The Amazing Wonders of a Spice Garden

Have you ever wondered down the trails of a spice garden?  The aromatic smells that emanate from the exotic herbs and plants makes you want to live outdoors among the tangy smelling spices!  Spices come in various forms to tease and tantalize our taste buds and spice up our lives!  It may come in the form of a pod, or fruit or sweet smelling herbs, roots and barks, all these are used to flavor our foods.  Seasoning and flavor is all about spices. It is also widely used for aromatic therapy and local ayurvedic treatment in various types of sicknesses.  Sri Lanka is well known for its famous production of spices.  In fact the spice business started here from a very long time ago during our forefathers time.

We have a lot of spices grown in Sri Lanka

Cinnamon is one of the spices and it comes from the bark of the cinnamon tree.  This is widely used in homes and hotels to spice the flavor of foods and used in so many other ways.  The cinnamon stick comes in a rolled up form like cigar, it also comes in the powdered form. It can be used to sprinkle on tea or puddings.

Cardamom is a seed pod. This is used to flavor a wide variety of sweet dishes and also used for curries.  It is widely used In Sri Lanka and other Asian countries.  It comes in the powdered form or just simply as the cardamom pod.  I love it in the pod form and it is great to put into boiled rice or tasty curries, season meats and in other dishes.

Cloves are used in all dishes, of sweet and savory basically it is to flavor all types and kinds of foods to taste your pallet.  The cloves come in a flower from a tree like an evergreen plant.  The flower when ready for harvesting is taken when it is tender and then dried.  Cloves can be found in Sri Lanka, and India and Indonesia.

Nutmeg is a kind of dried seed.  It is also widely used in all our cuisine and also for its medicinal value.  It is good to use a bit of nutmeg if you are having a bad stomach, intestinal gas, and nausea.

The Spice Garden in Matale

If ever you are in the Matale District or travelling from Kandy you should visit the spice garden, which by now as you know is famous for its Sri Lankan spices with many varieties to choose from.  You can get to know the learning of the spices and what each one is produced and used for at the spice garden. You can also buy what you like from here.

Stroll around these lovely gardens with fresh smelling spices wafting around you.  You can learn a lot from the spices of the nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, the spicy pepper vines etc., and what Sri Lankans exactly use them for the specific curries etc. the spice garden is open in the morning and closes in the evenings.  There is a shop that sells all types of indigenous medicines as well cosmetics made from some of these spices.  You can also sit down to drink a herbal brew and or savor and sample the cooking of Sri Lankan foods.  Which will delight your pallet and make you want to have more?  Just before having your lunch you can also ask for an Ayurveda massage which they will do for you with their specially made herbs from the spicy garden.

The spice garden at the Ella

Now when you go to the Ella to see the beautiful mountains and waterfalls don’t forget to trek to the spice gardens at the Ella as well. And if you book early enough you can also join in one of their cooking classes and learn something about Sri Lankan style cuisine with flavorful Sri Lankan spices added to them.  The tour to the spice garden will cost you about 100 Sri Lankan rupees and is fully worth it, as you get to see so much of spices in the Ella garden.  You can also have your afternoon lunch here as some of the hotels are pretty far from the Ella spice garden.  You can also enjoy a home cooked meal at the Ella spice garden.  So don’t forget once you finish your tour in the city do a leisurely walk to the Ella spice gardens.

You won’t regret it.

What better way than to enjoy a day out in the Ella spice gardens.

The Spice Gardens of Mawanella

On your way to Pinnawala elephant orphanage, when you pass the Mawanella town there are several inviting spice gardens that you could visit.  But beware of some of these places, as they can rip you off, so you have to have your wits about you, when you visit these places.  You can just walk through their pleasant gardens but do not go and buy any of the stuff, unless of course someone of repute recommends a place.

It is always advisable that you read all reviews of these places before you visit them.

Sri Lanka Spice Garden Products

Sri Lanka does a lot of exporting business in the spice trade.  Some of the stuff that is sent abroad is:

• Sri Lankan spices
• Pure Ceylon Cinnamon
• Pepper
• Cloves
• Cardamom
• Nutmeg and Mace
• Vanilla

Ranweli Spice Garden Matale

Now when in Matale don’t forget to travel to the Ranweli Spice gardens, you will be blown away at the beauty of this garden and its lush green growth spice and herbs and all that is nice and spicy!

Lush greenery that will make you to stay here!

Their hospitality is incredibly warm, and friendly. Walk through these path ways and get a lesson on the way spices are grown and processed for medicines, cosmetics and used for cuisine.  They will also show you how to prepare a meal making use of these rich spices, Sri Lankan style.  Trek through these beautiful gardens and look at the cloves and cardamoms hanging from their pods, pepper vines clamoring for attention among the other foliage plants.

There are many other attractions besides this at the Ranweli Spice garden, just see that you book your place early to indulge in their other super activities that they organize.

Ranweli Spice Garden Matale Sri Lanka

This is one special spice garden in the Matale district of Sri Lanka. And is at No.99, Kawudupelella, Matale.  It is open from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. in evening from Monday to Sunday. If you want to go and visit this place I advise you to book early to avoid disappointment as there are many activities to be done.  If you want a health massage you can book it here.

There are many guides who speak the language well and explain everything to you in detail. It is one of the best spice gardens in Sri Lanka.  There shop is also located in the same place and you can buy any spice products that you may want to take back home.

It is a pricey, but spicy!

In the long run it is also worth the money you put down for some spicy stuff. There is also a restaurant where you can enjoy a meal of your choice.  The spice garden is breathtakingly beautiful.  So do visit, you won’t get ripped off here unlike in any other spice garden you get elsewhere.

Sri Lankan Ayurvedic hair oil

The hair oil that is produced and manufactured in Sri Lanka is made according to these traditional and marvelous formula using about 32 different types of ayurvedic medicinal herbs combined with 100% pure coconut oil, olive oil and Almond oil and enriched with Vitamin E. This herbal hair oil is very good for the scalp and helps a healthy hair growth and help prevent any dandruff on the head.