Growing Anise

Growing anise is a good way to add flavor to your salads, beauty to your homestead, and even increased productivity to your garden.  It's native to the Mediterranean parts of the world, and the ancients sometimes treated these herbs as currency, trading the spice for other goods. 

smaller-growing-anise

If you're fortunate enough to live in an area cool enough to raise this amazing herb, then add it to your self-reliant garden, and you might think it's worth its weight in gold as well.  Here's some information about this helpful herb.

What is Anise?

The anise herb is a member of the parsley family. It has feathery leaves, and the flowers look a lot like Queen Anne’s lace. Anise is an annual plant that produces an aromatic, edible flower that, along with its leaves, can be used in salads, garnishes, and teas. It has a flavor similar to licorice. 

Traditionally, the plant has been used to preserve food because it has an antispoilage agent that inhibits the growth of microorganisms that can harm the quality and safety of your food.

But the seeds are the real prize of this magnificent herb. Either use them whole or grind them to add to candy and sweets as well as stews and soups. Anise seeds are especially beneficial to your health, being loaded with calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and B-complex vitamins.  Once you harvest the seeds, dry them and then store them in a cool, dry place. 

Anise has a sweet taste and a delicious aroma, making it useful for creating soaps and perfumes. Use anise as a garnish for your salads, soups, and sauces. You can also make an anise oil to flavor foods. Crush the seeds and use them to flavor your cakes and other desserts.

It Benefits Your Organic Garden

If you can, consider sowing anise seeds in your garden in early spring. You'll get an even more productive harvest. Bees love the anise flowers, and your honeybees and other pollinating insects will love it as well. 

Most people grow anise for their seeds. You'll likely want to as well. Both the leaves and the flowers can be used either fresh or dried. Add the dried leaves, along with a stick of cinnamon, to add flavor to your tea.

By growing anise, you add beauty to your garden or yard.

Use anise any time you want to add a licorice flavor to a dish. Anise is traditionally used in cookies, breads and sometimes sausage.

For the Medicine Cabinet

Anise works as an expectorant. Use the leaves in an infusion when you have a hard, dry cough.  It can also help ease digestive troubles.  Anise has also been used in the Middle East as a breath freshener.

Please note: Pregnant or nursing mothers should avoid anise, as it can cause a toxic reaction in newborns.

Growing Anise

Make sure your anise seeds come from a reputable source and that they are not too old. Anise takes a long time to grow. If you plant anise from seed, it will take at least four frost-free months with temperatures of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit before the seeds will germinate. It’s hard to transplant anise because it has such a long taproot, so it's best to start anise right in your garden, as the plants do not transplant well.

Also, anise likes cooler weather. If you live in the south, you probably won’t be able to grow this herb. Even if you live in a cooler climate, anise can be tricky to grow because it likes both the soil and the weather to be just so. It wants full sun, but not too much heat, consistent temperatures and rainfall, and light, well-drained, medium-rich sandy soil. And you'll have to keep your anise bed clear of weeds.

Watch the plant and collect the seeds before the flower pods shatter. You’ll be able to tell if the anise seeds are ready to harvest when the seeds turn a light brown. Cut the seed heads and place them in a paper bag so that you don’t lose any seeds. Line a dish with a paper towel and place the seeds on the dish. Set it in the sun until the seeds are completely dry. Then store the seeds in an airtight container.

If you live in warmer climates, you likely won't be able to grow anise in your garden. Instead, start your anise seeds in a pot and then move the pot to a sunny locale come May.

You can start growing anise and other herbs from seed.

You can find seeds for planing a wide variety of herbs, including anise, by clicking here.

Learn More About Medicinal Herbs

Learn More About Natural Remedies

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About the Author

My name is Sue Merriam, and I began the journey of self-reliant living more than three decades ago, which enabled me to stay home with my children. Fifteen years ago, I founded Joyful Homesteading to help others save money and face the future without fear. My goal is to give you practical, honest advice so you can save money and experience the joy of simple living. I hope you join me.

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