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-   -   Asian herbs? (http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=41253)

Tracydr May 18, 2016 08:42 PM

Asian herbs?
 
Anybody grow Asian herbs? I just bought some galangal and lemon grass from Amazon,put some in a few pots for the greenhouse,will have some for Tom Yum this weekend.
I've grown lemon grass in AZ from grocery store. Never tried growing galangal. I'd also like to try a bunch of Vietnamese herbs. I only have seeds for red perilla and basil. Wondering about growing some of the other Asian herbs,either in the greenhouse or outdoors.
We live in a very small town,no Asian stuff in the stores besides basics. I need to grow anything I'd like to use that I used to get at huge Asian groceries in AZ.

KC.Sun May 18, 2016 10:27 PM

I have red Shiso growing like a weed right now, I'm glad I grew it in a container last year. If you can find fish mint Dap Ga, I hear that's pretty easy to grow. I like to add that to shredded chicken salads.

Galanga may take some effort. I tried growing ginger last year, but it rotted really easily. I think you have to grow the roots in the ginger family under partial shade.

Have you tried growing Holy Basil? I'm trying that this year, but have not been able to start the seeds.

luigiwu May 18, 2016 10:32 PM

I would LOVE to grow all the vietnamese herbs they use for salads - like rau ram, etc. Is galangal easy to grow? How long does it take?
I grew Thai basil (Holy) last year but since I don't really cook Thai, I didn't use it. The leaves were pretty.

rags57078 May 18, 2016 10:34 PM

I have bought from this place before .

[URL]http://evergreenseeds.com/vegetableseeds.html[/URL]

fonseca May 18, 2016 11:22 PM

This is my first year growing lemongrass from seed, ordered from Baker Creek. I hope to end up with enough to dry or make into a paste and freeze. No more wasting time trying to regrow store-bought.

Other asian herbs:
-Purple Shiso (interesting flavor that some people loathe, very poor germination for me)
-Thai Basil (delicious raw)
-Holy Basil (needs to be cooked or used for tea)
-Chives/Garlic Chives
-Culantro (native to Americas but popular for Vietnamese food, similar to cilantro)

I have debated getting a kaffir lime tree. The leaves are cheap in asian markets, and I already have to overwinter too many plants. I haven't worked up to ginger or galangal yet, hate to say it but I buy galangal paste instead of fresh root, and fresh ginger is cheap and widely available.

Reign May 18, 2016 11:28 PM

I buy lemongrass from the local Asian Market, root it and grow in pots. I grow green shiso in the garden.
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AlittleSalt May 18, 2016 11:53 PM

Tracy, I've been looking at the Kitazawa catalog for 2 years now. There is a page that offers an Asian Herb Garden for $23 that includes:

Ao Shiso Green Perilla
Evergreen Nebuka Japanese Bunching Onion
Broad Leaved Nira Chinese Leek
Kinsai Chinese Celery
Leisure Cilantro Chinese Parsley
Mitsuba Japanese Parsley
Sweet Large Leaf Basil

KC.Sun May 19, 2016 12:17 AM

The bunching onions from kitzawa are definitely worth the space. They provide amazing flavors to soups. Especially chicken soup. If I only had space for 1 item, the japanese bunching onions it would be.

Other Vietnamese herbs are relatively easy to find for me. Culantro is a must if you like to eat Pho.

Tracydr May 19, 2016 01:42 AM

Ill give the culantro and benching onions a try,plus Thai basil. What about rice paddy plant and Vietnaese mint?

fonseca May 19, 2016 02:11 AM

If you plant Welsh onions once you will have them for life. They are actually from China, but often sold as Japanese bunching onion. Mine are reddish-purple, not as red as the Red Beard sold by Kitazawa. They grow well in small (1 gallon) containers.

I have never seen Culantro for sale anywhere, but have had it in both Vietnamese and Cuban restaurants. If you like cilantro but can't grow it in the summer heat, try culantro!

KC.Sun May 19, 2016 09:19 AM

The rice paddy plant is only used in Vietnamese sour soup. If you like that, than it's worth a try.

I forgot to mention, kinh gioi (Vietnamese lemon balm) is also a good one to try. It's a really good Vietnamese mint that you can use in soup, salads, and noodle dishes.

I'm not sure what you mean by Vietnamese mint, in the Vietnamese culture, all the Vietnamese herbs they consider mints in a way.

Do you have a picture of the mint you're considering?

MarianneW May 19, 2016 09:36 AM

Galangal is easy but takes a while. Or, at least mine has. I got a piece at the grocery store & planted it and now 2 years later, it is finally starting to spread. I think most of the slowness was my failure to adequately water & fertilize. If you grow yours in a pot, it should do fine & you can bring it in during the winter.

Also, I'd miss that grocery store too if I went away. I love that place. If you want, I can make a list of what herbs they have next time I go.

gdaddybill May 19, 2016 10:59 AM

Thanks to all for the inspiration--just placed an order with Kitazawa.

