An herb, a spice, an aromatic, etc. — What's your own “catnip”?

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I have been accused of responding to ground fenugreek seed as if it were catnip to me, ever since I first discovered it outside of a melange. I love it! Love it. Just the smell of it, though it tastes mmmm so good too. Recently, I got a little bottle of dried, crushed fenugreek leaves. Yum! I've only used them once, but they were good. The same aroma as the seeds, but not so assertive a flavor. They're less dominant, play more equably with others. Catnip joy!

This is not about coffee, chocolate, bacon...food, but herbs or other plants that haven't been prepared with other ingredients until you use them. What's your catnip?

Featured Answer

John Liu

2 years ago

Basil. I grow it most summers because, pesto! DD is setting up several large raised planters in our front yard and intends to grow masses of herbs and veg. It’s all part of our healthy eating programme :-) I got to shovel and carry two yards of soil from the driveway into said boxes. It’s all part of my exercise programme :-(

Garlic. I guess it is overused, but whether in minced or powder form, garlic adds to so many dishes. Maybe not ice cream. Or maybe, we don’t know until we try, eh Ice Cream Boy? ICB has been banished during our weight loss programme, but his return to the stage is eagerly awaited. Just ten pounds away . . .

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (26)

amylou321
2 years ago
Oregano. Fresh Oregano. I grow it to eat of course, but I love to just pinch a leaf off when I am outside in my garden just for the smell of it.
plllog thanked amylou321
Related Discussions
Which spice and herb reference book.
Q
Comments (15)
So here I am opening it, carefully, though with this kind of binding there isn't a worry about cracking the spine. :) This is a beautiful book and exactly what I wanted. herbs & spices the cook's reference Jill Norman The page edges and backgrounds are different colors. I can't find a theme for the colorings, on first glance, and it may just be for pretty. The author talks about different definitions of spice by region and uses what she calls the European version (though it's what I've always used too) that herbs are called herbs whether fresh or dried, and the same for spices. The very first one is parsley. She only has curly, flat leaf and root, and I have more kinds trying to die in the garden (I'm the only one I know who has trouble grown parsley but none growing roses and orchids), but that's what I like about the book. I can taste the difference between the different kinds of flat leaf parsley I have, but they're really nearly the same. Each large picture of the three forms gets a one paragraph description, takes about flavor and where it's from. There are a couple of paragraphs of culinary uses for the group, what kinds of things it goes in, how to prepare it, what it goes well with and what it's necessary for. There's a sidebar with a paragraph of "tasting notes", then "parts used", "buying and storing" and "grow your own" (which just talks about seeding and not why mine always wants to die...) On the other hand, extra pages are devoted to multiple kinds of sage and thyme, for instance (those are very happy in my garden and thrilled to be in the book!). This template is used for all the entries. They're written using lists of overlapping names and a point of view that straddles the Atlantic. My only quibble so far is that the author says that welsh onions (which have nothing to do with Wales which I learned from an article online) are different from scallions, but as far as I can tell she's the only one who thinks so...the Latin names are the same. So no matter how hard she has tried to cover global usage, I think it's an impossible task. On the Rosemary page, since there aren't a bunch of alternate forms, she uses the facing page for a big picture and small paragraph on Herbes de Provence. Similarly, on the spice side, there are pictures of it ground and also of it in use, when there aren't a bunch of alternates to show. There are pictorials on bruising, grating slicing and shredding spices, dry roasting and frying spices, grinding crushing and making spice pastes, and how to deal with fresh and dried chili peppers. On the herb side, there's stripping, chopping and pounding herbs, drying and rubbing herbs, and making vinegars, oils and butters If I'd had this book three days ago I would have seen chives flowers before mine bloomed. :) At the end are short chapters on herb mixtures, which are recipes bouquets garnis, pastes, seasoning mixes etc. Spice mixtures includes some curry pastes and powders, seven- and five-spice, masalas, ras el hanout etc., organized by region of origin. The Sauces and condiments chapter has everything from salsa verde to pesto to bearnaise, salsas, chutneys and sambals. The Marinades include dry adobo, and some other, more general flavors. The Soups and Light dishes have things like tarragon soup, fattoush and spring rolls. There are also a couple of pages each for fish, all meats, and vegetables, many leaning East, but some Western too. There's a pasta, noodles and grains section with some classics and a desserts and drinks page with some basics. There's an extensive bibliography, a couple pages of sources around the world, most UK, The Spice House (father of Penzey's) and several US live and dried herb purveyors, some Canadian and Australian, and a few other countries. Also a website (in French) for Middle Eastern herbs and spices. I haven't had it long enough to know if the index is good, but given the organization, it almost doesn't have to be. Most of the pages are the two page layouts that I described above. There isn't a lot of verbiage. This isn't a botanical or a gardening book. (Yeah!) What it is is a great reference for people who don't want to read through a whole big book to get a quick answer, who generally know how to cook and how to garden, and just want to look up the essentials. I didn't even know there was lemon myrtle! (It's Australian.) And the recipes are best for spice mixtures and least for complete dishes to make. Those, however, could be great jumping off points. I love this book!! It's very easy to browse, and will be easy to use, and it's SO PRETTY! and it says just what I want to know without wasting my time with excess and has big, delicious photographs, instead of tight little drawings and parsimonious crowded snapshots. This one is getting shelf space in the kitchen. :) edit: words left out about Spice House founder above. The Spice House was founded as bricks and mortar by Penzey Sr. Penzey's was started later as a catalog business by Penzey Jr., and has become a larger chain of bricks and mortar. Both have (crummy) web sites, though Spice House is much better. Spice house has more variety. Penzey's probably makes more money by limiting. Personal opinion. YMMV. This post was edited by plllog on Thu, Apr 10, 14 at 0:22
