Having recently enjoyed the (somewhat odd) sticky tartness of Tamarind- which happens to remind me of the flavor of pumpkin- I was left with some rather interesting, warped seeds. Being ever-interested in what I can stick in the soil and make grow I did a little Google research and decided to try my hand at growing a Tamarind tree. It’d be an interesting experiment, and what’s the worst that can happen? Nothing?

So I started my low-risk experiment by eating Tamarind (any experiment that starts out by eating something is a winner), then soaking the seeds in a clear plastic container with plenty of water for a few days until they started looking fuzzy. Next, I filled up a pot with some potting soil, made a few holes with my finger, dropped a few in, and left it on the balcony. Easy-peasy.

A few weeks after I forgot about them, someone said “hey what are you growing in that pot?”

So here are the little seedlings, probably about a month after the whole process started. Since Tamarind in its native habitat of tropical Aftica can grow up to 100′ tall, I’m content to just watch them grow slowly for now…

Step 1: Buy Tamarind

Step 2: Eat Tamarind (take the ‘shell’ off & avoid the viney bits)

Step 3: Clean the seeds (if needed- mine just popped right out all shiny & ready to go)

Step 4: Drop in water & soak until “fuzzy”

Step 5: Plant in potting soil, right below surface & wait until….

Taa-daa!