Tracydr May 19, 2016 08:52 PM

Rau ram,I'd really like to find. And,rice paddy plant. I've never had the sour soup but sounds delicious. I'd also like to try culantro and balm.
Going to AZ to visit family in June. May have to get some cuttings and stock up on supplies from Lee Lee's while I'm there.
In the meantime,doing some internet shopping and will start some Thai basil this weekend.

luigiwu May 19, 2016 09:20 PM

Tracydr, do you propogate from cut herbs you buy from the asian grocery store? How do you do it?

KC.Sun May 19, 2016 10:20 PM

You might try this

[url]http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com/Vietnamese_Coriander_p/her-cor01.htm[/url]

I saw Rau ram, lemongrass, lemon balm here while scanning through. I'm not familiar with them though.

If your visiting Arizona in the near future, Lee Lees might be the more economical choice. Plus, you'd be rooting the herbs instead of growing from seed which would take forever.

The Vietnamese sour soup is called canh chua. You don't need to place catfish in it, any fish will do. Or you can omit it and place other seafoods in it.

fonseca May 19, 2016 11:15 PM

Not herbs, but I grow a few other Asian greens that I can definitely recommend:

Gynura procumbens - "Longevity Spinach"
Gynura crepioides - "Okinawa Spinach"
Basella alba - "Malabar Spinach"
Angelica keiskei - "Ashi-taba" aka "Tomorrow's Leaf"

All are good raw and very nutritious. The two Gynura species don't seem to like cold weather, but Ashi-taba overwinters fine with the few weeks of weather in the teens we get here. I grow them all in containers ranging from 1-5 gallons. All are good raw (the Gynuras are my newest summer spinach alternatives), in stir-fry or soup.

Ashi-taba has a strong but pleasant celery flavor. The stalks are good in stir-fry, I flavor my home-brewed kombucha with them, and dry both the stalks and leaves for herb tea. Very high antioxidant levels and lots of questionable health claims online.

Malabar spinach only likes the heat. The bigger leaves can taste pretty slimy, but small leaves are close to spinach. I haven't tried using the stems or anything. It self-seeds readily. The Gynuras are cutting only.

And finally, I just started seeds for [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_aquatica"]Ipomea aquatica[/URL] - "Water Spinach", commonly referred to as Kangkong. I have read about it on permaculture forums for years, but could never find a US seed vendor. I believe this is banned as an invasive plant, so maybe that's why. I took a chance and ordered from a Chinese seller on ebay. I'm always looking for fast-growing spinach alternatives, and I have eaten this in restaurants many times and love it. I promise not to let it escape into the wild. :)

luigiwu May 19, 2016 11:24 PM

Fonseca, has your kangkong sprouted yet?? Can I buy some seeds off of you if you have extras??? Water spinach is soooo delicious!

fonseca May 19, 2016 11:43 PM

No sprouts yet, but I started them this week. It's the white-flowered variety that grows in soil instead of water. Hopefully the seeds are viable and were not irradiated entering the US.

I bought from ebay seller shine-web, it was only $.77 shipped. I received the seeds within two weeks. Not sure how they are making money off that...

Tracydr June 2, 2016 06:51 AM

[QUOTE=fonseca;561541]Not herbs, but I grow a few other Asian greens that I can definitely recommend:

Gynura procumbens - "Longevity Spinach"
Gynura crepioides - "Okinawa Spinach"
Basella alba - "Malabar Spinach"
Angelica keiskei - "Ashi-taba" aka "Tomorrow's Leaf"

All are good raw and very nutritious. The two Gynura species don't seem to like cold weather, but Ashi-taba overwinters fine with the few weeks of weather in the teens we get here. I grow them all in containers ranging from 1-5 gallons. All are good raw (the Gynuras are my newest summer spinach alternatives), in stir-fry or soup.

Ashi-taba has a strong but pleasant celery flavor. The stalks are good in stir-fry, I flavor my home-brewed kombucha with them, and dry both the stalks and leaves for herb tea. Very high antioxidant levels and lots of questionable health claims online.

Malabar spinach only likes the heat. The bigger leaves can taste pretty slimy, but small leaves are close to spinach. I haven't tried using the stems or anything. It self-seeds readily. The Gynuras are cutting only.

And finally, I just started seeds for [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_aquatica"]Ipomea aquatica[/URL] - "Water Spinach", commonly referred to as Kangkong. I have read about it on permaculture forums for years, but could never find a US seed vendor. I believe this is banned as an invasive plant, so maybe that's why. I took a chance and ordered from a Chinese seller on ebay. I'm always looking for fast-growing spinach alternatives, and I have eaten this in restaurants many times and love it. I promise not to let it escape into the wild. :)[/QUOTE]
This is great! I need to start my malabar and New Zealand spinach. Never tried either one and summer is the time of year I start to crave my greens,although I often make do with basil.
I will definitely be hitting Lee Lee's and I'm bringing a suitcase just for my shopping.

