Most of these foods are our favourite, but how do they grow? What is the journey from the farm to our plates or cup? Let’s find out below.
10. Cloves
Cloves look very beautiful when they are still on the farm, with its evergreen tree that sometimes can grow up pass eight meters. However, the cultivated varieties of clove trees are a bit short – about five meters.
The trunk of the clove tree has smooth bark with aromatic foliage. Cloves grow very slow but can live up to over a hundred years.
So, How Does Cloves Grow?
Cloves thrive well in a subtropical or humid tropical climate, with an essentially constant temperature of 50 For 10 C. Clove tree can also be grown in a pot.
It is also possible to propagate cloves. To do this, you will require recently harvested seeds and plant them by just placing them on top of the soil.
After six years, the clove tree will start to flower. However, the bud should be picked before turning pink – this is the spice part. The buds are then dried until they shrink and the stem of the bud has turned dark brown and the rest slight brown.
9. Almond
Almonds originated from Southwest Asia and have been cultivated from as early as 4,000 B.C. Almonds are used majorly in baked goods, confections, and candies, as well as for oil which is extracted from the nut.
In addition, almonds are also known for treating numerous physical ills as well as preventing and treating cancers, ulcers, and corns.
Growing Almond
Almond does not thrive in excessively wet soil, but rather they flourish during dry summers and wet winters.
There are varieties of almond trees that are self-fertile, and so those that are not will require cross-pollination to produce fruits. This is why you will need to plant more than one almond tree. It is helpful to know that one hole can also accommodate two almond trees if there is enough space.
This deep-rooted plant should be planted in deep sandy soil, and although the tree is drought-resistant, it should be irrigated.
To aid the growth of the almond tree, there should be a regular application of organic and nitrogen fertilizer.
Grow a wide-deep hole and ensure the roots of the tree fit into the depth, pour enough water in the hole and plant the tree. You can stake it if your climate is windy.
After the hull split and the shell dry and change to colour brown, it means the crop is ready to harvest. Almonds require between 180 and 240 days for the nuts to fully mature.
It is easy to harvest almonds. All you have to do shake the tree and then isolated the nuts from the hulls.
8. Cashew
Cashews are very beautiful trees with huge leaves and attractive pink flowers. Cashews are nuts, which are part of cashew fruits. Growing cashews is pretty easy, but the challenge comes during roasting. Cashew trees grow in quantity like a weed.
As we mentioned above, cashew fruit is made up of the nuts and the pear, which is the puffy stem of the cashew fruit.
The pear is red-like and looks very attractive, in addition to its high Vitamin C content and acidic juice, which will leave a fuzzy sensation in your mouth.
The nuts look like kidneys and are attached to the base of the cashew pear. Inside the nut is caustic acid with a severe burn.
Growing cashews
Cashews can be grown anywhere as long as that place experience wet or dry tropics. Temperatures for growing cashew is 50 F (10 C) and the tree can tolerate temperatures beyond 105 F (40 C)
They are drought-tolerant, thus can grow in marginal soils. The ideal soil for growing cashews is sandy soils.
Cashews are grown from the seed, but there is a risk of getting an entirely different offspring from the parent.
When you get fresh seed, plant it as soon as possible. Choose a well-drained place with proper protection from wind.
Cashew tree grows 12 meters tall.
The harvest of cashew is done during the winter. When the fruit forms a beak-shaped hole, it means it is ready to harvest.
7. Saffron
Saffron is a highly precious and appreciated cooking spice around the world.
They are grown by cultivating the crocus sativus bulb. The Crocus sativus is the only bulb that produces the red pistils. Unlike other flowers, saffron germinates during the autumn season and not spring. The productions of the saffron occur during the cell division.
There are no major complications in growing saffron. They can easily grow in the fields and the urban gardens.
6. Dates
Dates are not very popular fruits but they make one of the most delicious recipes, especially desserts. Growing dates is not hard, the real challenge comes with maintaining it.
The palm trees can grow unnecessarily tall, taking their fruits with them. It is important to mention that not all palms grow coconuts.
The dates grow in huge clusters underneath the fronts of the palms. The palm can grow up to 75 feet high, making harvesting these fruits a difficult task. Besides, it is not just during the harvest that you will be required to climb up the distance of the tree. You will have to go up there and then the strands of the tree to allow enough room for the fruits to reach maximum growth.
5. Coffee
Coffee undergoes a lot of processes from the ground to your coffee cup. There are two plants known for producing coffee. They are Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta. But, the Arabica is one that produces high-quality coffee.
Coffee plants grow only in tropic climates between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. This region is widely known as the bean belt.
The unprocessed coffee seed can be used as a seed to grow a coffee tree. The seeds are panted in expansive beds under a shade.
The seedlings are watered regularly until they reach a point where they can be planted, which must be during the wet periods to the roots to firmly establish.
4. Black Pepper
Sometimes called the Black Gold, black pepper is among the most popular, expensive, and essential spices in the world.
Pepper plant originated from South India and is widely grown there as well as other tropical regions such as Indonesia, Brazil, and Myanmar.
Pepper plant thrives in humid climates with temperatures of 60 F (16 C) and above.
Growing Black Pepper
Pepper plants can be grown from seeds as well as by cutting the stem. For successful germination of the seeds, they have to be always fresh. Another headache is that fresh seeds are only available for a very short period of time.
To propagate pepper seeds, fill a container with a quality mix of potting, containing a good quantity of matter. Poke three holes using your finger ½ inch deep and 1.5 inches apart. Drop a fresh seed in each hole and cover it with a thin layer of soil. Keep the soil moist and regularly water them.
Before planting, mix sand, compost, and soil first. Make holes in the soil and plant the pepper seedlings.
If you choose to plant pepper in pots, use large pots that will accommodate the extensive root system of the black pepper plant.
3. Artichoke
This thistle plant has been cultivated as an epicurean food for many years.
Artichoke plant does well in well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. The soil needs sufficient nutrients for proper growth.
Growing artichokes from seeds is a bit of a gamble because they don’t always grow into the same plant as indicated on the package label.
The seedlings take about two months before transferring from the bed to the garden. They are planted in rows, and the space between each plant is 4 to 6 feet. The rows are placed between 6 to 8 feet apart.
2. Cinnamon
As common as cinnamon is, it’s not clearly apparent to many people where it comes from. In fact, if you don’t look keenly at that cinnamon stick, nothing will make sense to you.
The extraction of cinnamon is from the bark of trees belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. These trees are extensively grown in Sri Lanka.
To extract cinnamon, the out bark of the tree is shoved off to remain with the inner bark, which is the cinnamon layer.
1. Cocoa Bean
We get cocoa from the seeds of cocoa fruits that grow on cocoa trees. Cocoa seeds are grown into cocoa trees, which flowers and bear fruits or the cocoa pods. The pods are then cut from trees with the help of machetes or sticks. After harvesting, the beans are removed after a week or more.
Cocoa trees grow in the hot and humid forest regions of Africa, South America, and Central America. They also grow in parts of Asia and Oceania.