Cumin
Cuminum cyminum
Umbelliferae, parsley-carrot family
Caraway [nigella] is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick...All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
Isaiah 28:27, 29
Find cumin in the NIV God's Word for Gardeners Bible near Isaiah 28:23-29 & as part of the Garden Stories theme of Intimacy with God in the Garden, pages a-48 & a-49
When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway [nigella] and scatter cumin?
Isaiah 28:24-25
Cultural Information
| Type | Herbs & Spices |
| Height | 6 to 10 inches |
| Soil | well-drained, loose, workable texture |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Leaves | jointed stalks rise from central taproot; lacy, snowflake-like foliage similar to carrot and parsley cousins, bright, grass-green color |
| Flowers | dainty, white, perhaps with a pale pink cast, umbel or fan-like array of five-petaled flowers |
| Fruit | seedheads form beneath petite flowers, oblong shape |
Planting Tips
- sow seeds in spring after frost, cumin is an annual in all hardiness zones
- plant in clumps so plants can support each other as they grow
- to harvest seed, cumin requires a long, hot, sunny summer so plant in the sunniest part of your yard
- keep moist as seeds sprout and seedlings mature; once established, cumin is drought tolerant
- cumin makes a good companion planting to other vegetable crops
Garden to Table
- enjoy little bouquets of cumin flowers for a meadow-wild flower looking floral display
- cumin can be a challenge to grow and produce enough seeds for all the recipes you want to try! So feel free to supplement from the grocer's spice aisle
- buy cumin in seed form, not ground or powdered, for most pungent flavor
- crush seeds just before use in cooking; toasting lightly also enhances flavor
- cumin is most familiar as the distinctive flavor of American chili, but use cumin in subtle amounts to give meat, lentil, quinoa and wild rice dishes a savory depth
More Research
See Blog Posts on CuminKnowing one's plants and paying attention to their needs is a large part of a farmer or gardener's work...likewise we are poignantly reminded: He knows. God is an infinite source of wisdom, and he knows each of our unique needs and constitutions; he can tell us everything we ever did (John 4:39), and he knows exactly what he is doing.
-from the NIV God's Word for Gardeners Bible
When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway [nigella] and scatter cumin?
Isaiah 28:24-25
Photo Credits
© Heikerau | Dreamstime.com - Cumin Photo. Mass cumin flowers in the garden to provide support as they grow - and beautiful too!
©2014 Shelley S. Cramm Buy whole cumin seeds to maintain the best flavor for cooking
Nigella