8 Tips for Using and Growing Spices

Having a kitchen cabinet stocked with fragrant spices is key to making delicious, aromatic, and extremely healthful dishes.

Using spices in your cooking can take meals to higher levels and provide some impressive medicinal bonuses, too. What is even cooler is that many of these spices can be grown right in your backyard.

These OPG articles give great ideas not only on how to use spices in your cooking and your medicine cabinet but also tips on how to grow them for yourself.

1. Garlic and Ginger

Today we are going to learn to grow two of the world’s most notable spices, known as much for medicinal qualities as for instantly recognizable flavors: garlic and ginger. Like producing your own pineapples or mushrooms, growing your own garlic and ginger only requires normal planting pots and soil, the typical weekly trip to the supermarket, and a bit of interest and patience. Read on to learn How to Grow Your Own Ginger and Garlic.

2. Turmeric

This superfood rhizome is a tropical plant in the Zingiberaceae family—the same as ginger. Even if you live in a temperate climate, it is still possible for you to grow some turmeric for yourself. It needs a good 10-month growing season, so unless you live in the tropics, you are going to have to give your turmeric a little help in the early days. Check out How to Grow, Harvest, and Use Fresh Turmeric. All you need is a pot, some soil, and a whole lot of sunshine.

3. Cardamom

As a spice, you might know cardamom from Indian dishes you have tried or cooked. It also shows up in classic autumnal recipes alongside cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. As well, It is responsible for the signature flavor of Arabic coffee. If you live in an appropriate climate, you can start a plant in your garden. Cardamom is a beast of a plant and can reach heights of 5 to 10 feet! You are going to need space! You could grow a cardamom plant in a pot and bring it indoors in the winter, but you will need pretty high ceilings! Read on to learn How to Grow and Use Cardamom.

4. Mustard

A basic mustard is a fairly simple concoction, with only a few ingredients and very little to be done in the way of preparing it. You’ll need mustard powder (half a cup) and mustard seeds (three or four tablespoons). You’ll need another few tablespoons of vinegar, any variety from homemade apple cider vinegar to champagne gone wrong. Lastly, there’s an equal ratio of water to mustard powder with a pinch of salt. Regardless of the mustard that will be, it all starts here, with these five things. Learn more about How to Make Your Own Magnificent Mustard.

5. Saffron

Saffron is known for giving foods a rich golden color. It offers floral, yet earthy flavors, and is probably most famous for being rather expensive. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could grow a little saffron for yourself at home? Well, you just might be able to. Not only could you fill a small jar for your spice cabinet with a little of this spice sensation, but you can also have yourself a stunning floral addition to your spring garden. Read on to learn How to Grow and Use Saffron.

6. Bay Leaf

The bay leaf is one of those wonderful herbs that are too often overlooked. It never acts as the featured ingredient in a dish the way basil does for pesto or parsley for chimichurri, but behind the scenes, it’s putting in the subtle layers of flavor that lift a dish from passable to impressive. For some cooks, they are a mainstay, a go-to ingredient that permeates flavor into dishes, particularly those with a bit of sauciness, like a pot of beans. And they are fun to grow at home! Learn all about the mighty Bay Leaf: How to Grow and Make a Pot of Beans!

7. Spice Blends

As with most things in the kitchen, making your own stuff from scratch just comes with a lot of personal satisfaction. As well, it brings with it the comfort of knowing exactly what you are eating and with no hidden ingredients. Making your spice blends is no exception. It means that you can tailor the flavors to suit your preferences. Maybe, you like your pumpkin spice less sweet and your cajun spice a little bit hotter! Check out this guide to Homemade Spice Blends for Every Culinary Occasion.

8. Medicinal Garden

Without much ado, we can incorporate more natural medicines into our first aid repertoire by planting medicinal herbs and spices in our home gardens, be they container gardens, edible lawns, or full-on homesteads. By and large, just about every edible plant comes equipped with a useful slurry of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients well-tuned for keeping the body sufficiently bolstered. Lots of them can be grown easily right at home. Read about these 9 Herbs and Spices to Start a Medicinal Garden at Home.

Related Content:

• Stay Balanced This Season With These 10 Warming Fall Spices
• Growing Your Own Spices (Not Herbs) at Home
• Guide to Matching Herbs and Spices With the Right Veggies
• How to Enhance The Flavors of Savory Dishes with Sweet Spices
• 12 Vegan Recipes Using Indian Masala and Spices!

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