Cinnamon gave us one of the better all around days of the whole project, one that had nothing to do with planting at all and everything to do with actually using what we’d grown.
The Basics
Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, most commonly Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum cassia depending on the type.
Origin and Habitat
True cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and southern India, while cassia cinnamon comes out of China and Southeast Asia, both thriving in warm, humid, lowland conditions.
What It Looks Like
A mid sized evergreen tree with aromatic bark and leaves, the spice itself coming from strips of inner bark that curl into the familiar quills once dried.
Uses and Flavor
We harvested and processed our own cinnamon for the very first time on a day that also included pulling enough turmeric to fill a carry-on suitcase, a little backyard jam session, and a birthday dinner of flammkuchen, dumplings, fresh caught barracuda, and strawberry shortcake.
Growing It Here
Part of the same fun, food filled day that saw us plant a mulberry tree too, one of those days where the harvest and the celebration blurred together. The tree itself is growing rapidly, tall despite sitting in a fairly windy spot, enough that I’m thinking I should keep it relatively short on purpose so I’m not dealing with a huge, unwieldy tree down the road. It’s part of the same home spice rack effort as clove and curry leaf, and honestly not too different in spirit from picking our own green tea leaves, small batch, homegrown, and worth the effort.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
Nothing to report so far.
Kenta’s Take
Processing your own cinnamon bark for the first time makes you appreciate just how much work goes into that little jar in the spice rack. Good day all around, and now I’ve got a fast growing tree that I need to actively keep in check rather than let run wild.