You may have problems with the pepper seeds, depending on how they dried them. Smoked peppers are usually not viable. I have germinated seeds from a smoked jujibe, however. All of the other ones you chose can be grown from seeds. Sometimes the coriander seed sold in specialty markets is different from coriander seeds in generic markets. Look at the color of the seed & compare them.
Specialty herbs that can be propagated from grocery store produce include Perilla, Vietnamese coriander, Curry tree, Galangal, specialty gingers, & Turmeric. There are also many specialty greens that can be propagated, also.

Here is a related thread involving many experiments with grocery store produce

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant from the produce department?

I've read a couple of these plants from the market threads here and no one has mentioned Tamarind. It produces this funny seed pod with tasty fruit inside. I can eat it "raw" or boil it and make a concentrate and have a real good juice.

The leaves will close up at night (if I remember correctly) the seeds are thick so just knick them and soak them in water overnight and toss the seeds that are floating and plant up the ones that have fattened up.

You can find Tamarind in latin and asian grocers and while you are there pick up some candy made from it.

{{gwi:1254132}}

Oops I posted in the wrong thread, oh well. It's kind of a spice? LOL.

I hear that bananas produce most ethylene gas (which is why you shouldn't store them with other fruit.) Does anyone have any idiotproof tips on how to grow coriander from spice rack seeds in a pot? I am the aforementioned idiot, and the last time I tried to grow anything I was five. Should I germinate the seeds first, or just plonk them in some soil and hope...?

Actually if you grow coriander seeds you will get cilantro plants. If you let them go to seed, you have coriander again. You could germinate a few of them first, to test a few just so that you don't wait around a pot helplessly hoping. :-) They are really easy to grow, but I have always grown them from recent seed.

My mother used to grow beans and peas from the grocery store, she said they were so much cheaper than seeds. I grew some lentils that way once just to see if I could, and they did in fact grow.

Marcia

I use cilantro all the time. It's a standard in my bi-weekly grocery shopping. So I know how to use that, but how and what foods would you use coriander?

Underwaterbasketcase, if you have access to an Indian grocer, you might try growing some ajowan, fenugreek, dill, or black caraway seeds. Cardomom is also available, but seeds are older and are usually not viable. The black mustard would also probably grow. They also have different varieties of turmeric rhizomes available.

The coriander available in your country may be a different variety. I have noticed the varieties of seed imported from India are lighter in color than those sold in health food stores. Here is a bit of info:

http://www.mccormick.com/content.cfm?id=8217

HereÂs the Vietnamese coriander.

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/pictures/poly_03.jpg

You might find this in a Korean market in the fresh herb section. If you do, you can grow it in a pot by removing the lower leaves and putting it in moist soil.

Here is the long leaf coriander, which tastes like cilantro:

Long Coriander (Eryngium foetidum)

http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/trade/asiaveg/images/lo-cori2.jpg

This one has to be grown from seed or a plant.

Thanks for the recipe link. That is a very nice site.