Tracydr June 2, 2016 06:58 AM

[QUOTE=fonseca;561541]Not herbs, but I grow a few other Asian greens that I can definitely recommend:

Gynura procumbens - "Longevity Spinach"
Gynura crepioides - "Okinawa Spinach"
Basella alba - "Malabar Spinach"
Angelica keiskei - "Ashi-taba" aka "Tomorrow's Leaf"

All are good raw and very nutritious. The two Gynura species don't seem to like cold weather, but Ashi-taba overwinters fine with the few weeks of weather in the teens we get here. I grow them all in containers ranging from 1-5 gallons. All are good raw (the Gynuras are my newest summer spinach alternatives), in stir-fry or soup.

Ashi-taba has a strong but pleasant celery flavor. The stalks are good in stir-fry, I flavor my home-brewed kombucha with them, and dry both the stalks and leaves for herb tea. Very high antioxidant levels and lots of questionable health claims online.

Malabar spinach only likes the heat. The bigger leaves can taste pretty slimy, but small leaves are close to spinach. I haven't tried using the stems or anything. It self-seeds readily. The Gynuras are cutting only.

And finally, I just started seeds for [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_aquatica"]Ipomea aquatica[/URL] - "Water Spinach", commonly referred to as Kangkong. I have read about it on permaculture forums for years, but could never find a US seed vendor. I believe this is banned as an invasive plant, so maybe that's why. I took a chance and ordered from a Chinese seller on ebay. I'm always looking for fast-growing spinach alternatives, and I have eaten this in restaurants many times and love it. I promise not to let it escape into the wild. :)[/QUOTE]
This is great! I need to start my malabar and New Zealand spinach. Never tried either one and summer is the time of year I start to crave my greens,although I often make do with basil.
I've got some lemon grass rooted from stuff I bought from Amazon. I'd like to find a little kefir lime for my greenhouse but boy are they pricey!
Our favorite Asian foods are sushi,Vietnamese pho and spring rolls and Thai dishes.
I'd like to try the water spinach. I have plenty of places to grow water plants.

MarianneW July 16, 2016 09:05 PM

I went to Lee Lee's today and smelled the mountain of herbs and thought of you! I know I don't know you, but I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who loves it.

fonseca July 16, 2016 11:04 PM

I currently have an excess of red malabar spinach. A 10 G container of this is taking over everything. I can do it in miso soup or coconut curry, but otherwise I'm removing it from my list of good raw. Maybe it's the weather, but this year it has been extra mucilaginous, even the small leaves.

I'm going to run a batch through the dehydrator and see how it does as a powder for thickening soups.

Tropicalgrower July 19, 2016 09:36 AM

Where were you able to find the Ashi-Taba fonseca?The wife really wants to have some in the garden when we get back stateside.

fonseca July 21, 2016 01:20 AM

I bought from Horizon Herbs, now called [URL="https://www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product.asp?specific=1302"]Strictly Medicinal[/URL].

Several of my plants are starting to flower! They are nearly two years old. If I get viable seed I will share them here.

I described them as celery-like in flavor, but they have a more herbal taste to them that I can't really compare to anything.

Tropicalgrower July 21, 2016 06:46 AM

[QUOTE=fonseca;579870]I bought from Horizon Herbs, now called [URL="https://www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product.asp?specific=1302"]Strictly Medicinal[/URL].

Several of my plants are starting to flower! They are nearly two years old. If I get viable seed I will share them here.

I described them as celery-like in flavor, but they have a more herbal taste to them that I can't really compare to anything.[/QUOTE]


They are starting to flower?That sounds promising for sure.Hope you are successful.:)

Tracydr July 21, 2016 09:00 PM

[QUOTE=KC.Sun;561247]I have red Shiso growing like a weed right now, I'm glad I grew it in a container last year. If you can find fish mint Dap Ga, I hear that's pretty easy to grow. I like to add that to shredded chicken salads.

Galanga may take some effort. I tried growing ginger last year, but it rotted really easily. I think you have to grow the roots in the ginger family under partial shade.

Have you tried growing Holy Basil? I'm trying that this year, but have not been able to start the seeds.[/QUOTE]

For some reason my Shizo didn't germinate. Maybe too warm in my greenhouse. Haven't tried holy basil yet.
Maybe the dehydrated malabar could thicken gumbo?

Tracydr July 21, 2016 09:01 PM

[QUOTE=fonseca;578694]I currently have an excess of red malabar spinach. A 10 G container of this is taking over everything. I can do it in miso soup or coconut curry, but otherwise I'm removing it from my list of good raw. Maybe it's the weather, but this year it has been extra mucilaginous, even the small leaves.

I'm going to run a batch through the dehydrator and see how it does as a powder for thickening soups.[/QUOTE]
I haven't tried it yet,since hubby doesn't like the texture of okra,though I do.

Tracydr July 21, 2016 09:04 PM

[QUOTE=MarianneW;578662]I went to Lee Lee's today and smelled the mountain of herbs and thought of you! I know I don't know you, but I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who loves it.[/QUOTE]

I brought a suitcase of spices back from Lee Lee's when we visited last month.

PhilaGardener July 21, 2016 09:05 PM

[QUOTE=Tracydr;580119]For some reason my Shizo didn't germinate.[/QUOTE]

Try winter sowing. Purple Shiso would come back year after year in my garden as a weed.


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