Cumin: The spicy seed in your own garden

Cumin has long been cultivated for its medicinal properties. But cultivation in your own garden is not only worthwhile for the aromatic seeds.

The real caraway (Carum carvi) belongs to the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae) – its relatives include, for example, dill (Anethum graveolens) or fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). It has been proven that the plant was used to prepare food around 2000 years ago. The best known are probably its spicy, hot seeds - but the foliage and the developed taproot can also make a culinary contribution. Caraway also cuts a fine figure as a medicinal plant. This was already known at the time of Charlemagne. The cultivation of the umbelliferous plant is possible without any problems in our geographical regions. Although caraway has its origins in the Mediterranean region and the Near East, its natural range extends across Europe to Siberia, Central Asia and even China. Here you can find out what needs to be considered during cultivation and what is best to do with the caraway after harvesting.

Synonyms: field cumin, corn, cumin, meadow cumin

Grow cumin in your own garden

location
Most herbs prefer dry and well drained soil, but as so often in life, exceptions prove the rule. The caraway takes over this part. He feels most comfortable in moist and loamy soils. Nevertheless, the umbellifer is also happy about a sunny to partially shaded location. In addition to the moisture level of the soil, attention should also be paid to its pH value. If this is too acidic, the soil should be limed. A pH between 6.0 and 7.5 is optimal for caraway.

Neighbors should also be considered when choosing a location. Above all, too small a distance to its umbellifer colleague fennel should be avoided during cultivation. It is also recommended, as with many Apiaceae It is common practice to take a five-year break from growing caraway in the same spot in the bed. Basically, the caraway can of course also be grown in containers on the terrace and balcony. However, when choosing the pot or balcony box, it should be considered that caraway develops a taproot that is about 15 cm long.

propagation
The real caraway is traditionally propagated by sowing. Since the spice is a light germinator, it is advisable not to cover the seed with too thick a layer of substrate. If the seeds are spread directly outdoors, the best time for this is from April. When pre-breeding indoors, seeds can be sown as early as February. The germination of the caraway seed is relatively slow. Only after about three weeks do the first seedlings break through the thin substrate layer that protects against drying out at an optimal temperature of 20 °C. Cumin is a biennial plant. In the year after sowing, the plant forms flowers, which ensure independent reproduction and offspring in the next year. If this automatic rejuvenation is undesirable, especially with regard to the advisable break in cultivation, the flowers must be removed prematurely.

Combined cultivation
Cumin can also be added after the grain crops have been harvested in July or August. This has the advantage that in the first year, when the caraway has not yet formed flowers, it can still be harvested from the cultivated area. This procedure is quite common in the commercial cultivation of caraway. Combined cultivation with a so-called cover crop is also conceivable. The caraway is sown with a stronger growing crop such as corn. The cover crop overgrows the caraway in the first year. That's not a big deal, because the cover crop is harvested in the first year. The only downside is that fewer caraway seeds can be harvested in the second year than if the caraway had been grown alone, due to competition with the cover crop in the first year of cultivation.
A detailed step-by-step guide to cultivation of cumin you'll find here.

watering and fertilizing
As already mentioned, the caraway attaches importance to a rich water supply. Thus, even during shorter dry periods, the handle should go in the direction of the watering can in order to optimally supply the spice. The incorporation of a primarily organic long-term fertilizer such as our Plantura is sufficient to supply nutrients Organic universal fertilizer or from compost. This should be repeated in the early spring of the second year of life of the biennial plant. This guarantees a well-fortified start into the next year.

Cumin: Harvest and store properly

Since caraway only flowers in the second year of its life, the harvest of the coveted, spicy seed can only take place then. When the time has come for the harvest, you can tell by the browning of the inflorescence and fruit. This is usually in the months of June and July. While the plants are mechanically threshed in commercial cultivation, the whole plant can simply be generously cut off when growing in the home garden. The flower is anyway the death sentence of the biennial plant. In order to be able to harvest the seeds, the flowers must still be dried and then the seeds can be stored dry in an airtight container.

The leaves of the biennial umbellifer have a taste reminiscent of parsley and dill. It can always be harvested until flowering begins. But be careful: Don't harvest too much and thus weaken the plant's growth. The taproot can also be used in the kitchen. Logically, for this part of the plant, the harvest time has only come when the plants have faded and been cut off.

You can find more information under Real caraway: Water and harvest properly.

Caraway: Use in the kitchen and as a medicinal plant

As already mentioned, the taste of the caraway leaves is reminiscent of parsley and dill. They are therefore well suited for seasoning soups or salads. Taproot, which tastes slightly like cumin, can be cooked like carrots as a vegetable. However, the most common use in cooking is for the seeds. The caraway seed is characterized by a characteristically spicy and rather pungent taste. Caraway seeds are particularly popular in Scandinavian and Eastern cuisine. It is often used in particular to refine various types of bread. But cabbage dishes are also often refined with caraway seeds, because they make difficult-to-digest cabbage dishes easier to digest. There is also a caraway schnapps called Aquavit, which is very popular after a meal to stimulate digestion. But be careful: If consumed too frequently, alcohol containing caraway can promote liver damage due to the essential oils it contains.

But the caraway also has good sides as a medicinal plant. The content of the positive essential oils is highest in the seeds, from which the so-called caraway oil can also be extracted. In addition to the digestive effect, real caraway can also have an antispasmodic and antimicrobial effect. The spice is used as a medicinal herb, especially in tea. In 2016, erl was even voted medicinal plant of the year. With your own cultivation of the umbelliferae, you bring an award-winning star into your own garden, which not only tastes good, but is also good for you.