Caraway

Caraway plants (Carum carvi) are an easy going biennial, which despite being native to the Mediterranean, are super hardy and will thrive in our cooler climate. Caraway plants are like a cross between cumin and fennel and has been referred to as both over the years but are actually a member of the carrot family. They produce beautiful umbels of tiny white flowers which turn into the distinctive, anise, slightly peppery flavoured seeds, widely used in cakes and baking. Caraway is an ancient herb used in cooking, medicine and spiritualism for thousands of years. The Greek physician Dioscorides mentioned caraway in the first century AD, and the Romans helped spread its culinary use throughout Europe and beyond. By the Middle Ages, caraway was an established ingredient in European cooking and herbal medicine.