Fairly drought-tolerant and even happy in containers, this is an easy-to-grow spice that takes very little effort with big yields. (And you are going to need a large quantity of flowers for a usable amount of saffron.)Ī plant that thrives in hot and dry weather, you can easily grow both black and white varieties by starting seeds indoors four to six weeks before the last spring frost and transplanting small starts 2-3 feet apart once soil reaches 70☏. In mild climates, bulbs can be left in the ground to multiply for future larger harvests. Perfect for containers, threads are best plucked in the early morning when flowers first open. ![]() Crocus sativus bulbs should be planted September through October with gorgeous purple flowers appearing in just six to 10 weeks. This is the most expensive spice for a reason, with each flower only producing three small saffron threads. For smoked paprika, try infusing flavor with oak smoking boards or chips before further dehydrating. ![]() ![]() Cut and clean out seeds from pepper, allowing to fully dry in a dehydrator or low oven before blitzing into a powder. Grow as you would any traditional pepper, waiting until they are fully ripe on the plant before harvesting. Most commonly, the Boldog, Hungarian Magyar (both long slender sweet red peppers), and Alma (a slightly spicier, shorter bulb-shaped red and orange pepper) varieties are used for their thin walls and zippy flavor. There are actually a dozen different peppers to consider when looking to make this dried spice. It can be used fresh or ground after drying thin slices. Look for stems that are starting to yellow and dig up the entire plant individually as needed. In eight to 10 months plants will be ready for harvest. Plant in spring in partial shade, with nodules pointing upwards 2 inches deep and 6–8 inches apart. Choose rhizomes that are light in color with thick skin and still plump-cutting up into pieces allows the ends to dry before planting. Maybe one of the easiest, yet most flavorful spices to grow, this plant thrives in containers and can even be cultivated by using cuttings from your grocery store haul. Shallow roots require light and frequent watering-harvest pods once they turn yellow. ![]() Fast to germinate, these plants can go to seed in as little as 2-3 months. What to Grow in Your Spice GardenĪ nitrogen-fixing plant that can be grown as a ground cover as well as an edible spice, tiny pea-like pods produce small cuboid-shaped seeds that taste slightly of maple and can be used both whole or ground alongside cardamon, cloves, and cumin. So where your herb garden is an excellent source of flavor, we’ve rounded up a few unexpected, yet easy-to-grow additions that will have you rethinking plot to plate in a whole new delicious way. While many herbs can be used in spice mixes (and should be), they aren’t technically considered a spice until dried. But before getting into which new plants to put into the ground, let’s talk about the difference between herbs and spices. These types of unpredicted harvests don’t have to be accidental either there is a wonderful world of intentionally growing your own spices and we’re here to encourage you to add a few to your garden (and kitchen) this growing season. I’m talking seed-turned-spice drawer-yes, that downed cilantro is now your own hefty supply of gourmet coriander. But what if we started thinking about these “failures” as new flavor opportunities? One gardener’s flop is another’s feast after all. We’ve all been there, the premature demise of our cilantro bolting into bitterness and a head full of seeds after an unexpected heat spike.
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