Fenugreek is one the easiest spices to grow at home, germinating from seed in just a couple days and tolerating moderate variations in climate. It thrives both outdoors in loamy soils or in pots indoors.
“Fenugreek makes me think of childhood breakfasts,” says Tasha Greer in Grow Your Own Spices. “Back then, I didn’t realize those aromatic seeds were responsible for the imitation maple aroma in American pancake syrup. These days, I don't eat much syrup, but I do grow fenugreek for its fragrance and culinary utility. I also use it as a tool to add nitrogen to the soil.”
Derived from the Latin term for Greek hay, fenugreek has been used as livestock fodder for millennia. A low-lying plant with shallow roots, it makes an excellent edible groundcover, flowering in about a month and produced elongated seed pods that smell like toffee. The seeds are ready for harvest in as little as 70 days from germination.
“Harvest individual pods when they yellow,” says Greer. “Or cut the entire aboveground plant at the soil line and dry it. Leave the roots in the ground so residual nitrogen remains in the soil.”
Especially popular in Ethopian and Indian cuisines, fenugreek is also used in breads, teas, and maple syrup substitutes.
