Growing Methi

In Thal my Koli people are very fond of Methi or Fenugreek. They love it as a herb and even in their sweet, can't believe it read about it on Methiche Ladu! This influenced my likings a lot too. For me Barik Methi or Young methi is always associated with Thal, we would get those tiny herb bundles from only the village if someone was visiting us. It made a rare appearance in the Fort Market if the farmers from Vasai brought it to sell. It is considered quite exotic as it is not easily available. This herb is very delicate and has almost no shelf life. It is best used in half a day of harvesting. My father like a true Thal born Koli loves barik methi and I started growing it just for him. Growing methi is very easy. The real challenge is harvesting it and cleaning it before cooking.

In my post on the beloved Barik Methi Moog Dal of Kolis from Thal I had talked about how my grand aunt grew methi. Though I follow almost the same steps I grow it on a semi soil medium. This may be useful for urban gardeners like me who have a limited space and resources.

I grow methi is three stages 

• Soaking

1. Measure 1/4 to 1/2 cup methi/ fenugreek seeds.
2. Add the seeds in a jar and cover with 4-5 inches of water above the seeds.
3. Soak them in water overnight.

• Sprouting
1. Drain the soaked seeds into a basket or mesh.
2. Let the sprouts come out a few cms.

• Planting

1. I use a big planter plate, 12 inches to grown Methi. It is just right in depth for Barik methi, as it will grow only 4-5 inches. When I need to grow big Methi I can use a deep pot or a crate with more growing media.
2. Ensure there is a small hole in the bottom of the pot for draining excess water.
3. Layer the bottom with an inch or two of coconut coir or hay. I had collected coconut coir from the coconuts used in my kitchen for the first time. The second time I used  the hay from the crate in which the mangoes were delivered.
4. Fill up to the brim with planting soil upto 2-3 inch. The total growing media should be approx. 5 inches.
5. Sprinkle the sprouts over the planting media.
6. Sprinkle water to moisten the soil. Do this every day.
7. Cover thinly with dry leaves/ saw dust /  or a wet muslin cloth to protect from birds picking the sprouts.
8. Ensure enough sunlight, but not direct.
9. In a week I got 5 inch tall Barik Methi.

Tip: 

Make sure you are not over watering the plant. This herb requires less water and a growing media with low water retention.

Harvest : 

Pluck the methi young and harvest the entire lot for single use if you are making a curry.

Cleaning for Use:

Pluck clumps of the methi and tie lightly with a thread. Wash off the soil thoroughly shaking off the grits. Do this 4-5 times to get rid of all the dirt. This cleaning is a very important step if you want to enjoy the pain of labour that you put in growing the methi.

With 1/4 cup seeds you will get enough harvest for just spiking a curry with methi leaves. I made a Tomatochi Bhaaji and spiked it with Barik methi.

With 1/2 cup seeds I got enough to make Barik Methi Moog Dal, it serves 4 generously. Felt so happy with the harvest and my recreation of my Aaji's recipe. This was a gift for my fave MJ Kaka last Sunday.

Some uses:

• Use for garnishing in salads, it gives nice crunch and a flavor of the robust herb.
• Use my recipe of Barik Methi Moog Dal or create a recipe of your own and share it here.

Note: Depending on your weather conditions, the time for soaking, sprouting and growing will vary hence I do not use Day 1, 2, 3 ...as a parameter to monitor my gardening. 

This is 15 days old Methi (28th Oct 2012)

 1 month old methi

I can't go to a farm to pick my food as I live in Mumbai so why not bring the farm into the kitchen!