- Cumin seeds should be started indoors in small pots. Time the planting so the seedlings can be planted outdoors in mid-spring. Push the seeds into peat-rich dirt no more than 3 inches deep. When kept at a minimum temperature of 70 degrees F, the seedlings should appear in approximately two weeks. After there is no danger of frost outside, the seedlings are transplanted into an outside garden where the sun shines for the greatest part of the day. Space them about 4 inches apart, water and feed them. Continue watering during dry periods.
- Cumin plants grow to approximately 20 inches in height and thrive best in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 10. Small white and pink flowers appear in the summer and seeds appear soon after. After four months, the flowers will have dropped and the plants begin withering.
- Mature cumin seeds are brownish-yellow and boat-shaped. They are harvested by shaking or threshing the stalks with sticks. Put a bag over the plant or a pail underneath the stalks to catch the seeds as they fall. Dry the seeds in the warm sun or indoors in a drying appliance. Winnow the leaves and twigs from the seeds using a kitchen colander or winnowing basket.
- Store the whole cumin seeds in a sealed jar, preferably glass, and keep it in a warm, dry cupboard. Grind the seeds only when they are required in a recipe, not before because they will lose their strength. While it is difficult to measure, keep the moisture content within the jar low. If moisture gathers on the inside of the jar, remove the cumin and re-dry the seeds in the sun.
- Cumin has a pervasive flavor and can easily dominate a dish. It is often interchangeable with caraway and both are found in the same recipes. The Asian population, from India to Thailand, use cumin in their cooking, and the Dutch liquor Kummel is flavored with a combination of cumin, fennel and caraway. It is used in Mexican tacos and as a rub for pork or lamb when combined with salt and black pepper.
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