...See More
Jarred spice/herb shelf lifes?
Q
Comments (11)
What I like about Penzeys is they sell almost all of their spices in the little 1/4 cup jars, which really helps me keep my spices fresh, since single-me doesn't use up spices that fast, especially the less common ones. I also love some of Penzeys unique blends. But I have to pay shipping so not much of a cost savings so I only order things once and a while from there, specialty items, etc. I can also get good spices locally so it's all good. I don't throw spices out too often, I just use them a little more liberally if they are older. Chile powders seem to hold up relatively well for me, I don't go thru the hotter stuff very fast. Paprika, on the other hand, looses its delicate flavor fast. But who cares if you are just using paprika for the color. I do some N. African/Middle Eastern and Hungarian cooking and I actually use paprika for the taste. As for having little jars of weird spices on the counter, I hear ya! But in those situations I try to find recipes I like using that ingredient. I love to experiment in the kitchen. Tumeric is so good for you, I have developed a repertoire of recipes using it. BTW, that's another spice that doesn't do well sitting on the shelf for long periods of time. I think that's why a lot of people don't think tumeric has much taste, because the taste it does have seems to fade faster than I can use it up. I like tumeric with rice and peas or spinach. It's the poor man's saffron.
...See More
Help me choose spices and herbs for outdoor garden
Q
Comments (10)
"How can I tell if it is *really* French Tarragon?" If the nursery has only one variety of "Tarragon," it's Russian Tarragon. If they only have "French Tarragon," it's mis-marked. If they have both French Tarragon and Russian Tarragon, put one of each plant next to each and compare them. The French Tarragon should have: darker leaves, smoother leaves, shinier leaves, a stronger, more pungent aroma a stronger flavor with no trace of bitterness Russian Tarragon has a weaker flavor and aroma, with a slight bitter edge. If the nursery has both "Russian Tarragon" and "French Tarragon," and they appear, smell and taste virtually identical, they are both Russian Tarragon. If the nursery is growing from seed, the seed supplier is probably the origin of the misidentification. If they are growing from cuttings, the nursery itself is suspect. If they buy from a "wholesale nursery," then the problem is upstream in the chain, and the wholesale nursery or their seed supplier is suspect. Which brings me to this overall advice: If you're planting herbs to cook with, when shopping at the nursery, smell and taste every plant you're going to buy. Reject any with weak flavor or off flavor or off aroma. Find that taste good and smell good. Don't buy any of that "cat pee sage" we see g posts about on here. Oh, and some mint is good. Be careful, that's another one that spreads far and wide from where you plant it. One final note, even with all "perennial herbs," there are some differing requirements from one type to another. Separating your herbs in some way will work to your advantage. You could have your "garden guy" use blocks or bricks build up "raised beds" and separate your various herbs. I use old tires for raised "mini-beds" in my herb garden. I cut out the sidewall on the side that goes down on the ground. I break up the soil underneath to allow for some deeper root growth, and I work some perlite into the soil because here my soil is very water retentive with a lot of clay in it. I then fill in the tire with a mix of good topsoil and "forest floor compost" that I rake up from the woods here on my acreage. I rake the loose leaves off the top, then rake up and shovel up the "coffee grounds" like layer under that, on top of the topsoil. It's great compost. You can use a mix of any good finished compost and good draining topsoil/garden soil to build up the raised beds. Some perlite in the mix will help with drainage.
...See More
are all Spice Island brand spices use msg etc?
Q
Comments (22)
Curry powder is really a European (British) invention. One derivation of the word itself is from medieval English 'cury', meaning to cook. 'Curry' or curry powder as such did not exist in India but they did use a similar spice mix combination - garam masala. Garam masala just omits any chilis or peppers that gives curry powder its heat. This was a feature favored by the early explorers and European colonists, probably to disguise the taste of less than fresh meat. Curry, as westerners know it, is not found in India and is not served in traditional Indian restaurants.....about as close as you would get with authentic Indian cuisine is korma And just like there is no single style of BBQ (sorry, Dan), there is no single recipe for garam masala (or curry powder for that matter). Individual areas or regions have their own combination of spices that are unique to them, just as various areas of the US have their own BBQ methodology. But I doubt you will find recipes for either garam masala or curry powder in any form that include MSG.
...See More
CA Kate z9
2 years ago
Fennel. I didn't know about using it unless it was in pre-made sausage. we learned to use it when we learned to make our own Smoked Salmon when some friends taught us. Now I love it! I like to munch on the seeds too. I guess I should try to grow it. 😀
plllog thanked CA Kate z9
seagrass_gw Cape Cod
2 years ago
I'm with John Liu - fresh basil. We use it copiously in the warm months when we can grow bushy plants, especially when we can pair it with good tomatoes, not to mention pesto. In colder months, my favorite is fresh rosemary. It will grow as a perennial in my zone 7b coastal zone as long as we don't have a freakish cold snap. So good with roasted meats, poultry and roasted vegetables. I only use basil and rosemary as fresh herbs, never dried. My third is fresh thyme...I love to rub leaves of these herbs between my fingers and inhale their scent.
plllog thanked seagrass_gw Cape Cod
Fun2BHere
2 years ago
For pure olfactory enjoyment, lemon verbena, lemon thyme and mint. My grandmother always grew mint so releasing the scent from a mint leaf takes me back to her garden.
plllog thanked Fun2BHere
colleenoz
2 years ago
Vanilla. I love the smell of vanilla so much I used to wear vanilla perfume from The Body Shop until e moved away from the city and I couldn’t easily get it any more. I still buy vanilla scented soap.
plllog thanked colleenoz
Lars
2 years ago
I grow basil all year, and I have a nice large healthy plant right now. I generally buy the plants at Trader Joe's for cheap and then repot them, and they grow extremely well here outdoors during the winter. In July and August, I have to grow it indoors when I am in the desert, as the heat is too severe, but it still does great in a sunny window.

