Spring means it's time for Herbs and Spices to start producing again!
Here are the flower buds of the Clove tree, Syzygium aromaticum, beginning to form. Cloves are made from the dried unopened flower buds of the tree, so these are not far from harvest!
This is Piper nigrum, the source of Black Pepper. You can see the flower spike in the photo; if things work out, little Peppercorns will start to form on it soon!
Still a young tree, this is true Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum. It is not the Cinnamon that you get in the store, which is made from Cassia trees such as Cinnamomum aromaticum and C. burmanii; this has a more mild flavor.
Here is Lisbon Lemon, Citrus limon. I feel this is the best flavored Lemon, and it has the best zest for baking!
This is the Australian Mint Bush, Prostanthera nivea. It is easy to grow as long as it stays warm. It makes great mint tea, and is good for flavoring chocolate and for baking!
Here is Bay Laurel, Laurus nobilis, begining to bud.
And to sweeten things up a bit, here is Hawaiian Sugar Cane, Saccharum officinarum. This cultivar is known as 'Moano'.
My mouth's watering too!!
Job's going great but I don't make enough money to resume my lessons. So no riding for me for some time unless I get lucky and get a job at a barn. Even that I'm not gonna take unless the money is good cause I really like the people I work with. First time I've had great bosses!!
LOL. Bring them on down! LOL
Hi Metro - very cool collection. Do you always harvest the clove flowers? If you ever got seed I would be very interested to trade for them! What do you do with the sugarcane? Now that I think of it that would be a good "family plant" to have around. How much rain do you get? Bay laurel can grow in SoFla, it just gets unhappy with the rain sometimes.
No Pimenta?
Thanks for sharing!
This is Katuk, Sauropus androgynus. The leaves are peppery flavored and good in salads or cooked. It is commonly used from India to Southeast Asia.
Hi Fauna4flora, this is the first year that I will get a good crop of clove buds! The sugarcane can only be propagated live. (200 inches rain per year!)
Rachel, kava beats valerian everyday!
This is Pandanus amaryllifolius, the Pandan plant. It is used to flavor rice, and several other Southeast Asian dishes.
Metro, do you grow any Cardamom? I've never seen it growing although when we were in Guatemala I met a chocolatier that told me Guatemala is the world's 2nd largest producer (after India) but they export almost all of it. I found a small amount (ground) from an organic farm there and I've grown addicted to it in coffee. It's hard to find here, I just had some brought in from the US, but I would love to see how it grows.
Hello extra. I am attempting to grow cardamom from seed. I am interested in any additional growing details, too!
I am just starting to put Cardamom in the ground. I grew supposed plants for several years that I got from a local vendor, only to find out that I had the wrong plant.
I'll post the small plants tomorrow, with a description of true Cardamom.
Here is true Cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum. It has stems that will get to about 12 ft. long with leaves that reach 3 ft. Flowers are produced at the bottom of the plant, followed by the seed capsules which contain the spice.
I had previously thought I was growing Cardamom, which I purchased from a local nursery, only to eventually find out that it was False Cardamom, Alpinia nutans.
The leaves smell just like real Cardamom, but when it flowered at the top of the plant, rather than the bottom, I knew something was wrong!
I know that the below plant is true Cardamom, as I got the plant from an existing Cardamom patch.
This is False Cardamom, Alpinia nutans. I planted three 30 ft. long rows of the stuff. At least it smells good. It is almost impossible to get rid of.
It is a drag that you didn't get what you thought you were getting but, oh my, the blooms on the false cardamom are gorgeous. Can you use the seeds the same as the real thing? I don't have room for something that big but It would be a joy to have the smell around all the time.
Dave...we have had our black pepper in the ground for years and it has never produced a flower/pepper corn. Is it a male/female thingy?
The leaves of Alpinia nutans are good to steam food in. Part of the stem is supposed to be good in stir-fries. I don't know if the seeds are good.
Carol, I only know of one person, on Papaya Farms Road, who got Black Pepper to produce. I think it has to do with Hawai'i not being Tropical enough (hot & humid). This year I'm going to try as many tricks as possible to get them to make Peppercorns. I have two varieties; only one is flowering right now; I'll be surprised if something happens!
Male and Female can be on the same plant / flowering spike, or separate. I guess it would help to know which is which!
I've got something that looks like that False Cardamom, never knew what it was.
Put down a black pepper in a pot next to a fig tree and forgot about it for a couple of years. It's grown up into the fig but isn't doing too well. although the roots have gone into the ground, or else the fig's roots are in the pot. Last week I bent one of the runners down into another pot and when it takes I'll put it somewhere better where it can get a bit of sunlight.
Thanks again, Dave, for the spicy thread! As always, so much to see and learn!
Alexandra
Cool plants, I can always find more to lust after thank you!
Have you grown an Allspice ~ Pimenta dioica? That little tree is my favorite tropical spice (and it does need winter protection here).
The bay laurel does well here in ground or potted. Probably not as much moisture as FL. I also grow a Piper vine which I hoped was nigrum but turned into betel. Still a good taste to nibble on.
That Piper looks like the one I've been trying to get rid of for years. Keeps sending out really long runners that root at the nodes. When you pull them up the torn off node roots sprout again and they keep going. It's a real nightmare.
You must be in a better climate with suitable soil. I suspect it is the same but without mulching or winter protection, will not survive here. Disappointed when I found it wasn't P nigrum, I left it in ground. In the spring I found only one tiny leaf and a small section of root survived. Potted now so it is going nowhere.
Podster...I have a huge Allspice tree and when it blooms it is the most glorious fragrance!!! It also is fairly 'invasive' as the seeds sprout all over the place. I do love it!!!!
Mine is young and never bloomed but the fragrance of a crushed leaf is exquisite. I understand they need to be 7 years old or more to find out if they are male/female and will deliver blooms or not. Apparently they germinate easily. You could have a market there. I'm thinking the leaves could be used as a seasoning in cooking as one would use bay?
Pimenta dioica, Allspice, a member of the Myrtle Family, has male & female parts on the same flower. That is why it sets seed so easily and can become invasive.
Allspice is one of only three spices (along with Vanilla and Chili Pepper) from the New World introduced to Europe by early explorers.
Carol, can you save me one of those seedlings?
As many as you want, Dave. Best to come soon as last years' are getting BIG!!!
I have often thought that a wreath made of the Allspice leaves would be neat. In Peru it is used as Pepper (White Pepper) and unknowingly I put some on scrambled eggs and it was not bad at all!!!!
Carol
Carol, would you put a few on the marketplace, say, beginning of May? My seeds didn't do anything in over 2 months now...
Hmmmm Don't know if they will be 'settled' by then (I have to go dig them up) - sure.
Metrosideros... interesting on the male & female parts on the same flower. All the reading I have done indicated these plants are dioecious... of course that means plants are either male or female and hence male and female plants must be kept in proximity in order to allow fruits to develop. Wondering if there are different cultivars?
Hi Podster, each flower in all 15 species of the Pimenta Genus contains numerous stamens surrounding a pistil. Every tree is capable of reproducing.
I believe this is true of every member of the Myrtle Family.
Aloha, Dave
Thank you ~ glad to know that. Now, tell me how long before this little buddy will bloom? LOL
