About Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides)
This annual is the Latin American "bean herb," so called because it is almost invariably
added to cooking beans. Whether that is for its flavor or for its rumored minimizing of
what Julia Child calls "the rooty-toot-toot" problem with eating beans is uncertain.
The spice expert Gernot Katzer writes of epazote: "Epazote's fragrance is strong, but
difficult to describe. People would often compare it with (in no particular order) citrus,
petroleum, savory, mint or putty. I think it smells like epazote." Other sources describe
its flavor with "The bruised leaves emit an unpleasant foetid odour." Don't be put off the
herb by such descriptions: many flavorings that are overtly repellent are excellent
additions to cooking in small or dilute quantities (consider cilantro, or asafoetida).
There is also some room for suspicion that this is another of those aromas that different
people sense very differently, probably depending on their genes.
(For more discussion of the herb and its uses, see the links listed below.)
Cultivars
We have not found any evidence of named types.
Planting
Epazote is not fussy about soil, but wants full sun and good drainage. As with most herbs,
a less-than-rich soil produces the best and most concentrated flavor in the leaves. It can
grow fairly large, up to 2 to 3 feet tall, so give it a good-size pot.
Sow a few seeds in the pot, and after emergence thin to the best plant. Germination rates
are usually very good, and seedlings should appear within a few days of sowing the seed.
Growing
If you elect to grow it outdoors, beware: it self-seeds readily and is considered
highly invasive.
Epazote is usually described as an annual, but apparently can be perennial given warm
winter temperatures (as we would have indoors)--so take care of your plant and it might
last you some years.
Watering information is scanty, suggesting that the plant needs neither unusually high nor
unusually low amounts, though it is not considered drought-hardy.
When harvesting, cut the center stem first, to encourage bushing. Prune the plant
frequently to prevent flowering and assure a continuing supply of leaf, but don't harvest
more than half the plant at a time. And, as with most herbs, we don't want to fertilize
it, lest we weaken the flavor.
When adding epazote to a cooked dish, toss it in shortly before cooking completes, say 15
minutes before.
Relevant Links
Besides any links presented above on this page, the following ought to be especially helpful.
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