The Life of Spice, or Where Does All that Flavor Come From Anyway?

Global conditions right now are beginning to feel like they did six years ago: uncertain.

Of the many sobering facts we had to face during the pandemic, supply chains topped the list, especially when it came to our food and knowing where it comes from.

Since then, the conversation about local food systems has been a lively source of inspiration for many to take action. But while we might have a better idea now of how to source a locally grown meal, are we at all concerned about how it will taste?

In desperate situations, how your food is seasoned is probably the last thing on your mind. Still, as we’re so accustomed to having access to flavors from all corners of the planet, it’s only natural to wonder how we might maintain the same level of palate pleasures in any unfortunate societal scenario.

Taking an initial look at my spice cabinet, my most used seasonings all appear to be the plants that are readily available on my patio: thyme, parsley, and oregano. But those aren’t “spices.” A spice is actually a dried aromatic plant substance, such as seeds, fruit, roots, or bark; all elements that are distinct from leafy herbs.

Pushing the herbs aside, I am left looking at a collection of bottles filled with more exotic and tantalizing contents, of which curry powder is my most prized.

Curry powder isn’t even a singular spice (nor is it, as the label on the tin puts it, “a real thing in India”) but rather a westernized mix of provocative aromas that would seem unobtainable should ships stop making port.

However, upon reading the list of spices that make up this particular curry powder (coriander, fennel, garlic, cayenne pepper, cumin, fenugreek, turmeric, cassia cinnamon, black pepper, and clove), I’m relieved to recognize several as easy to grow, a few that are possible to grow, and some that aren’t impossible, but require ample amounts of patience and an artificial tropical climate.

Of the easy spices to grow, coriander, the seeds of cilantro, might be more worthwhile to focus on growing than the leaves, since the plant loves to bolt at the slightest fluctuation of temperature.

Fennel (sweet fennel, not the bulbing Florence fennel) is an almost too reliable perennial herb. The crown produces stalks of wispy, fragrant foliage that grow to be near six feet tall. The flower heads are massive umbellifers that attract a diverse array of pollinators and predator wasps. One plant can easily supply a small neighborhood with enough seed for a year.

Categorizing garlic as a spice could cause some commotion. As far as growing it, garlic is one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to include in your garden. Hardneck varieties do best in our climate. Plant the bulbs in the fall and look forward to watching them peek through the soil as the end of winter nears.

The next group of plants, cayenne pepper, cumin, and fenugreek, all require long, hot summers to develop the fruit or seed that we are after. Here in USDA zone 8b, it is possible to grow them, but gardens that don’t get full sun (6 plus hours) might struggle to yield a decent harvest.

Cayenne is considered one of the easier varieties of peppers to grow, so long as it has lots of water and very well-draining soil. If you’re limited on space, they are highly prolific and perfect for containers.

Cumin, on the other hand, must be grown in large quantities as each plant doesn’t produce all that much seed. Once established, it is drought-tolerant and, like fennel, the flowers attract many beneficial insects. The foliage can also be used as an herb and is similar to dill.

Fenugreek is used as both an herb and a spice in Indian cooking. As a legume, like beans and peas, it will grow well in relatively poor soils. The leaves and seeds smell like maple syrup, and catching the scent on a summer breeze is especially delightful.

Being able to grow six out of the 10 spices in our gardens is a good start. The remaining ingredients, however, require a more strategic approach to their cultivation. Turmeric, black pepper, cassia cinnamon, and clove are all cultivated in Southeast Asia, which means they love heat (temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit), humidity (consistently moist soil), and, as understory plants, tolerate full sun to partial shade conditions.

With the exception of turmeric (grows in 10 months), it can take years to get a harvest off of these plants, cloves taking the longest at around five years to begin producing the flower buds that are picked before they open, then dried to become the spice. Then there’s the matter of how each spice is harvested, which can get complicated, especially when it comes to cassia cinnamon, because replicating a monsoon season every two years to strip the bark is a bit much.

For black pepper, which can get to be a sizable vine, there are alternatives like the Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), the source of pink peppercorn (milder and more floral than black pepper). It’s common in California landscapes and isn’t particularly cold-hardy, but can be grown in containers outside during summer and overwintered indoors.

Spices are part of the reason world trade exists, so should things come to a halt, spices will likely find their way around. But maybe it’s worth trying to grow more of our own anyway. How much potency do they lose getting shipped halfway across the planet and stored for who knows how long before they reach our kitchens? For many veggies, going from garden to kitchen, the quality is undeniable. Perhaps we’re missing out on something with spices, too.