Herbs & Spices

Throughout the ages, herbs and spices have been used to enhance (or mask!) the flavors in an otherwise monotonous diet.  While “herb” and “spice” often appear together, they are easily differentiated.  The leaves of fresh or dried plants are considered herbs.  Other aromatic plant parts: the bud, fruit, berries, roots, and/or bark are known as spices.  For the most part, spice trees and other spice plants, are native to the tropics.  In southwest Florida, we are fortunate to be able to grow many of the most popular spice trees in our own backyards with surprisingly little upkeep.

Just as in other regions, herbs and spices have their own special growth seasons in southwest Florida.  Calendula, Coriander, and Italian Basil are among the herbs that grow during cool weather.  We don’t attempt to supply cool weather herbs during our hot tropical summers.  Conversely, plants such as Patchouli, Caribbean Oregano (Lippia micromera), Pappalo, and Vietnamese Coriander may not be available in cool weather.

Mints grown at ECHO include Peppermint, Chocolate Mint, Orange Mint, Pennyroyal, Spearmint, Pineapple Mint, Grapefruit mint, Corsican Mint, and several others.  Different mints have favorite growing environments.  Rosemary may not be available from May through October when it is difficult to transplant.  Garlic Chives grow well year round.  Generally in hot weather, Anise, Cinnamon and Lemon Basils are easy to grow.  Sweet basil usually grows throughout most of the year.  We now offer plants that are harder to find, such as African Tree Basil, Poole’s Castle Artemesia, small Garlic Acacia trees, greater and lesser Galangal Ginger, Vanilla Orchid, and other plants that are nice to add to an herb/spice collection.  Call before you come regarding availability, and someone from our herb crew will return your call within a couple days.  

Some of the herbs and spice plants that we have carried in the past year include:

 
We constantly acquire plants for our gardens.  If they succeed, they are added to our sales list.

ECHO carries a small collection of spice trees including:

Allspice (Pimento)

Pimenta dioica

Allspice, also called pimento, Jamaica pepper, or Myrtle pepper, is native to the tropical Americas. The name “allspice” describes its flavor, which resembles a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. This compact and handsome evergreen tree has aromatic, leathery leaves. In southwest Florida, allspice will grow to a height of 15 ft. and width of 10-15 ft. in about 10 years. Berries are produced at about seven years or earlier on female or bisexual trees. Some trees are male. While the trees in this area may not produce berries (4% essential oils), the leaves (about 2% essential oil) are used whole in cooking and potpourris, either dried or green. Freezes have killed allspice trees at ECHO; mature trees are hardy only to 27° F. Fungus is a common problem during some seasons of the year. Annatto see Lipstick Tree

Anise, Florida Star

Illicium floridanum

True star anise Illicium verum is too tropical to grow in Southwest Florida. However, Florida star anise is a fast growing, evergreen shrub native to the southern United States. Thriving in a cooler environment, this hedge species grows as far north as North Carolina. The flowers can be red, yellow, or white, and produce a brown fruit. When ripe, the fruit unfolds into a highly aromatic star-shaped pod. Each point of the star encapsulates a tawny seed. Both the seeds and pods are used in Asian cooking, confectionery, and pickles. The leaves are used fresh or dried to add anise (licorice flavor) and fragrance to foods.

Bay Leaf (Laurel)

Laurus nobilis

Bay laurel is also called Sweet Bay or Laurel. Believed to have originated from Asia Minor; however, it is often considered a native of the Mediterranean region having been naturalized long ago. In ancient Greece and Rome, poets were honored with crowns of laurel and declared poets laureate. We use a derivative of this phrase today when we receive a Baccalaureate degree. An evergreen tree with glossy dark green leaves and aromatic fruits, the bay leaf tree in SW Florida will remain compact. The fruit of the bay tree is a glossy blue-black berry ½ inch in diameter, but the leaves are the commodities of value. In the kitchen, you will find the dried leaves go in and with almost everything, from savory meat and fish dishes to pasta sauces and even sweet dishes, such as custard. Bay is also used as an additive in soaps. The bay leaf tree at ECHO has survived several freezes unscathed; they are considered cold hardy to 24°F.

Bay Rum (Wild Clove)

Pimenta racemos

Bay Rum, also called Wild Clove, is upright in habit. Though exceeding 40 ft. in the tropics, Bay Rum remains small in SW Florida. This fragrant evergreen is native to the West Indies and South America. The Bay Rum tree has flaky bark, leathery leaves, aromatic flowers, and small black fruit. The leaves have a refreshing fragrance reminiscent of clove and allspice (close relatives). This aroma was formerly captured by distilling the leaves in rum, and used as an after-shave and hairdressing. Now the oils are extracted with water and are used in cooking, and perfume blends. Bay rum is less cold hardy than allspice.

Cinnamon

Cinnamomum zeylanicum, syn. C. verum

Cinnamon is an evergreen, heavily branching tree that in this area will likely remain under 20 ft. The spice itself is the bark, peeled from the branches. When grown commercially it is maintained as a coppiced (periodically cut) bush and the bark is harvested. The day after harvest the outer corky bark is scraped off and the inner bark curls into the familiar cinnamon sticks as it dries. The leaf petiole can be chewed for a cinnamon flavor. The tree will perform best in acid soils, and the growth rate is moderate. Cinnamon will not tolerate temperatures below 29°F.

Curry Leaf Tree

Murraya koenigii, syn. Chalcas koenigii

This is one of the ingredients of Indian curries. The leaves have sold for $25 per pound in New York. They can be fried in oil, then used to prepare a curry. Dried leaves can be ground to a powder and then used in marinades or to flavor vegetables. This small tree grows fairly slowly and is attractive. It tends to send up many suckers from the roots. It produces small white flowers that beneficial insects like to feed upon. Later, edible purple fruits develop, but may be hidden under new foliage. Irrigation is helpful in the dry season. Our tree froze back to about 1 inch diameter branches in the Dec. ‘89 hard freeze, but soon had thick bushy regrowth.

Laurel

see Bay Leaf

Lipstick Tree (Annatto)

Bixa orellana

This small bushy tree is the source of the natural coloring, annatto, used to color foods such as cheddar cheese. In Spanish, annatto may be called ‘achiote’. The Lipstick tree produces showy pink flowers and 1? oval pods which can range from green to bright red in color. Inside each pod are maybe 40-50 seeds not larger than a peppercorn. The processed seeds are the source of the tropical spice, annatto. The seeds are easily processed for home use. Stir the seeds in a small amount of alcohol, strain, mix the liquid with corn meal or starch and dry well. This high-carotene coloring is traditionally added to rice dishes, cheeses, soaps, and fabric. The trees may be frost sensitive, but they have resprouted after freezes at ECHO.

Pimento

see Allspice

Wild Clove

see Bay Rum