Scent leaves! They’re found almost in every home garden in my part of the world. Botanical name-Ocimum gratissimum, scent leaf is an aromatic shrub used extensively across tropical and subtropical regions, including Nigeria.

Scent leaves are sweet-smelling spicy leaves commonly used in soups, stew and a few other kinds of foods. While studies have suggested some medicinal benefits of scent leaves, my love for this shrub lies in its aromatic side, a love that goes way back to my childhood.

I grew up in the coastal parts of Nigeria, precisely in Rivers State. One of the memorable things about growing up in this area is the early exposure to seafoods and the different delicacies that can emerge from them.

I grew up eating seafood based foods, notable among which are the Rivers Native Soup, Fisherman Soup, Onunu & Freshfish Pepper Soup. These are really deliciously yummy meals and scent leaves add great flavours to some of these dishes. There is hardly anytime you’ll eat any of these delicacies and not proclaim; ‘The Lord Brought My Soup!’

I particularly plant scent leaves in every new home I move to. My family recently moved home, and along came my little scent leaf shrub. As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one in my neighbourhood who spices up soups with scent leaves. In my short time here, my once luscious little scent leaf shrub, starting looking dry and bare. The shrub was struggling to meet the demands from more than one user.

Did I become grumpy? Yes and sorry! It might just help if people would just stick little scent leaf plants in the soil in their backyards…what do you think? Shhh, I didn’t say that to them. Sadly, I found myself having to buy scent leaves from the market. Not very nice. And each time the now bare shrub in my small garden stared at me, a little sadness filled my soul. Well until recently…

I decided to take a walk around the house to see how well my flowers were blossoming; very well I must say, and I love them. That was when I noticed the fine spread of little shrubs around the area of my little scent leaf shrub, a spread that extended well beyond the location of the original plant. A closer look confirmed these were new scent leaf shrubs sprouting all over the place. Amazing! This is almost too good to be true…..

Immediately Proverbs 11:24 came to mind…

“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.”
Proverbs 11:24 NKJV

Oh! If only my sprouting little shrubs were gold…. 🙂

And no, I am not grumpy any longer… infact, you are welcome to have some of my scent leaf.

Don’t stop giving, never stop sowing. Whether you sow sparingly or bountifully, keep sowing. Remember though that there’s more reward for the bountiful sower….

“..but this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.“
II Corinthians 9:6 NKJV

“..and let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Galatians 6:9 NKJV

Happy Monday!

I hope you enjoy the recipes..?

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