- Anise: origin and properties of the anise plant
- Planting anise: tips for growing
- Care for aniseed plant
- Harvest anise from the garden
- Ingredients and use of aniseed
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Most people only know the star anise as a spice in the kitchen. We will introduce you to the actual aniseed plant and tell you how to plant aniseed in the garden.
The spicy, Christmassy star anise (Illicium verum) from the tropics has a namesake that has hardly anything to do with it. Anise (Pimpinella anisum) has been used for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal plant, which also thrives here. In this plant portrait you will learn everything about anise, its history, cultivation and use.
Anise: origin and properties of the anise plant
Anise belongs to the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae) and is therefore closely related to fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), coriander ( Coriandrum sativum) and caraway (Carum carvi). Already 1500 BC anise was recommended as a remedy in a collection of recipes from ancient Egypt. The plant originally comes from the eastern Mediterranean countries and reached Germany in the luggage of Benedictine monks at the time of Charlemagne. Anise is occasionally found growing wild in meadows and at the edges of forests. Nowadays, aniseed is grown in North Africa, Central and South America, India and Central to Southern Europe, with the largest area under cultivation in Europe being in Spain.
The annual anise plant has three-tiered, dark green leaves that sit on heavily branched, hairy stalks. It reaches a height of about 60 centimeters. The lowermost leaves are heart-shaped and have long stalks, the middle ones have three lobes and the upper ones are deeply notched and heavily toothed at the edge. The umbel flowers of the anise appear white to yellowish and produce roundish-oval split fruits. When ripe, aniseed fruits are gray-green-brownish in color and about 5 millimeters long. The essential oils inside the fruit are responsible for the typical taste, which is why only the seeds of the aniseed are harvested.
Planting anise: tips for growing
Anise can also be grown in our home gardens as an easy-care spice plant. Below you will find out which location anise prefers and how the plant is cultivated.
The right oneLocation for anise
Anise is an annual, not hardy plant that prefers loamy and sandy, nutrient-rich and calcareous soil. The soil should be well drained, storing water but never becoming waterlogged. The location in the bed is ideally exposed, sunny and warm.
How to sow anise seeds
Anise is sown from mid-April with a row spacing of about 30 cm directly into the bed at a depth of about 2 cm. Incidentally, there are no varieties here, one only differentiates according to the origin of populations. The soil should always be kept moist. The anise seeds only germinate two to three weeks after sowing and are hardly competitive as seedlings. You should consistently remove weeds in the bed so that the aniseed plants can develop well. Hares and other wild animals like to eat aniseed, so it is worth fencing off the rows of plants in open gardens near the forest.
Care for aniseed plant
Anise is extremely easy to care for and does not require much attention. At the beginning of plant development, fertilization with a predominantly organic long-term fertilizer, such as our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, supports the growth of the anise. The plant-based granules are superficially worked in between the rows. Soil organisms nibble on it and over time release the nutrients it contains for the plant roots. In hot summers you should water from time to time, weeds must still be carefully removed.
Harvest anise from the garden
From the end of May, the aniseed will bloom in delicate white and, thanks to eager pollinators, will soon set seeds. These ripen on the umbels between July and September. Depending on the weather and location, the harvest time can be postponed. A clear sign of maturity is the browning of the cones and seeds. Now, in the morning when there is dew, the entire cone is cut off and dried indoors. In the morning hours, the seeds stick to the inflorescence and do not fall out. Well dried and stored in a cool place, aniseed keeps for about two years with good germination, after three to four years only about half will germinate. The same is true of the flavoring essential oil, which becomes less and less over the years. Aniseed should therefore be ground as freshly as possible and always stored as whole seeds.
Ingredients and use of aniseed
Aniseed contains oils with he alth-promoting ingredients such as anethole and estragole. Sugar is also incontain higher amounts and has brought the synonyms "sweet caraway" or "sweet fennel" to the aniseed. Not everyone loves the sweet and spicy taste, which is why aniseed products often polarize people. In Germany, aniseed is particularly well-known as a bread spice together with fennel and caraway seeds or in recipes from grandmother's times, above all in aniseed cake. In Mediterranean cuisine, anise is found in pastries, jams and desserts. After eating, high-proof aniseed liquor such as anisette, raki or ouzo promotes the digestive process. Along with wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and fennel, anise is one of the main components of absinthe.
The oval split fruits are one of the oldest known remedies that are still used today. The ingredient anethole has an expectorant and antispasmodic effect, while at the same time inhibiting the growth of bacteria. The positive effects of aniseed on indigestion and catarrh of the respiratory tract are scientifically proven. We find it mainly in sweet-tasting cough and gastrointestinal teas. The daily dose of seeds is 3 grams, which are drunk as aniseed tea. There is also essential anise oil, but it should not be used undiluted.
For pets such as dogs and cats, a drop of aniseed oil when combing the fur will repel insects such as mites and lice. However, anise should never be used in high doses, as allergic reactions can occur. Children should only take anise from the age of six, because allergies can also occur in early childhood.
A close relative of aniseed and fennel is hot and spicy caraway, which is not only popular for its taste. We introduce you to the spice and medicinal plant.