That's not my catnip however, and I'm not sure I have one. If I did, it would probably be dill, and that is harder for me to grow. I love dill with lemon and garlic, and I use this for sauces and salad dressing, as well as for tartar sauce (without the garlic).

The herb I use the most is probably thyme.
plllog thanked Lars
Islay Corbel
2 years ago
It changes. At the moment it's the warmth you get from paprika in its different forms that I'm loving. I'm sure that will change with the seasons LOL
plllog thanked Islay Corbel
neely
2 years ago
Not a herb or spice but still used sparingly as a sprinkle… pomegranate seeds at the moment. I like them fully ripe so quite soft meaning not too crunchy and I’m loving their flavour.
plllog thanked neely
floraluk2
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I don't understand the embargo on dried rosemary. Basil, yes. That doesn't dry well. But rosemary does. It's really pungent and tasty. Although rosemary is totally hardy here I bring in whole branches just so I don't have to trek to the allotment in the cold and rain. They dry in the kitchen and are excellent. I use rosemary in large quantities.

I don't have a favourite herb or spice. I like the seasonality of basil but I enjoy them all.
plllog thanked floraluk2
plllog
Original Author
2 years ago
I promise you, I'm not drowning all the food with fenugreek! I'm not even opening the jars to sniff. Though I do use Penzey's Ethiopian Style Pepper Blend (cayenne red pepper, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon and coriander) instead of cayenne and other stuff a lot, like on cauliflower, and other things you can throw ’most anything on, possibly for the catnip. ;) But I don't neglect the rest of the spice cabinet, though my herb garden is kind of ragged after all the rain. My favorite fresh herb is tarragon—I don't know the kind. It just grows. Love it, but it's not catnip. :) I suppose I could try planting fenugreek, but the herbs are only a few feet from the roses and lemon tree, so that might create a scent war. ...
Lars
2 years ago
I used to grow tarragon until I discovered that I hate it. I had seen it used on a lot of French cooking shows and thought I needed it, but I find it completely repulsive, for some reason, possibly the way some people do not like cilantro, which I love.

