Asian Cuisine Ingredients.

[Stringfellow]

I really enjoy growing food, love preparing and then eating and sharing it, in particular curries! I wondered if anyone in the UK had any experience of growing ingredients such as Kaffir lime leaves, curry leaves and methi etc.? I have a bay bush which yields well and would like to grow others that I can then use fresh too. I have access to a glass house and windowsills during winter months.

Thanks for any shared experience.

[devonstew]

No experience but I would expect methi – fenugreek to grow fine.

[Stringfellow]

Thanks Stew, if I can purchase some pot plants of kaffir lime leaf and curry leaf etc. I will. Sutton’s James Wong collection seems to be a possible. I’ve already grown lemon grass and bay with success but would like to add to this with the aforementioned if possible.

First sowings starting today, of alliums and beetroot 🙂

[Steph]

I have two Kaffir lime plants which I grow in pots, one grows on a windowsill at home – outside in the summer – and the other in a heated greenhouse at work. They are very easy, still fairly small plants but producing lovely fragrant leaves.

I had some trouble with the James Wong Suttons collection – I bought some of their plants last year and they were terrible. Even the replacements were ungrowable. They refunded me fully and perhaps this year their plants will be healthier.

Lemon grass is easy from seed. Haven’t tried fenugreek, have some seeds but may grow them as sprouts/microleaves rather than plants

[Stringfellow]

Thanks for that knowledge Steph. Could you let me know where you obtained your plants? I’m struggling to find them elsewhere and Sutton’s does sound a bit of a gamble. Certainly good to know that they are easy to grow!

On sprouting; I have sprouted various seed such as mung, adzuki and fenugreek etc. but I find them very difficult during the winter months. Do you find the same problem? I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong….

[devonstew]

What is your problem – are the seeds not germinating? Ambient temperature is more of an issue in winter…
With sprouting I am doing ok this winter – particularly alfalfa and brocolli and having had sprouting nightmares in the past I lumped it and bought seed from Acornbury Seeds. This seed is germinating really well and have had no problems – so from this I wonder on the quality of some seed – certainly alfalfa from Essential has been poor to germinate and thus the seed rots quite quickly and the whole batch goes off. But also freshness – the fresher the seed the higher percentage of germination, less rotting seeds, happier sprouts, happier me.

[Stringfellow]

Hi Stew, thanks for this. Seed is germinating okay and then just fizzling out. I’m using a sprouting jar on a north facing windowsill; I’ve wondered if they are getting too little light…

Maybe I need to get fresh seed also, and having used Aconbury for wheatgrass in the past, I know they are reliable. Thanks again and the brocolli sounds interesting.

[Steph]

I don’t remember where I bought the Kaffir lime, it was a couple of years ago but if you Google there are lots of other suppliers.

[Stringfellow]

Thanks Steph. I have ordered a curry leaf plant from a company called Seeds Finder via amazon – I hope they are of reasonable quality! If so, I’ll be adding the Kaffir plant to it. Enjoy your growing this season.

[Author]

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