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Post by Mumsey on Jan 18, 2020 8:12:50 GMT -5
Thought I would start some from seed, wow, they came up after only 7 days. Looking good! Individual plants are pricey and they are annual here.
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 18, 2020 9:49:38 GMT -5
hmmm I've never grown lemon grass. You've got me thinking....
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Post by davidjp on Jan 18, 2020 11:26:10 GMT -5
Its pretty easy to root a lemongrass you get from the store. Just try and get a section that still has the basal root there and put it in a glass of water. It hopefully will send out some roots and you can start your plant from there
I think there are two types West Indian and other and I seem to remember the one that grows from seed isn't exactly the same as the one you get in a supermarket
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 18, 2020 12:13:25 GMT -5
Mumsey,The ones you'll get from the seeds are those W Indian variety davidjp mentions. The SE Asian variety doesn't flower. The variety you have has good flavor, but it doesn't grow nearly as large - only about 1/4" stalks, which are not as tall, and spread out, like the regular. For this reason, I always buy a bunch of them at the market, then cut the very dry bottom off - not too much, as I want to leave that 1/2" or 3/8" of a sort of woody part, which is where roots will come from. I then put it in water, in a 2 c pyrex measuring cup, and change the water every other day, and after 3 weeks, many will be rooted. I usually do this around the middle of April, and plant a week or so into May, about when the eggplants go in. Neither variety grows fast - they aren't ready for harvest until well into fall.
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 19, 2020 6:11:24 GMT -5
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 19, 2020 12:35:58 GMT -5
Mumsey Cymbopogon citratus is the species of lemongrass that we find in the produce section. Its leaves get to about 2½-3 feet growing from May to October, in my garden, while the other was much smaller (started the seeds in early February, when I did it). I used 3-4 stalks for each stalk called for in a recipe; smaller, but the flavor was good. The only way it could become 6' would be growing in a tropical area, for much longer than it will grow in our gardens!
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Post by Wheelgarden on Feb 8, 2020 15:58:32 GMT -5
Planted a few lemongrass seeds (from Baker Creek) today in a flat. Having grown it for years as established plants from the garden center (they are pricey indeed), I had to try it from seed this time. I've always grown citratus, which never flowered or seeded, but these seeds are of the flexuosus variety. If it meets my "standard" for lemongrass (culinary, as well as mosquito spray), and bears seed, it'll be a very happy thing. First, it needs to sprout, of course...
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Post by Latitude33 on Feb 9, 2020 10:48:06 GMT -5
Started some that Roxy shared. Not sure how to use it.
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Post by davidjp on Feb 9, 2020 11:08:21 GMT -5
If you like thai curries, you can use it to make up a pretty nice curry paste. A sort of random recipe would be Lemongrass Ginger (galangal would be more authentic but ginger will do) Cilantro Turmeric root Thai chills Shrimp paste Rind of a lime Blend into a paste Helluva of a lot cheaper than buying it and also way better. Add a few tablespoons of that to some coconut milk, add tofu/chicken, then lots of vegetables and pretty soon you have a fairly nice Thai curry
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 9, 2020 11:52:21 GMT -5
Funny you should mention Thai curry paste - a few days ago I made a Thai curry based soup, and the next day I had to make a new batch of curry paste, since I had used the last of it, and I can't be without it! Ingredients for Thai curry paste, minus the chiles. . by pepperhead212, on Flickr Byadagi peppers, soaked, and ready for curry paste. by pepperhead212, on Flickr If you do want to make some Thai curry paste, don't use the generic "Thai chiles", often called for in recipes. These are the very hot chiles, like the Chinese peppers in stir-fries, and using those makes it hot, but not flavorful with chiles. Larger, Milder chiles are used, and a mild numex or anaheim chile is the closest to the ones they use. This Byadagi, that I used this time, is a mild Indian pepper that I got a while back, and I knew that I wanted to try it in a Thai curry as soon as I smelled it! I didn't put any extra heat in - I usually put some of the Thai peppers in with 3 oz numex, for heat, but I want to see how hot these are on their own. The flavor is good, but it's hard to tell, tasting the paste! Finished Thai red curry paste. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by davidjp on Feb 9, 2020 12:10:40 GMT -5
pepperhead212, Looks great, I forgot the shallots, cumin, garlic of course I have some kaffir limes so I'm planning on making a batch up soon
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 9, 2020 12:26:36 GMT -5
davidjp This didn't have cumin, though some versions I've made have had it. The ground spice is the toasted coriander, which is in just about all of them I've made. Now I have to make another batch of that roasted shrimp paste - something I used the end of, and I make a batch at a time, so it's available for other recipes. And I do that outside, as that is something I don't want people smelling when they step in my house!
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Post by Latitude33 on Feb 9, 2020 19:50:02 GMT -5
If you like thai curries, you can use it to make up a pretty nice curry paste. A sort of random recipe would be Lemongrass Ginger (galangal would be more authentic but ginger will do) Cilantro Turmeric root Thai chills Shrimp paste Rind of a lime Blend into a paste Helluva of a lot cheaper than buying it and also way better. Add a few tablespoons of that to some coconut milk, add tofu/chicken, then lots of vegetables and pretty soon you have a fairly nice Thai curry Thank you Sir!
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Post by davidjp on Feb 9, 2020 21:58:14 GMT -5
If you do want to make some Thai curry paste, don't use the generic "Thai chiles", often called for in recipes. These are the very hot chiles, like the Chinese peppers in stir-fries, and using those makes it hot, but not flavorful with chiles. Larger, Milder chiles are used, and a mild numex or anaheim chile is the closest to the ones they use I've always used those Thai Chiles and usually have a few plants growing just for that but actually it makes sense to use some milder ones. I really like green curry paste so maybe a few Thais and some Anaheims would be a nice mix. Thanks for the tip, I would never have thought about it otherwise
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Post by Wheelgarden on Feb 12, 2020 20:24:46 GMT -5
they came up after only 7 days Some of mine are up under my newfangled light table after 5 days. I'm tickled to death! Never grown it from seed before. Planted several per three-inch pots (which is how I bought the pricey ones at the garden center), and expecting more sprouts soon. That stuff is a pretty ornamental in the yard, tastes good in the cooking, and keeps the buggers away...I've got a half-gallon of skeeter tincture steeping for next year's blood-suckers to run away from.
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