Another spice that I'm trying to grow for myself is cloves. It comes from a tree, something I never knew or even thought about until I moved to Hawaii. So a few years ago I bought an itty-bitty clove sapling, barely 12" high. To my surprise, it lived. In fact, it's doing great. It's close to 8' high now.
The part of the tree that is used for spice is the flower bud. To date, my little tree hasn't produced even one flower. I assume that's because it is still too young. But now that it's getting bigger, I'm beginning to look forward to my first very own cloves.
The leaves of a clove tree are very aromatic. I love to crinkle one up and rub it on my hands and arms. That little whiff of clove is quite enjoyable.
I wonder if it is safe to use the leaves in cooking. Could a leaf or two be dropped into simmering gravy or broth to flavor it?
Yes, you can use the leaves of both cloves and allspice in cooking. I love boiling beets (peel on) in the leaves (you can also add a cinnamon stick if you want) , then peeling them and later drink the beautiful purple water...like drinking a non-alcoholic Merlot...Yummy!
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