Does anyone else here grow epazote?

[Shule]

Does anyone else here grow epazote?

It's a fragrant herb in the same family as lambsquarter. It can be used to help people digest beans better, they say.

I grew some this year. It was slow to start, but got huge, eventually. I hope it reseeds.

There's a red kind that I want to try next year. I grew a green kind in 2019.

I really like the taste when it's cooked with beans. To me, it makes them feel more nutritious.

[Shule]

A friend gave me a pot of beans after we went over for Christmas. I added some frozen epazote leaves, some Aji Habanero peppers, and Tajin seasoning. I didn't taste the epazote, but I could feel it! Makes me feel quite a bit better. I think it has more taste unfrozen.

[donn]

Grows like weeds here in san antonio, even in pots.

[Tormahto]

Does anyone else here grow epazote?

It's a fragrant herb in the same family as lambsquarter. It can be used to help people digest beans better, they say.

I grew some this year. It was slow to start, but got huge, eventually. I hope it reseeds.

There's a red kind that I want to try next year. I grew a green kind in 2019.

I really like the taste when it's cooked with beans. To me, it makes them feel more nutritious.

Does trying but failing count?

My seed was from Wild Gardens. Nothing wrong with the seed, just something wrong with me.

[Shule]

[mention]Tormato[/mention]

To be fair, mine struggled to get started in my unheated greenhouse. I got one tiny plant by transplant time (I overseeded, also), which eventually took off a couple months later or so. My hope is that it reseeds. However, I'm planning to try again with some red epazote next year.

To be fair, again, I did use a sub-optimal seedling mix that was nearly 100% compost, and not a compost easy to start seeds in.

[Shule]

[mention]Tormato[/mention]
Sure it counts, though. Just try again! I'm thinking I might try pre-starting it in a plastic bag with a paper towel or something similar, with some water.

[worth1]

I'm gonna have to keep an eye out for this weed and see if I have any growing wild around here.
Almost time to collect bed straw AKA sticky weed AKA sticky grass.

[Shule]

I've discovered that if I freeze the leaves, and cook with them, they don't add any flavor that I notice to the dish, but they still seem to improve tolerance of the beans. Well, I only tried it once (but it was a big difference vs. fresh).

If you use them fresh, they do add some flavor. I like the flavor, but some people say they don't like the taste; so, they might like to freeze the leaves first.

[Rajun Gardener]

Ya'll talking about that kerosene plant?

I made a Mexican pork and bean soup once with it. My comments when I posted the cook.
I found some epazote and added a little, this isn't for everybody. At first I could smell a slight kerosene smell but after cooked it faded.

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[Shule]

Heh, heh. I wouldn't quite describe it as kerosene, but I think we're talking about the same plant! The leaves look the same. It reminds me of something Mexican I've had before, but I don't recall what: Those colorful sweet breads? Candy? Soda? Not sure.

[Rajun Gardener]

Google says different. LOL!
The long serrated leaves of the Mexican epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides or Chenopodium ambrosioides) herb have an unpleasant smell similar to bleach, kerosene or gasoline, although it is sometimes described as minty or citrusy. They lose most of their aroma during cooking, however.Jun 18, 2015

[Rajun Gardener]

It's in the cilantro catagory, you either like it or not.

[Shule]

[mention]Rajun Gardener[/mention]
I edited my post above again.

The freezing (before cooking) really seems to work if you don't like the flavor. Just cooking does, too (but the flavor changes to another flavor more than it's removed in cooking, IMO). I love the cooked taste, personally. It's okay raw, but I wouldn't recommend it to others raw.

[Rajun Gardener]

It's kinda like Laska in Asian food. It's easy to root too, get some from an Asian grocer and start them in water changing water every 2 days, plant when roots develop.
https://straitsroadkitchen.com/ingredie ... ka-leaves/

[TheDante]

It's kinda like Laska in Asian food. It's easy to root too, get some from an Asian grocer and start them in water changing water every 2 days, plant when roots develop.
https://straitsroadkitchen.com/ingredie ... ka-leaves/

You know Laksa! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… I have a few bottles of the paste stashed in our freezer for rainy craving days! A rare commodity for us!

[worth1]

Okay memorize what plant looks like check.
Test for kerosene smell check.

[Shule]

Look for a lambsquarter-like plant with fragrant leaves. It's the only plant in the Amaranth family I know about that has much smell. (There might be others, but I haven't met another, yet.)

[Nan6b]

I do like lamb's quarters for salad, especially when it's in seed. When it volunteers in my garden, I cultivate it. But never saw epazote.

[worth1]

Haven't had nor seen lambsquarters in many years.

[Shule]

[mention]worth1[/mention]
Lambsquarter is our most ubiquitous weed in my garden. If I sent you a cup of soil, you'd probably get a hundred plants. You'd probably get some prickly lettuce, amaranth, common mallow, Asperugo procumbens, foxtails, weedy grass, and/or creeping Charley, too. Maybe some purslane, catnip, horehound, dandelions, and morning glory (the wild kind). Maybe other stuff. Maybe even salsify. But yeah, mostly lambsquarter. Hopefully epazote will proliferate.