Trigonella foenum-graecum

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is an annual, bushy plant that grows 30-60cm tall it has soft three-lobed leaves, yellow/white flowers and long pea like seed pods.

Uses

Widely used for flavouring; and sometimes as a tonic. There may be a danger in consuming excessive amounts of fenugreek though.

Use the seed whole to flavour fish, or as a ground powder in meat dishes (e.g. casseroles). It is added whole in chutneys, pickles and rice. It may also be used to flavour some Middle Eastern sweets including halva and also in North African and Ethiopian dishes. The flavour can be improved by light roasting. Roast the seeds until golden, cool and then grind into a powder for use.  It has a slightly bitter caramel like taste. The young green plants, around 6 weeks old) can be used as a vegetable. Also used as a green manure crop to add nitrogen to the soil.

Young leaves are sometimes used in vegetable dishes or salads. Sometimes used to make a tea.

Plants have sometimes been fed to farm animals as both a tonic and food source, but it can have a detrimental health affect if eaten too much

Culture

Grow in a mild climate, in full sun, and well-drained soil with a neutral pH.
The soil doesn’t need to be rich because this is a legume that produces its own nitrogen. Make sure you use proper seed for sowing (not seeds from your spice packets as these will almost certainly not germinate). Scatter the seed over the surface of the pots and cover them with about 6mm of soil; they will germinate within 2 – 7 days. Transplant seedlings once they have developed a few leaves, and by summer you may have scented flowers that are followed by long flat pods, each one carrying around 11 to 20 seeds. Remove the seed pods and dry them then store in a cool dark place in an airtight container.

Propagation

Grow from seed, soaked in water overnight and then sown, in spring through to early autumn, under glass.

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