Introducing Sweet Trigonella

Blue fenu­greek is a culi­nary herb native to the Alps in Cen­tral and West­ern Europe, and the Cau­casus on the border between Asia and Europe; it is little known outside these regions.
Being a basic spice for many Georgian dishes it's called "Utskho Suneli" - this  means "foreign spice" in Georgian. Nevertheless, the spice is used throughout the country, but not beyond its borders, thus contributing strongly to the national character of Georgian food.

For the last few years I struggle to grow sweet fenugreek in my herb garden and only this year I have achieved a visible success.
Here is a summary of my experience:

-  it does best in well drained rich soil
-  doesn't like full sun spots and feels better in a partial shade. Especially in the afternoon
-  I regularly apply fungicide (Neem Oil spray gives a very good result)

Blue fenugreek seeds are unavailable outside Georgia, and thus have to be replaced. Regular fenugreek seeds are to strong and bitter; they should be mixed with dried fenugreek or blue fenugreek leaves to give an acceptable substitute.

Purslane - Portulaca oleracea

When hot weather hits this common weed is all over the garden. Not so many people know that this delicious edible plant is a perfect source of vitamin C and has other useful properties. May be it sounds strange but this post is about eating weeds.



In Georgian it's called danduri. Harvest this delight of your edible landscaping in the morning.



Purslane with vinegar (from Sulakvelidze).

Remove big stems and roots from the purslane and wash in a salad spinner. Bring salted water to boiling point and cook purslane for 7-10 min. Drain through a colander. Mix with chopped garlic and vinegar according to your taste.
Serve when it's cooled.

Summer Savory

You won't find this herb in any supermarket. The only place where you can always buy it - Union Square Farmers Market in NY. It's sold potted, so you can use top of the branches to spice lamb and beans in any form. It's funny but Germans call this herb Bohnenkraut which literally means 'herb for green beans'. Many people use dried and grounded summer savory as a replacement of black pepper if they are allergic to it.

Since I moved to rural area I grow herbs to use fresh in a spring/summer/fall seasons or dry in winter.


Here is the Satureja hortensis - It plays an important role in Georgian cuisine and is called qondari.