Spicy plants: description and title

Many herbs are known to people since time immemorial. Initially, they were used for various rituals, and even later they have been actively used in cooking and medicine.

Types of herbal plants

Spices have become ingrained in our daily lives. They have become so familiar that we don't even notice how often we use it. Meanwhile, every day we prepare food or canned foods, using herbs. All their diversity can be divided into the following types:

1. Aromatic.
2. Spicy taste.

Spices and aromatic plants have the original smell. And spicy-taste have a specific taste.

The studies found that spicy-flavoring plants and aromatic antiseptic, preservative, medicinal and antibacterial properties. The composition of the spices are essential oils and other very valuable substances that improve the cooking properties of the products, and also stimulate the taste buds, the digestive system, strengthen the absorption of food, causing appetite, a beneficial effect on the metabolism and the whole body.

Most of them are imported to us from afar, because many plants (spicy) grows only in the subtropics or tropics. But in our country there are many members of the family of spicy plants growing in the wild. Yes, and in gardens we usually grow a variety of herbs that are popular not only for eating but also used in a variety of industries.

A Variety of spices

Herbs are divided into six groups:

1. Spicy-bitter, with a faint aroma. These include horseradish, pepper, mustard and others.
2. Bitter, but with a sharp spicy aroma-hops, allspice, ginger, cloves, Bay Laurel, calamus, hyssop, and others.
3. Very strong, but absolutely not spicy sugary aroma and a light spicy flavor-nutmeg, cinnamon, clover, lovage, coriander.
4. With a light and subtle spicy smell – marjoram, savory, cumin, cardamom.
5. With custom properties – onion, garlic, dill, fennel, sage, anise, mint.
6. Beverage – plants used for the preparation of any beverage.

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To give the drink a noble aroma and a specific taste use different cultivated plants. For example, marjoram, peppermint, rosemary, Basil, thyme, fennel, dill, coriander. With the same purpose and uses of wild plants: wormwood, calamus, Angelica, sweet grass, elecampane, barberry, licorice, cranberries, currants. At the same time completely different spice plants use different parts: seeds, flowers, roots, leaves.

The Use of herbal plants

Many spicy plants yield products of different economic purpose. For example, some of them used as ingredients for salads (lovage, baraya, borage leaves, nasturtium, mint, dandelion).

Some plants with spicy flavor is used in pharmaceutical and perfume industry because they contain essential oils and biological active ingredients (Basil, lemon balm, savory, dill, mint). They have strong medicinal properties, and therefore used as a medicinal.

Spices and aromatic plants and spicy flavor are used for cooking fried, boiled or fresh. Their sour, bitter, spicy, sharp and aromatic flavored food, giving it the original taste, improving taste properties. In General, it helps to improve the digestion of human body.

Spicy medicinal plants

Many aromatic plants have medicinal properties, but because they are used as a medicinal for many centuries. Biological active substances present in many wild and cultivated plants, they have a positive effect on the whole body, normalizing the functions of different organs.

Here is an example of such herbs. The same mint-medicinal and spicy plant that is very common in suburban areas and gardens. Oregano, katonic, coriander, thyme, saxifrage also have spicy-medicinal qualities.

Harvesting herbs

The Leaves of herbal plants, seeds, roots, flowers you can collect in nature, and it is possible some of them to plant on the plot. Caring for them does not require any huge knowledge and skills. Generally, there are about three hundred species of plants that are used as spices.

Spicy plants (photo in article) is grown not only gardeners, but also for industrial plantations.

In our latitudes, gardeners most often planted the following herbs: Basil, fennel, lovage, marigolds, cilantro, mint, thyme, oregano, celery and many others. In culinary uses the seeds of spice plants, roots, flowers and stems. Making harvesting of these herbs, you need to know when and what plant parts to collect, and how to do it right. For example, if you want to prepare the ground part, then you must do it after full development of the plants (as usually happens in summer). The raw material is collected in the evening to avoid dew. Before wateringplants are not worth it, but after harvest you need to fill the beds that will give impetus to a new stage of cultural development.

You Should know that all of the spice harvest. If you have a small family, and to be zealous not worth it. The fact that the dried ether-oil herbs not stored for more than a year, because every season is best to collect fresh crops, than to use long pieces, lost most of the useful properties.

Perennial herbs

Previously, the range of spices on the shelves were not as extensive as at present. Now, in any supermarket you can find a good selection. Yes, and on private land currently grow many herbs, but not only dill and parsley as of seed shops offer a large selection of seed.

Now a very popular Basil. Some mistakenly consider it purely southern culture, but it is not so. This plant can be grown in Central Russia.

There are different types of Basil – bundled, luzkoviny, large, small. All varieties of different flavor, colors and taste. Classic plant is perfectly combined with meat and cheese. But a plant with a lemon scent ideal for desserts, drinks and salads. Basil clove flavor used for making pickles. The most stable aroma have young plants at the beginning of flowering.

In nature there are high and low varieties of Basil, with green, purple, smooth, corrugated, small and large leaves. Seed culture for more greens can be sown in the open ground at the same time with cucumbers.

Basil – a very beautiful plant, so it is not necessary to plant in the beds. Just place a few plants in mid flower arrangements.

Coriander

Coriander (cilantro) – a very popular culture. It is grown not only for green but also for seeds. If you are a fan of fresh herbs of coriander, the seeds can be sown several times from spring to mid-summer, soaking time intervals in two to three weeks. For dilution of culture used last year's seeds. Fresh not germinate. Flowering plants begins when a long enough photoperiod. If seeds be sown in the period when the day begins to shorten, then flowering will not.

