Growing fenugreek: sowing, harvesting, using
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) gives you three things: aromatic leaves, spicy seeds and – within days – sprouts. It is annual, undemanding and grows faster than most herbs.
Sowing
Sow direct from mid-April once frost is past, 1 to 2 cm deep, rows 20 cm apart. Germination starts after four to six days. Fenugreek is a legume and fixes nitrogen through root nodules, so it needs no extra feeding and makes a good green manure and preceding crop.
Site
Full sun, free-draining, rather lean soil. Waterlogging is the one mistake it does not forgive. It also does well in a pot on the balcony.
Harvest
Cut the leaves (methi in Indian cooking) from about 20 cm of growth; young leaves are mildest. The seeds ripen in slim pods in late summer: cut the plant, dry it upside down and thresh it out. For sprouts, two tablespoons of seed in a jar, rinsed twice a day, are ready in four to five days.
Use
Roasted seeds are part of many curry blends and give bread a slightly nutty note. Raw seeds taste bitter — only roasting brings out the aroma. In pregnancy fenugreek should be used in culinary amounts only.