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Perennial spice trees/bushes to grow in northern climates

 
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Hey.

Something I've been interested in is growing perennial spice bushes or trees in a northern climate to be more self-sufficient in spices that at the same time require little care and will do well mostly on their own. In time of a crisis/supply breakdown it would be nice to have some spices and pepper substitutes at hand to make life a bit more enjoyable! And as a gourmet myself I really like to explore every different level of spice avenue as is possible, and even here these plants are of use! A few plants I can currently think of that fits the criteria of being hardy and being potentially very useful as spices:

Sassafras albidum, Sassafras: Both the leaves, bark and roots are useful as spices. Especially the root/root bark is what is used the most. The wood itself is described to be quite aromatic and apparently if the twigs are used as skewers they can impart a very nice flavour to meat. Nice addition to smoking wood too. Older sources also mention the fruits/berries used as a spice but I can't find any modern references to this. You can make an extract of the bark/roots to produce an essential oil that is very flavourful and useful in for example baking and making candy and for the original root beer flavour - which you technically don't need pure essential oil for if you just use the roots to extract taste from. I also read a source saying that it imparts a pleasant flavour to wine and liquor.

The toxicity of Sassafras albidum is ridiculously overblown, there's just no way to replicate the results they had in long-term use on rats from ordinary use of Sassafras as a flavouring/spice agent and for making tea etc - you would have to take a big amount of PURE, distilled essential oil to get toxic effects. It's a very big shame that the main sassafras taste compound safrole was banned as a food additive as it prohibited the use of it and sassafras in the food industry. Before that happened it was an extremely popular flavour and sassafras bark used to be one of the most valuable export goods from North America due to how popular it was. It's been used in recorded history for hundreds of years by many people and natives for flavouring and drunk as a tea by many people for all their lives without any health issues. It's still used in modern  Louisiana Creole cuisine in form of leaves with the name "Filé powder" and "gumbo filé" as a thickener and characteristic flavouring agent.

Sassafras is hardy down to at least USDA zone 5, although some say it can survive even in zone 4 and there do seem to be examples of such trees.

Lindera benzoin, Spicebush: Both the fruit, flowers, leaves and twigs/bark are all useful as flavouring agents. Apparently the ripe fruit works well as a allspice alternative, and the immature green fruit is said to be more reminiscent of black pepper. It's in the Laurel family and thus related to both Laurel/Bay leaf(Laurus nobilis) and Sassafras. Hardy down to USDA zone 4.

Zanthoxylum simulans, Szechuan Pepper: Supposedly it is hardy down to zone 5 and can at least handle -20 C or so, some say it is hardy down to -30 C. The dried fruit has a very nice pungent, peppery flavour and is one of the core ingredients of "Five Spices" and other Chinese spice mixes.

Zanthoxylum piperitum, Japanese Pepper: The fruit is used for its peppery flavour and its closely related to Sczechuan Pepper. Also the leaves are supposedly usable for their flavour too. Also hardy down to zone 5-6 or so but according to some it's not as hardy as Szechuan Pepper.

Calycanthus floridus, Carolina/Florida allspice: The bark can apparently be used as a cinnamon substitute, but many sources say the plant is toxic while others say it's just the fruit/seeds and flowers that are toxic and that the bark is perfectly edible. Seems like some people can use it and not have any problems with it. It is said to be hardy down to zone 5.

Does anyone know of any other useful perennial spice plants that can be grown outdoors in northern climates with relative ease and little care? Anything to add to what's already been said? Has anyone any experience with growing and/or using any of these aforementioned species from the wild or garden? I am currently trying to start growing Sassafras from seeds and thinking about adding Spicebush(Lindera benzoin) next, Szechuan and Japanese pepper also look interesting. Calycanthus floridus sure looks nice as an ornamental but not sure it would be a good idea to grow as a spice if it is actually toxic.
 
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Juniper would be the one I am most used to. (do not use during pregnancy)
 
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I've seen mentions of using labrador tea leaves as a laurel substitute, then you can also use the male flowers of alnus species as a pepper substitute, Myrica gale can be used this way as well (though a similar warning for pregnant women applies).

If you're looking for dessert spices, the above would probably be very tasty, but you could add Gaultheria for a wintergreen flavor.
 
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Sumac gives a nice lemon like flavor classically used in za'atar.
 