If you grow coriander for the seed, umbrellas, plants should be cut when they become Golden. Full maturity is better not to wait because the seeds can sleep. The umbrellas are dried, then threshed.

At home store coriander seeds in a glass jar, like any spice. Grind the coriander need in small portions in a coffee grinder as needed. Ground seeds quickly lose their smell.

Parsley

Parsley root is grown to make white roots. Their ground and put into soups, stew, stew. In cooking, are widely used the leaves of the plant. Culture refers to perennial plants. Root crops cold-resistant and therefore easy to overwinter in the soil and leaf part even tolerate a light autumn and spring frosts. For the growth of parsley optimum temperature of 16-18 degrees. At higher temperatures the development and growth of the culture slows, but the accumulation of aroma and essential oils in the leaves. There are more than ten varieties of culture: Eagle, East, Alba, Spicy, Lyubasha, and others.

Thyme vegetable

Thyme is very often also called Bogorodskaya grass. It belongs to the perennial plants. Thyme forms a lush bushes and has a distinctive aroma. When the plant blooms, with a knife cut off the stalks.

Thyme is a beautiful, compact shrub. But it hibernates not always successfully. Evergreen even in late winter, has green leaves, but, if a long time the soil thaws, it can die from drought. It turns out that the leaves in the sun give plenty of moisture and the roots cannot obtain moisture from frozen soil. In such cases you can try to water the plant with warm water and cover with peat. Thyme on the area may live up to three years, if he likes the place reserved for him.

Lovage

Lovage-a perennial plant growing up to two meters in height. Culture has fleshy roots and big leaves. The plant is very resistant, he is not afraid of even severe winters. The ground part to tolerate short-term freezing up to minus eight degrees. In cooking, use not only plant roots but also the leaves. Fresh herbs put in a salad, add seeds into the brine to the vegetables and roots used as a spicy condiment. The most commonly grown varieties of lovage – don Giovanni, Hercules, Cupid, Leader, heart of oak.

Oregano

Oregano-this spice, which there is some confusion. In the standard version under this title is meant marjoram. But under this name I propose the oregano. Of course, both plants are herbs, but very different in taste. Their leaves and blossoms is widely used in cooking, adding to salads, pizzas, meat dishes, sauces and pastas.

Marjoram flavored duck, roast goose, and put it in homemade sausage. The plant is even called sausage herb, since in many countries it is the main seasoning in sausages. Oregano perfectly complements the potato soups, roast poultry, liver, mushrooms and lamb. Marjoram is grown seedling method, sowing the seeds in April. The first shoots appear only after three weeks. In late may, the seedlings are transplanted into open ground, when really there is no threat of frost. Remove plants in the early period of mass flowering. The stems with buds are cut at a height of about five centimeters above ground level, and dried in a dark but ventilated place.

Tarragon, or tarragon

Tarragon (estragon) – cold-resistant plant that grows in the form of a shrub up to one meter with a large number of shoots. If the plant is not transplanted, it can grow in five to seven years. Culture does not like too wet places.

All given us spicy plants are very sun-loving and prefer to grow in open places. But dried only in the shade in a cool place because when the temperature is over 35 degrees the aromatic substances evaporate.

Cardamom

Cardamom-a spice plant of the ginger family that represents not that other, as the grass. Culture grows in the wild in South India (in the rainforest). Into the world market for spices is especially prized Maori and Indian cardamom. The fruit of the plant looks like a box. Gather them a little unripe, and then dried in the sun. For flavoring confectionery and pastry boxes grind. A strong aroma of the fruits have green, rather than white.

Black cardamom

Black cardamom – it's an entirely different spice. Fruits (bolls) collected from tree attic belonging to the ginger family. Several varieties of such trees grows in the southern China and mountainous areas of China. Boxes sell plants, as a rule, in General, they have a pleasant flavor with a subtle hint of camphor and smoke.

Also known black cardamom and Madagascar, Cameroon and Somalia. The French put such a flavor in liqueurs ("Chartreuse", "curaçao"), the Germans add it to the mixture to prepare the famous Nuremberg gingerbread. From the Germans we've got a tradition to add cardamom in Easter cakes.

The Most popular spice uses to the East. For example, in India, cardamom is added to all food and even drinks.

Turmeric

Turmeric-this spice is bright yellow. It is obtained from the rhizomes of the ginger family. The spice has a slightly pungent bitter, but pleasant taste. Turmeric is extremely popular in England, India, Central Asia, China, Azerbaijan. Spice is often used instead of expensive saffron, while their properties are still different. Dishes cooked with turmeric, stored for longer. The spice is used for cooking beef, lamb and chicken.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is an evergreen tree which reaches a height of 15 meters. For receiving the famous spices not harvested fruits and leaves, it is much more difficult. Two year old tree cut down and leave a stump from which the next year new shoots appear. Once they reach a meter in height, cut them and remove them from the bark. And take only the inner layer. Dries to a thin strip rolled into a tube. In this form of cinnamon is available for sale.

Cinnamon as spice, can be divided into Ceylon (noble) and Chinese (Cassia). The first is considered more expensive and valuable because is made only from the inner layer. But Cassia is made from the whole bark, but because its taste is more pungent and sharp. Our shops sell it Cassius, as a more affordable option. Although it is worth noting that the noble cinnamon wins much as in the chemical composition and taste qualities.

Instead of an epilogue

In our article we gave examples only of some spice plants from all of their vast diversity. Spices since ancient times used by people in cooking and as medicines and are thus indispensable helpers in everyday life.