by randy | Feb 6, 2019 | Spice |
Black pepper is native to Kerala in Southwestern India, and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. I have a large specimen growing on the front of my house which is actually quite beautiful. That plant is pictured above. I was trying to get...
by randy | Jan 17, 2019 | Ginger Plants, Rare Plants, Spice |
Kaempferia parviflora is an herbaceous plant in the family Zingiberaceae, native to Thailand. Kaempferia parviflora has been the subject of increased scientific interest in recent years. In a systematic review in 2016, 683 records and 7 studies were analyzed, with a...
by randy | Jun 20, 2017 | Spice |
Pandan People in Asia sure do love this herb. For many Asians, the taste of pandan is like the taste of mom’s apple pie to Americans The fragrance of pandan leaves is due to the aromatic compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which gives bread, and jasmine rice, their...
by randy | Jun 19, 2017 | Ginger Plants, Spice |
Greater galangal If you have tasted Thai food, then you have probably tasted galangal. It is a key ingredient in Thai green curry paste, but most Americans have never used or even seen the spice. Galangal is used much like regular culinary ginger, but the flavor is...
by randy | Jan 24, 2017 | Flowers, Ginger Plants, Spice |
This little herb is fairly well known throughout Southeast Asia, but in America it is very rare and difficult to find. It is used as a culinary herb, as well as medicinally. The rhizomes are used throughout its range, as a culinary herb to flavor rice. This is one of...
by randy | Jan 10, 2017 | Ginger Plants, Spice |
Black turmeric It took me a long time to get my hands on one of these. This is one of the rarest gingers in the USA. The inside of the rhizomes is not really black, but a dark blue. This Indian ginger is used mostly as a medicinal plant. It is reportedly effective for...
