Cuban Oregano
Succulents are easy to develop, aromatic, and attractive. This is the case with Cuban oregano.
What’s Cuban oregano? It’s succulent in the Lamiaceae family, also called Spanish chamomile, Indian borage, also Mexican mint.
It’s not genuine oregano from the household, Origanum, but includes an odor characteristic of this authentic oregano.
There are many culinary and conventional Cuban peppermint applications. When you learn how to grow Cuban oregano, try out this vibrant small plant in containers, a well-drained, partly sunny area of the backyard, or in monitoring baskets.
What’s Cuban Oregano? Plectranthus amboinicus is a perennial succulent with aromatic foliage. It’s frequently grown as a houseplant but can flourish outdoors in hot summer areas. Leaves contain aromatic oils, which may be of use for cooking.
The oregano flavor is considerably more potent than Greek oregano, the herb most often utilized to add taste to pizzas and other Mediterranean foods.
Harvesting Cuban oregano and using it in recipes may offer a similar taste to conventional oreganos but needs to be used in more moderate quantities to prevent over-seasoning the dish.
Cuban oregano is a part of the deadnettle family. Therefore, it features delicate, fuzzy leaves having an intense pleasing odor.
Leaves are grayish-green and finely beige and saw-toothed in the borders. Flowers are borne in panicles and might be pink, white, or lavender.
Plants develop between 12 and 18 inches (30.5 along with 45 cm) Tall and might create a trailing habit, making it appealing in hanging baskets.
Being an in-ground plant, it will disperse to a little mounded ground cover. Cuban oregano cultivating needs are somewhat different than traditional oreganos, as they tend to burn in full sun and flourish better in somewhat light shade.
How to Grow Cuban Oregano
Find a site with good-draining, gritty soil in a partially sunny spot for this plant.
It is not very keen to frost but grows well in warm to semi-tropical regions throughout the year.
In medium temperature regions, grow the plant in a container and bring it indoors in the fall.
Cuban oregano mainly grows in spring and summer and likes hot, dry conditions.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t need water, however. The plant requires regular irrigation but cannot survive consistently wet roots, which makes drainage especially important.
Growing plants in containers make it easier to accommodate Cuban oregano growing requirements by moving it as the seasonal sun gets hotter in some garden regions.
Some noon-day shade is required to prevent leaves from burning and ruining their appearance.
Cuban Oregano Uses
Cuban oregano leaves may be used like regular oreganos. Harvesting Cuban oregano leaves for natural medicinal purposes could be followed back to ancient times.
It helped treat throat and respiratory ailments and rheumatism, constipation, flatulence and help stimulate lactation.
Modern programs use it as a replacement for Mediterranean oreganos, either fresh or dried. The leaves can be dried and smashed to add to foods.
Brand new leaves, in tiny quantities, are used in soups and stews, also in stuffing for poultry and others.
Be cautious since the plant is quite strongly flavored and may impair other seasonings.
This tiny plant has attractive foliage; the blossoms attract pollinators, and its usage in the kitchen provides yet another tool for culinary art.
However, for me, the best use of fresh Cuban oregano is for Caribbean meals.
Since the leaves are best used fresh, you can put them in a blender with other ingredients for a peppery marinade or minced for a salsa, sautéed with garlic to flavor a pot of black beans or dipped in a light batter and baked.
Final Word
After the end of the season, I will take a couple of stem tip cuttings, put them in a small container of wet soil, position them in a sunny window, and then use them fresh for cooking during the winter.
Then following season, I’ll replant them outside.
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