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Bible Herbs, Spices and Fiber Plants Continued

© Diana Pederson

Welcome back readers. Last week I began a series on Bible plants for Northern gardens. This week continues our discussion of herbs, spices, and fiber plants mentioned in the Bible.

Dill

Dill was wrongly translated as Anise in the English language Bibles. Anethum graveolens is mentioned as a tithing herb in Matthew 23:23. This means it was cultivated as a crop plant because only cultivated plants were tithed. It is native to the Near East and Palestine. The leaves, flowers, and seeds are used as seasoning and in certain herbal medicine preparations. During the Roman Empire, the leaves of Dill were used in wreaths to honor their athletic and other heroes. Dill is one of many Mediterranean herbs that are familiar to us and succeed well in our growing climate

Endive Endive is related to the chicory plant. Its origins are unknown but it was indigenous to ancient Egypt where it was used as one of the bitter herbs of the Passover (Exodus 12:8, Numbers 9:11). The plant is used in salads throughout the world today.

Flax

Flax, Linum usitatissimum, has been cultivated since 5,000 B.C. in the Middle Eastern countries. It is mentioned several times in scripture. The Flax plant is pulled up by its roots and spread on the roof tops to dry. Exodus 9:31, Proverbs 31:13, and Joshua 2:6 talk about the cultivation of flax and turning it into fine linen.

Linen was used in many ways. It was valued as cloth for garments for the ruling class and wealthy citizens (Genesis 41:42 and Luke 16:19). Ezekiel 27:7 mentions its use in the sails of ships. Wall hangings for the Tabernacle were made of linen (Exodus 25:4). In the New Testament, we find it used to wrap the bodies of the dead (John 19:40). Learn how flax fiber is processed here.

Records of flax being cultivated date back to 5000 B.C. throughout Holy lands. The wild flax plant, Linum bienne, still grows wild in this region.

Galbanum

Galbanum is mentioned in Exodus 30:34-38. Botanists believe this is Ferula galbaniflua, a giant fennel. Gardeners in the northern regions may want to substitute giant fennel, Ferula communisin since the seeds for Galbanum are rarely available. Both forms of fennel are native to the Mediterranean where it may grow up to 8-12 feet tall.

Garlic, Leeks, Onions

Garlic, leeks, and onions are all members of the Allium family. Garlic. Allium sativum, has been in cultivation in central Asia for so long that no one really knows where it originated. Garlic takes a year to produce a crop of new garlic bulbs. Leeks, Allium porrum, another member of this family, is a biennial which means it has a two-year life cycle. Special techniques of mounding soil around its stem are used to provide the white stems so prized by cooks. The Egyptian onion, Allium cepa, (also called a multiplier, tree onion, or walking onion) flowers and then produces small bulbs in the flower head which can be used to further propagate the plant. Egyptian onions are milder than the onions normally eaten in North America. These plants were eaten by the Israelites during their sojourn in Egypt (Numbers 11:5 ) and non-religious historical documents record the quantities of onions, garlic and radishes eaten by the pyramid builders.

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