Anton Jacobski Hedman
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Skandi Rogers wrote:Juniper would be the one I am most used to. (do not use during pregnancy)


Yes that's a good one, though where I live there's plenty of wild ones to harvest berries from but this is of course not the case for everyone and from what I understand this tree is rare in many parts of the US even where it could still thrive otherwise.

Patrick Marchand wrote:I've seen mentions of using labrador tea leaves as a laurel substitute, then you can also use the male flowers of alnus species as a pepper substitute, Myrica gale can be used this way as well (though a similar warning for pregnant women applies).

If you're looking for dessert spices, the above would probably be very tasty, but you could add Gaultheria for a wintergreen flavor.


Thanks for the advice, didn't know alnus catkins could be used as pepper substitute although it doesn't sound tasty. I have yet to try myrica gale for anything myself but it's traditionally used to flavour spirits/moonshine where I live.

I have to look up using labrador tea, seems like it is toxic in larger amounts and has potential for intoxicating effects.

Greg Martin wrote: Sumac gives a nice lemon like flavor classically used in za'atar.


There are hardy Sumac substitutes?
 
Greg Martin
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Anton Jacobski Hedman wrote:

Greg Martin wrote: Sumac gives a nice lemon like flavor classically used in za'atar.


There are hardy Sumac substitutes?


I harvest Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina, which grows wild here in zone 5 Maine.  From a quick google search it appears to be zone 4a hardy.
 
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Yup, staghorn sumac is native here in zone 4a
 
Anton Jacobski Hedman
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Greg Martin wrote:

Anton Jacobski Hedman wrote:

Greg Martin wrote: Sumac gives a nice lemon like flavor classically used in za'atar.


There are hardy Sumac substitutes?


I harvest Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina, which grows wild here in zone 5 Maine.  From a quick google search it appears to be zone 4a hardy.


Hmm okay, I see. Gotta look into it. Read that it can be a bit invasive though, is it really?
 
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There is an american Zanthoxylum species too, isn't there? At least plants from the nortern parts of its distribution are supposed to be hardier than the asian species. Don't know if seeds are available outside north america though.

I have a bunch of Z. piperitum seeds stratifying in the fridge at the moment. Exciting to see if they grow!
 
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Re: juniper, grow the bush (J. communis), not the tree, for quick production and ease of harvest.

Re: sumac, it can easily spread, and easily be removed/mowed where you don't want it to spread. If you choose a sumac native to your area, then by definition, it cannot be invasive. Invasiveness refers only to introduced species.

Sweet gale (Myrica gale) was already mentioned, but to that I will add sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina).

One other thing that comes to mind is using conifer needles, for instance, as an herbal salt (1:1 needles & salt in a food processor).
 
Anton Jacobski Hedman
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Eino Kenttä wrote:There is an american Zanthoxylum species too, isn't there? At least plants from the nortern parts of its distribution are supposed to be hardier than the asian species. Don't know if seeds are available outside north america though.

I have a bunch of Z. piperitum seeds stratifying in the fridge at the moment. Exciting to see if they grow!


I believe the American species is toxic and/or only have medicinal value, not really so much useful as a spice. Where did you get the Z. piperitum seeds from, Ebay? By your name I am guessing you live in Finland(Or Estonia). Do you plan to try growing this plant outside?
 
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Toona Sinensis has an amazing umami flavor and it's super easy to grow from seed.
 
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Sorry, I misread the topic.
 
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I have a bay laurel growing quite nicely in my garden for the last 5 years.  It is only 12 inches high and I have it protected by other evergreen bushes but it gives me plenty of leaves for my cooking.  I bought two 3'+ tall trees one year and they died that winter so I think it's small size keeps it alive, even though its leave fall off every winter.
 
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Abe Coley wrote:Toona Sinensis has an amazing umami flavor and it's super easy to grow from seed.



That sounds very interesting.  Where do you get seeds? (A quick google search didn't turn up anything that looked reputable.) If it germinates easily, does it spread too easily?

So many interesting plants for me to read up about in this thread!
 
Abe Coley
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Where do you get seeds?



sheffields: https://sheffields.com/seeds-for-sale/Toona/sinensis///////697195/Chinese-Toon,-Chinese-Mahogany,-Red-Toon/Chinese-Toon,-Chinese-Mahogany,-Red-Toon

If it germinates easily, does it spread too easily?



not sure, but it has weird germination in that you need to soak the seeds and then hold the temperature at 75 to 80 degrees, which makes me think it wouldn't be very successful at escaping cultivation up north.
 
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