Clove
A spice that is the dried, unopened flower bud of a tropical evergreen tree (Eugenia aromatica), has a reddish-brown color, a nail shape and an extremely pungent, sweet, astringent flavor, available whole or powdered and been used since ancient times as a spice.
History of Clove
| Cloves come from Madagascar, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Cloves are native to the Molucca Islands, now a part of Indonesia. Cloves have been used for thousands of years. One of the earliest references to them says that the Chinese, in order to approach the emperor, had to have a few Cloves in their mouths to sweeten the breath. Cloves were once very costly and played an important part in world history. Wars were fought in Europe and with native islanders to secure rights to the profitable Clove business. Natives in the Molucca Islands planted a Clove tree for each child born. They believed that the fate of the tree was linked to the fate of that child. In 1816, the Dutch set a fire to destroy Clove trees and raise prices. The natives revolted in a bloody battle which changed the climate and politics of the area forever. |
Benefits & Nutrition of Clove
How To Grow Clove
Clove Cultivation
Growing cloves require humid tropical or subtropical climate. Constant temperature above 50 F (10 C) is essential, the optimum temperature for growing clove tree is around 70 – 85 F (20 – 30 C). You can not grow it outdoors in temperate zones. However, growing clove tree in a pot is possible if proper care is done in winters.
Propagation
Growing cloves from seeds and cuttings is possible. For seed propagation, buy seeds that are recently harvested and not dried out completely since completely dried out seeds are not viable and do not germinate.
Plant seeds as soon as you get them. The seeds don’t need to be covered with soil and should be placed on top of the soil. You can cover the pot or seed tray with the plastic sheet to increase the humidity.
Requirements for Growing Cloves
Position
For healthy and strong growth, it needs a tropical climate. The Clove prefers a semi-shaded exposure similar to black pepper. It can not withstand winter temperatures below 32 F (0 C). So do not plant it outside in an area with cold and harsh winters. However, it can tolerate occasional frosts.
Soil
Soil should be rich and loamy with good drainage and lot of organic matter.
Water
Clove tree grows in wet tropics. It requires regular watering especially when the plant is young (first 3-4 years). Overwatering must be avoided.
Fertilizer
Apply 50 kg aged manure or compost and bone meal or fish meal 2-4 kg per year. Usually, the organic fertilizer is applied in the beginning of rainy season in the regions where clove is cultivated. Once the plant starts to grow, apply 40-gram urea, 110-gram superphosphate, and 80-gram MOP, instead of MOP you can also apply potassium sulfate. The dosage must be increased and for the tree that is mature and older than 15 years apply 600 gm urea,1560 gm superphosphate and 1250 gm MOP per year.The fertilizer must be applied in equal split doses in shallow trenches dug around the plant after the end of summer.
Pests and Diseases
In diseases, it suffers from seedling wilt, leaf rot, leaf spot and bud shedding. Stem borer, scales, and mealybugs are the pests that attack it.
Harvesting
The cloves you use as a spice is actually the result of the harvest of dried unopened flower buds. A Clove tree starts to flower after 6 years of its planting if grown in favorable conditions. However, it takes at least 15 – 20 years reach the full bearing stage.
Because opened flowers are not valued as a spice the unopened buds are picked before they turn pink and when they are rounded and plump. At that time, they are less than 2 cm long. Harvesting must be done carefully without damaging the branches.
The buds once picked are dried in the sun or in the hot air chambers until they have lost two-thirds of their original weight and the color of the bud stem has darkened to dark brown and rest of the bud in slight brown color.
Storage Tips
Store in cool, dark, dry places.
| How to Uses Clove |
Ground Cloves add spicy depth to gingerbread, cookies, applesauce, muffins, cakes, and other sweets. It's a secret ingredient in barbecue and cocktail sauces. Blend Ground Cloves with maple syrup and drizzle over cooked sweet potatos and winter squash. Add a few Whole Cloves to bean and split pea soups (remove before serving). Eugenol (clove oil) will collect and cake in the container when Cloves are stored in a warm place. If you choose to grind your own Cloves, do not use a grinder that has plastic parts. Clove oil can cloud some plastics.
Other Clove Uses
The essential oil is widely used for its aroma and for the reparation of toothpaste, soaps, detergents, creams, perfumes and mouthwashes due to its antiseptic properties. Also, because of its aromatic and preservative properties it is used in alcoholic beverages, soft drinks as well as a condiment with meat, delicious cuisines and various sauces. In Indonesia, it is used in the preparation of Indonesian cigarettes which is made from the mixture of tobacco, cloves, and mint.
@ Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts by Steven Labensky, Gaye G.Ingram, Sarah R.Labensky
@ Larouss'e Gastronomique by Prosper Montagne
@ http://www.spiceadvice.com/encyclopedia/cloves.html
@ http://balconygardenweb.com/how-to-grow-cloves-cultivation-and-growing-cloves/
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