Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion
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(Text)INTRODUCTION- 9 –
Spices, on the other hand, do often require a bit more work than herbs. Because
spices are generally made from other parts of the plant—the seeds, roots, or rhi-
zomes, for example—they frequently need to be dried or processed before they’re
ready for the kitchen. Vanilla beans, for example, go through a complicated curing
process in order to develop their flavor. Likewise, cinnamon is scraped from the bark
of the cinnamon tree and rolled into tight quills, or “cinnamon sticks,” as it dries, a
labor-intensive process carried out by hand in Sri Lanka.
The most practical spices to grow at home are the seeds or berries of plants that
also offer useful leafy greens. Cilantro, for instance, grows on the coriander plant,
which produces flavorful coriander seeds at the end of its short lifespan. Snip the tasty
leaves all through the summer, then harvest the seeds for their spice at the end of the
season. Fennel, dill, and fenugreek are all easy-to-grow plants that serve double-duty
as herb and spice.
Seeds and fresh plants from a nursery will come with detailed growing instruc-
tions, and you can check the individual profiles throughout this book for general
growing tips.Gardening 101
Herbs are generally low-maintenance plants with very few basic requirements: sun-
light, air, soil, and water. Three general categories of plants are distinguished by their
life cycles. Annuals live for one season, then flower, produce seeds, and die; common
annuals in the herb garden are basil, fennel, coriander, and dill. Biennials grow back
for a second season before they seed, while perennials like thyme and oregano live
through several seasons or longer.Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion
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