seeds & Leafy Herb Cilantro; Coriander ground; Coriander whole This important herb yields two products: Coriander seed, and Cilantro herb. Grown in Canada, Morocco, Eastern Europe & Central America. We buy Canadian seed, Mexican herb. CILANTRO & CORIANDER + The flavors are distinct enough that most customers (and some chefs) do not realize they are from the same plant. + Fresh Cilantro is inexpensive and available, due to its' extensive use in Mexican cuisine. We carry dried Cilantro, but the market is limited. Factoids: * The round ball of the original Jawbreaker candy was formed around a Coriander seed. * Ground Coriander seed is probably the most unexpected ingredient in Col. Sander's "original recipe." * Ground Coriander is delicate and has a short shelf life (3-6 months). CARDAMOM ( Elettaria cardamomum) Seeds & Seed Pods Cardamom ground; Green Cardamom//White Cardamom ++ Highly aromatic seed pod of a perennial bush in the ginger family. 80% of the world's production is in India. Second only to Saffron in cost, as hand picking is required and production is very labor intensive. Green Cardamom pods are used for most cooking; ripe black pods have a stronger flavor and are used to make ground Cardamom, of great importance to Scandinavian bakers. White Cardamoms are bleached green pods used in Indian dessert recipes. Factoids: * More important than Cinnamon in real Danish pastry. Heavy use in Scandinavian cooking. * The distinctive spicy flavor in Turkish or Arabic coffee. * Used in the perfume industry. * Suggest a very light dusting on fresh fruit, especially melon. Superb!
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Post by nofeargardener on Apr 10, 2011 14:13:39 GMT -5
Me and the wifey are flavor junkies. So we're always trying something new as far as spices go. We're fortunate enough to have a REALLY sweet spice store in our downtown area. Pretty reasonable too. Most of the spices we buy are all middle eastern, Indian, Mediterranean, etc, so I've not tried to grow those here.
We do however grow most all of our herbs (oregano, chives, sage, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, basil). I hardly have to do anything to them, and they all produce pretty well. And... we're able to grow all that in an area that's about 5 ft x 5 ft.
There have been a couple times when I didn't harvest enough and ended up buying a bottle or two from the store. There's no comparison to the stuff we grow ourselves. Ours seems to have waaaay more flavor (even the dried stuff).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2011 14:08:08 GMT -5
I agree that few spices will grow well in the US. Most spices do need a tropical climate. The spices we buy generally come from the seeds of the plants. With herbs, we generally use the leaves of the plants. A variety of herb plants are a necessity in my organic gardening because most herbs have a strong scent which helps ward off pest insects, plus the flowers attract pollinators. Some herbs which are very helpful for repelling pest insects are: santolina, lavender, catmint, oregano, thyme, artemesia, marjoram, sage.
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Post by coppice on May 8, 2011 6:47:44 GMT -5
Fresh cilantro leaves are head & shoulders better than dried. Frozen is nearly as good (run leaves through the blender). Dried (& boughten) is a distant also-ran. But Cilantro is an herb.
Pepper corns, cumin seed, cinamon bark are probably more practicle for me to buy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2011 10:07:41 GMT -5
Some Culinary herbs are grown here in z6. I agree that most "spices" are tropical and must be bought, in fact wars were fought over them.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 15:57:07 GMT -5
I grow thyme, oregano, sage, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, lemon mint, mint, basil, lemon balm and lavender. I love using fresh spices and herbs from the garden!
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