Fenugreek

I'll be trying to grow out Fenugreek for the first time this year. I'm curious how y'all are using it. I know they can be used as microgreens but the rest escapes me other than I know I have powder to use when cooking Indian. I normally grow more than I can use for most herbs mainly for the pollinators. So...grown out, how does that fare for y'all? Uses?

the greens are good full-grown, too. the seeds, whole or ground are the classic spice. it’s a cool-weather crop, do you have it in the ground yet?

I have read that fenugreek seed is used for artificial "maple" flavor.  If you smell the seeds, it does make sense.

Haven't tried growing it yet, but have done some research that it has medicinal properties that could be beneficial to asthmatics or people with other respiratory issues.

The seeds are a key spice in East Asian cuisine.

Fenugreek. Mustard, Cumin, Coriander, Cumin, blak pepper. other peppers, many other ingredients.

But you can't make most East Asian dishes without fenugreek(We call it Indian food in the UK-centric consumer culture)

Need it for Indian food.

LOL.

(Forget Pakistan and the hundreds of other cultures within and without India and Pakistan)


Etymoogy:

fenugreek (n.)
leguminous plant in western Asia and North Africa, Old English fenograecum, from Latin faenugraecum, literally "Greek hay," from faenum (see fennel) + Graecum (see Greek). The modern form in English is from French fenugrec.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/fenugreek

I'm a noob using it in my own cuisine.

I haven't been able to grow ir in Oklahoma yet.

Same with Cumin, and a few others,.

I'll start a new thread on it. Spices to plants

The seeds and the fresh or dried leaves are used in South Asian cuisine, called methi in Hindi and Indian English. It's not used in many dishes, though. Overuse can make your sweat smell distinctive! Long ago I thought it was cumin doing that, but it's the fenugreek. I haven't run into fenugreek in East Asian cuisine, but it could be there in some countries, I don't know.

It's a legume, an annual and seems to me that it would be a good thing to grow in the annual herb garden, like coriander/cilantro.

greg mosser wrote:the greens are good full-grown, too. the seeds, whole or ground are the classic spice. it’s a cool-weather crop, do you have it in the ground yet?

I don't. I bought a packet of the Botanical Interests sprouting seeds and wonder if I'd be best served by letting them grow bigger..

Mk Neal wrote:I have read that fenugreek seed is used for artificial "maple" flavor.  If you smell the seeds, it does make sense.

It absolutely does. I can smell them through the packet. Do the greens have that taste?

Rebecca Norman wrote:The seeds and the fresh or dried leaves are used in South Asian cuisine, called methi in Hindi and Indian English. It's not used in many dishes, though. Overuse can make your sweat smell distinctive! Long ago I thought it was cumin doing that, but it's the fenugreek. I haven't run into fenugreek in East Asian cuisine, but it could be there in some countries, I don't know.

It's a legume, an annual and seems to me that it would be a good thing to grow in the annual herb garden, like coriander/cilantro.

Given the sweat smelling issues, I wonder if I want to use it! :D

I grow it for an indian food delivery, they love it. I interplant with my summer cabbages. The seeds were from a spice packet:)

Yes, the greens have that same savory sweet smell, without the bitterness the seeds can have. It's delicious, and if used in moderation, is not noticeable in your sweat. Just don't overuse it.

I grow fenugreek. I treat them like peas, planting as soon as the snow melts in the spring.

I used to take fenugreek tea to increase milk supply, and yes the smell... but i would rather my sweat smell like maple syrup than, say asparagus pee, i suppose!!
There are some excellent flatbreads with fenugreek greens!
Thanks for the reminder it is a cool crop. Time to put some in!

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:I grow fenugreek. I treat them like peas, planting as soon as the snow melts in the spring.

So it's a cold/cool weather thing?

I assumed it was a hot weather plant maybe that's why I failed?

LOL

The messed up thing is there's no internet at my house.

So If I decide to try to plant something on a lark, I often screw it up because I've had too many beers to go drive to where internet is....

LOL.

Sometimes it works out great though.

Like Garlic.

One time I inherited 4 different types of garlic*dad had heads of it in his collection he hadn't planted yet), and I was sad, so I drank too much, and planted what I could in my berms then tired of it.

Then in the later stage of the drinking session I decided to uproot some big weeds in my yard that had grown up so big I couldn't mow that part of the yard.

I need to determine the name of this weed because it's useful for breaking up clay soil. And if the soil is damp, the stems are strong enough you can pull them up with the root ball.

It's not hemp.

It's a weed that has a nightshade aspect to it, the leaves are similar to tomato plants, but they make seeds that are long and hard with a little tuft on the end that sticks to your clothing.....

Anyhow I pulled a bunch of them out and they left big holes where the roots were, so I planted the rest of the garlic cloves in those holes....then banged the root ball dirt to cover them up.

Now I have garlic EVERYWHERE!

LOL