One herb you have always wanted

[maddie]

Is there one herb that you have always wanted to grow? One herb that has always died out on you or just beyond your reach?
I have always wanted to grow the Pandanus leaves or Ramba plant. I couldn't get hold of one until the beginning of this year .. and is it worth it! . I use it in most of the dishes I make. It has got a distinctive flavor and aroma.

 

[ChanellG]

Until now I would have said I have always wanted to grow rosemary. I just love the smell of it, even though I don't really cook with it. At the moment I have two kinds of basil, peppermint, parsley, time and the rosemary. I'd like to have lemon grass and some other things, but I am running out of space, lol.

 

[maddie]

The problem is the same here.. I have absolutely no space to grow more. Here is a picture of the ramba plant.. used widely in Thai and Asian cooking.

 

[ChanellG]

I've never heard of the ramba plant before, Maddie. How is it used in cooking? What kind of flavor does it have? Is it spicy? Do you use only the leaves? From the looks of it, I would guess you use it in soups and possibly in tea as well.

 

[maddie]

Yes, it is cooked with rice.. it makes ordinary rice smell like jasmine rice. We use the leaves in meat dishes, soups, puddings and custard. Nope it is just a flavouring agent. One leaf is enough to flavour a huge pot of rice. I just love the smell.
I wrap fish in these leaves and grill them... My husband hates the smell of fish.. but once I started doing this he enjoys eating fish.

 

[ChanellG]

Oooh, that sounds lovely! I'm going to have to ask around and see if I can get it here. Do you chop up the leaf or just put it in whole like a bay leaf? Right now I am looking for lemon grass (that's after I get my mirliton vine established), but this sounds like an interesting aromatic plant to add to my garden if I can find it.

 

[veg11]

Probably Chamomile.

 

[ChanellG]

Chamomile is so easy! And you can easily multiply it because it drops so many seeds I have a couple baby plants I got from my mom. I plan to start more from seed really soon.

 

[veg11]

Is it perennial?

 

[Soliloquy]

A few years ago I visited England, and had an egg salad (or as the English call them, egg mayonnaise) and watercress sandwich at Hampton Court Palace which was really tasty! Upon returning home I tried putting watercress in my egg salad sandwiches, but they didn't taste the same and the watercress looked very different. I started Googling and determined that the variety I had in England was probably mustard cress, which isn't readily available here. I ordered a packet of seeds from an English seller and tried sprouting them in a dish, but had the worst luck with them. Either they wouldn't get enough water and die, or I'd forget to make egg salad when they were ready for eating and they'd die. Now I think the remaining seeds are lost.

I hope I won't have to go all the way back to England just to eat another egg salad sandwich like that again!

 

[maddie]

Oooh, that sounds lovely! I'm going to have to ask around and see if I can get it here. Do you chop up the leaf or just put it in whole like a bay leaf? Right now I am looking for lemon grass (that's after I get my mirliton vine established), but this sounds like an interesting aromatic plant to add to my garden if I can find it.

You use it the way you do bay leaves. I generally tear up a leaf into few bits as it is pretty long to fit into a pan. Or fold it and throw it into the pan.
I need a few lemon grass plants too. Those keep the mosquitoes away.

 

[ChanellG]

...determined that the variety I had in England was probably mustard cress... t had the worst luck with them...

I bet Zigs would know something about that watercress and how to keep it alive. What growing zone are you in?

.

You use it the way you do bay leaves. I generally tear up a leaf into few bits as it is pretty long to fit into a pan. Or fold it and throw it into the pan.
I need a few lemon grass plants too. Those keep the mosquitoes away.

Maddie I am hoping I will run across some lemongrass at the grocery that I can just stick in water and regrow.

 

[zigs]

It was highly lightly that it was a Mustard & Cress sandwich. Water Cress is only usually used as a garnish & a lot of people leave it on the plate??

Put several layers of damp tissue in a tray, sprinkle the Cress seeds first & keep in the dark, 3 days later sow Yellow mustard seeds.

When the leaves have opened, move to a well lit spot to green up. Harvest when they are about 2 inches tall

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have never heard of a ramba plant before either, but from the picture, it sure looks beautiful, and it sounds like a wonderful addition to a rice dish.
Are they hard to grow, and how big does one of the plants get ? Will it spread once you plant it, or how is it propagated ?

 

[Soliloquy]

Zigs, are these the seeds I want? Unfortunately they don't list the varieties.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-Vintage...729?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4605c157d1

I'm in USDA zone 6.