Carol: I really enjoyed this very informative article about Syzgium aromaticum. I LOVE the fragrance of cloves; many years ago I used to mix my own Potpourri and cloves were a favorite ingredient. It was also fun making aromatic ornaments during the holidays by sticking whole cloves around an entire orange and tying a ribbon to one end for hanging ... but with climbing cost of whole cloves I haven't made one in a long time. Gee, I wish I could grow that tree here ... I'd have a dozen!!

Great article and great photo's ... enjoy that wonderful tree!

Carol, Thank you so much for this wonderfully informative article. I just loved being able to see the photos of the whole tree, the buds, leaves, ripening buds & the actual flower itself. I never knew cloves were the actual flower before it opens! I always sort of assumed they were the immature seed.

How about putting on some simmering cloves for a lovely scented home. You can throw cloves in your drawers to scent your clothing.

Very interesting subject. I knew absolutely nothing about the plant Syzgium aromaticum before reading this.

Thanks, Hetty.

I had no idea about it either.. thank you!!.. neat to see the buds!!

mmmm .... Nutmeg & Cloves are two of my favorite scents and this article made me go to the kitchen, open a jar of Cloves and take a big whiff.

It burns like fire for a few minutes, but the powder's also useful in relieving that stubborn sinus headache that just won't go away...

...if you're ever that desperate. Obviously, I have been.

Wow, I never imagined that was where they came from! Thanks for the enlightenment!

Thanks, Carol, for an informative article on cloves.
I did not know any of that!

always makes me wonder how and who would ever think to grab this funny looking thing off a tree and try to eat it.. how we ended up with all these spices and things

Onewish1 said:always makes me wonder how and who would ever think to grab this funny looking thing off a tree and try to eat it.. how we ended up with all these spices and things

Thank you for this informative article, Carol! I didn't realize the clove was an immature flower. I can only imagine how wonderful the plant smells! How nice to be able to grow it!

We keep clove oil in the house to relieve pains, applied to the area. If you've ever had an ingrown toenail, like my poor hubby, it works great to numb the area long enough to remove it!!

As a child, mom would give us a clove for a toothache. She would "make" us bite on the clove where the tooth ached. It always worked.

My dear friend in Sweden makes an infused alcohol that includes cloves and is really used for medicinal purposes such as inflamation and arthritis pain.

The article also had me remembering Clove Chewing Gum .... mmmm!

Oh, yeah!!!

Back in the days when I chewed gum, it was always my favorite!

Wonderful information. It makes me wish I could grow a clove tree. I do the next best thing, buying my cloves and other spices in bulk from my local co-op health food store. It's way less expensive to do that than to buy those little jars at the supermarket.

And I always thought they were seeds! Very interesting! Thanks, Carol! Great article!

Mary, do you buy from Azure Standard?

Thanks, everyone!!! Sure could use some of your Swedish friends' arthritis reliever these days!!! Curiously enough...the tree isn't all that fragrant until you bruise the leaves or flowers!!!!

Woofie, I'm not sure what company the co-op buys spices from. We do get shipments from Azure, and also from UNFI. Spokane Produce is our produce vendor except for locally grown items. We also buy from several other small companies. The spices come in 1 pound milar bags. They look like aluminum foil but have a plastic layer.

Oh, just curious, Mary. I've been buying from Azure for many years now and I love their spices! I never realized paprika had a real flavor till I got some from them! It really isn't just red coloring to sprinkle on deviled eggs!

Thank you for the article and totally cool photo's Carol

I had no idea where cloves came from and now I do

My mother used to put a clove in her mouth as a breath freshener. I still think of her when I smell cloves

Wow, I had no idea! Now I'll think of those lovely flower buds every time I use cloves!

BTW, I filled an old parmesan cheese shaker with baking soda, cinnamon sticks, dried ginger, and cloves. I sprinkle it on my carpet, let it set 15-30 minutes, and then vacuum it up. Leaves the house smelling great!