Edible Plants no. 1 – Caraway

Last year I wondered if I could grow some caraway (carum carvi)  and get enough seeds to make a couple of loaves of our favourite light rye bread.  I bought two tiny plants which I found in a nursery.

They didn’t do much, so I put them in the cold frame through the winter and this spring they are growing quite quickly.  As you can see it looks a bit like coriander, or even carrots growing with feathery leaves.

Yesterday I finally looked up how to grow it and discovered that caraway is a biennual so will take two years to produce seed, so this year should be the one!  I might just have to put it in bigger pots as it’s growing furiously now – I don’t think it’s keen on being transplanted but I will take a chance.

You can use caraway seeds in lots of different recipes. It is a love-it or hate-it taste!

I like them with baby carrots, scrubbed but not peeled with the tops cut down to about a quarter of an inch, parboiled whole and  then finished by cooking in a butter and brown sugar glaze put together with a little fresh lemon juice and caraway seeds. Lemon juice does something magical to carrots, makes them taste more carroty somehow…..

Carrots taste better steamed or boiled whole. I have no idea why!

If the plants set seed I will try and grow some new ones.  In theory they should self sow around the garden, like borage does. We’ll see!

Next post : Rustic Bread!

6 thoughts on “Edible Plants no. 1 – Caraway”

  1. sallybr

    Apart from being a great baker, you are also a gardener-pro! I am jealous….

    I haven’t even planted anything yet this year…..

    beautiful photo!

  2. Joanna @ Zeb Bakes Post author

    Hiya Sally, I have planted exactly one new perennial poppy and 24 cloves of pink garlic from last year, sown no seeds and been given tomato babies and broad bean seedlings from next door which are also in the cold frame. Buns and bread went the other way this morning… 6 spice and stout and a round rustic bread….both parties are very happy with the arrangements…

    1. Joanna @ Zeb Bakes Post author

      Thanks Ulrike, it was the automatic translator for your blog, that couldn’t cope with the distinction I think. NIgella is often called black onion seed here, which is deeply confusing as it is not an onion seed at all. There are also two different sorts of cumin. I once had a long conversation in an Indian restaurant about this and didn’t get very far.

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