Cumin

Cuminum cyminum

The stem of this small, annual herbaceous plant is slender and branched, rarely exceeding 1 foot in height and somewhat angular. The leaves are divided into long, narrow segments, like fennel but much smaller, and are of a deep green color, generally turned back at the ends. The upper leaves are nearly stalkless, but the lower ones have longer leaf-stalks. The flowers are small, rose-colored or white, in stalked umbels with only 4-6 rays, each of which is only about 1/2 inch in length. These bloom in the summer, then eventually turn to the so-called seeds, which are oblong in shape, thicker in the middle and compressed laterally about 1/5th inch long. In some ways they resemble caraway seeds, but are lighter in color and bristly instead of smooth, and almost straight instead of being curved. Their odor and taste are likewise reminiscent of caraway, but less agreeable to the senses than caraway.

A sunny spot is essential to ensure that a good crop of seed matures and ripens, so -grow cumin massed in a bed where it can be allowed to set seed.

Sow seed in spring where the plants are to grow, and thin them out to a few inches apart if too many germinate. The crop of seeds should be ready to harvest about three or four months later; the hotter and drier the summer, the better the crop should be.

Parts used

Seeds.

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