- Earth Chestnut: Origin and Properties
- Growing earth chestnuts
- The right care
- Harvesting and use of caraway seeds
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The earth chestnut is an original, almost forgotten root vegetable. With its special taste, the tuber is increasingly conquering Central European gardens.
Several plant species from the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae) are called earth chestnuts because of their edible tuberous roots. In this article we present a native representative of the earth chestnuts: the caraway (Bunium bulbocastanum). Here we will show you how to grow caraway seeds in your own garden and how it is used.
Earth Chestnut: Origin and Properties
The tuber caraway, also known as common caraway or real caraway seed, is native to Europe, with its range encompassing all warmer, sub-oceanic areas between Germany and Morocco.
Growing earth chestnuts
Since the caraway seed is classified as endangered in some regions of Germany, collecting wild plants is not recommended. However, cultivating the plant in your own garden is not difficult and the tubers grow larger in garden soil than in the wild anyway.
A moderately dry and sunny location is optimal for cultivation. Caraway seeds occur naturally on calcareous clay and loam soils. However, the undemanding plant can be successfully cultivated in any well-drained, moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich, not too sandy garden soil.
The seeds can be grown in seed trays or sown directly outdoors from June. The sowing depth is 2 cm. After about three weeks, the seedlings germinate and can be pricked out at a distance of 20 to 30 cm. The plants usually need the first year for development, so the tubers can only be harvested in the second year.
Caraway seeds often self-seed and do not necessarily need to be re-seeded every year. With older plants, the tubers can be divided for propagation.
The right care
The original tuber isabsolutely hardy and robust against diseases. Even voles are no danger. In dry summers, it is advisable to water the chestnuts occasionally so that larger tubers form. In general, however, the tuber caraway tolerates drought better than waterlogging, which can cause root rot.
In finely crumbly and humus-rich garden soil, chestnuts form much larger tubers than wild plants. Regular mulching and spreading organic solid manure, such as horse manure with straw, promotes the soil structure and soil life.
Our Plantura organic soil activator is also particularly suitable for maintaining and building up he althy garden soil. It returns nutrients to the garden soil and activates soil life with a high proportion of organic matter and living mycorrhizal fungi. We recommend applying the soil activator in autumn. The activated microorganisms can then optimally provide the nutrients of a compost or fertilizer application in spring for the plants. A primarily organic fertilizer that supports active soil life is suitable for spring fertilization. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer consists of 100% natural raw materials and can be optimally utilized by he althy soil. This promotes he althy plant growth and the formation of larger earth chestnut tubers.
Harvesting and use of caraway seeds
The earth chestnuts are harvested from August to October. The 3 to 4 cm thick tubers can be easily dug up. They taste spicy-sweet like parsley and can be eaten raw or cooked. Due to the intense and spicy taste, they are well suited for seasoning soups and other dishes. The he althy tubers contain tannins and enrich the winter kitchen with vitamin C. The ingredients of all parts of the caraway plant are said to have a diuretic and astringent effect.
The spicy caraway leaves can be used like parsley. The sickle-shaped, brown seeds can also be harvested and used as an earthy, nutty substitute for caraway.
Caraway and caraway are distantly related as they systematically belong to the same subfamily. In our special article we show you how and when to harvest real caraway seeds.