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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 1, 2017 21:08:26 GMT -5
Epazote is a weird tasting and smelling herb, that you think wouldn't taste good (like cilantro and curry leaves, to name a couple more!), but once you have tried it, a dish doesn't taste the same without it! The green variety grows as a weed almost everywhere, and this is how I used to get it - just let the stuff grow behind my shed. One season, when we had a severely cold winter, and it didn't come back. I got some seeds, and had a little starting to come back, but then I found this red version, which has an incredible flavor, grows huge, and doesn't attract spider mites when grown indoors (a problem with the green). This was new, even to me, last year. I got it from tradewindsfruit.com, and I actually got it in the off season, and grew it in hydroponics first. It grew like crazy, and I had to keep cutting it back, even though I didn't need it. I rooted some, and planted it in my mint patch last season, and it did well, but it didn't re-seed itself, like regular green epazote does - maybe the seeds are killed by cold. This year, when my early lettuce was bolting, I rooted some more, and planted it in the Junior Earthbox the lettuce had been in, and it went nuts! This was in a much more sunny position than the mint patch, so it must like that, and it grew to over 3' tall. Here's a photo taken on 8-13, just a few weeks after planting the rooted cuttings: DSCF0297 by pepperhead212, on Flickr And here's a photo showing how huge the leaves get! Regular green gets to maybe 2 1/2", but it's usually under 2": DSCF0299 by pepperhead212, on Flickr Today I harvested the last of the epazote, mainly to use the Junior Earthbox it was in for lettuce. I also harvested a bunch of the seeds, if anyone wants to grow it next season. You can see how small the seeds are: DSCF0380 by pepperhead212, on Flickr And here's a photo of the lettuce, with the cut stems of the epazote, which were about 1/2" in diameter - definitely much larger than the green variety: DSCF0378 by pepperhead212, on Flickr I got about 6 c of loosely packed leaves, then salt-layered them, and it reduced to under 1 c, including about 1/4 c salt! DSCF0379 by pepperhead212, on Flickr Starting the salt-layering. This is a good way to preserve many herbs, to save their original flavor: DSCF0382 by pepperhead212, on Flickr The finished jar: DSCF0386 by pepperhead212, on Flickr DSCF0384 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by ladymarmalade on Oct 2, 2017 10:07:08 GMT -5
Does the red taste comparable to the green?
You are spot on with your description of epazote. I first bought it as a dried herb from Penzey's, because it has a reputation for helping to deal with, uh, digestive issues after eating beans. We didn't notice any health benefits, and honestly found the flavor of the epazote not one of our favorites. However, when I made a batch of my white chicken chili without the epazote (after having the previous batch with) it just didn't taste right, so now I always have to make sure I have some epazote on hand to add to a few chilis and bean dishes.
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Post by september on Oct 2, 2017 15:26:23 GMT -5
I grew some of the green epazote a few years back, and like Dave's it reseeded itself in a few places, but died out after a couple of years. I don't even remember what I used it in, but I remember it smelled or tasted like tar? Fresh. I didn't like it enough to re-grow it at the time, but should probably give it another try and be more adventuresome in my cooking. The red looks really interesting! Dave, I'll PM you.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 2, 2017 19:40:36 GMT -5
This red epazote smelled and tasted just like the green, but grew much larger. The aroma reminds me of kerosene! Hard to believe things like this make dishes taste so good! lol
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 15, 2017 23:05:32 GMT -5
Here is the epazote growing back from those cut stems! I took two cuttings and put them in the cloner - I'm sure they'll take. DSCF0405 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 31, 2020 13:35:55 GMT -5
I started the epazote in the hydroponics cloner on 9-29, then it went into the DW system on 10-4: Epazote rooted, ready to go into the clay pellets. by pepperhead212, on Flickr That hydro epazote is over 8" now, with another branch started at the base of every leaf. Epazote in the hydro, 10-31 by pepperhead212, on Flickr And I was amazed that the 34° night last night didn't kill the outside plants, but it still looks great! Red Epazote, after 34° night. by pepperhead212, on Flickr And here's one of my Earthboxes that sat right behind the plants in the front row, showing how they re-seed itself. Yet, I have never had the seeds last through the winter, and pop up in the spring, like the green epazote used to. I always take some cuttings from the hydro plant, come spring, though the seeds do save well, and obviously, plant well! Red Epazote, growing as weeds in the okra earthbox. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 29, 2021 14:02:26 GMT -5
This year was the first year I found a volunteer red epazote! I always assumed that the seeds were killed by cold, unlike the regular green, which re-seeds with no problem! And no flowers on the original plant yet, so it's definitely from previous seed. I think it may be because the winter was mild - only down to 17° a couple of times, while it usually gets to the single digits at least a couple of times. And it came up through the landscape fabric! Volunteer red epazote, about 18 inches tall. 8-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr The main plant is about 30 inches tall, so I pinched off the growth point, and immediately the axilliary buds at the base of every leaf started growing! In just 2 days, most are over 2" long, with a few leaves each. Red Epazote, about 30 inches tall, starting to branch out. 8-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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