I make my own Ethiopian Berbere spice blend, but I have bought other African spice blends as well, which I found a bit too peppery, so that the spices got drowned out.

Someone gave Kevin a set of spice blends from Spiceology, https://spiceology.com/products/rub-set-6-pack-mini-rub-jars/ , but so far, the ones I've opened taste mostly like pepper and salt, and so I would only be able to use them sparingly and not get much flavor from them beyond the salt and pepper.

While I love nutmeg is certain dishes, especially eggnog and Lebanese meat dishes, I can't stand it in spinach. Herbs and spices for me can sometimes have distinctly repellent effects, but I don't think this happens that often. I tend to like Indian spice blends, but I like to make my own so that I can reduce the amount of cinnamon in them. I do use cinnamon in them - just much less than what I find in spice blends from a store.

Speaking of repellent - we planted a rosemary bush hoping it would repel mosquitoes in the back yard, but I don't think it worked. We have to cut it back constantly because it is extremely invasive.
plllog thanked Lars
amylou321
2 years ago
I'm gonna add garlic to mine. I was cooking some rice for SO and some fish before I went to work. The butter, onion and garlic smell mixed together before I added the rice to toast was so HEAVENLY. It is one of my favorite smells on Earth, not just cooking smells.
plllog thanked amylou321
bbstx
2 years ago
Does lemon count? I love all things lemon. My favorite dessert is lemon squares; my favorite cocktail is a lemon drop; my favorite non-alcoholic drink is an Arnold Palmer (preferably from Chick-Fil-A with sweet tea and diet lemonade). I have a recipe for lemon rice and another for lemon steamed potatoes - both are favorite side dishes. Lemon curd on Biscoff cookies or ginger snaps. Lemon ginger tea. Simply Lemonade Light.
plllog thanked bbstx
jrb451
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Borgo de Medici AGLIO,OLIO & PEPERONCINO SEASONING BLEND . I’m putting it on everything.
plllog thanked jrb451
plllog
Original Author
2 years ago
Yeah, I'd think lemon counts if it makes your toes curl just to smell it. ;)
gardengrl66 z5
2 years ago
Another vote for rosemary. Basil is very nice but we live where the winters are cold and pesto only gets you so far. Rosemary is so very easy to dry and keeps so well, just opening the jar in the winter makes me happy! And with care (mulch, a water tipi) I can get the rosemary plants to winter over, if they're on a south-facing wall so there's always plenty of fresh rosemary in-season.
plllog thanked gardengrl66 z5
chloebud
2 years ago
Definitely basil and rosemary grows like crazy here. They even use it for parking lot hedges. I also grow dill, oregano, cilantro, parsley and thyme for frequent use.

I’m with bbstx regarding lemons.🍋💛 We have a lemon tree that provides more than I could ever use.

I also love McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning. Just a whiff of it makes me happy. Their Chicken Seasoning is nice, too, including for pork.
plllog thanked chloebud
lat62
2 years ago
what comes to mind is green cilantro/coriander seeds and borage flowers which i just eat straight out of the garden. if some make it into a salad even better
plllog thanked lat62
agmss15
2 years ago
Mine changes several times a year.

Generally I would say fresh herbs particularly with citrus notes. Basil, parsley, lemon thyme, cilantro, various mints, lemon balm, thai lime, verveine etc….

Of late the combination of lemon and onions is the starting flavor of my meals. It started with spinach pies. Since then on rice, pasta, salads and sandwiches. Both sauteed onions finished with lemon juice and sliced onions marinated in lemon juice.
plllog thanked agmss15
notdancin
2 years ago
Mine is Sage. I love the smell and the taste even more.
plllog thanked notdancin
rob333 (zone 7b)
2 years ago
Fresh cut basil smells like summer here, but I prefer cinnamon basil to pet. I could sniff cardamom all day long. For some reason it reminds me of my youth in the California forests?

But catnip? I love dried and powdered rosemary. I can't tell you the intoxication I experience when I use white wine with powdered rosemary to roast chicken. I'm not interested in chewing on needles! Since I grow my own, it never goes bad.
plllog thanked rob333 (zone 7b)
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
2 years ago
All the fresh herbs we love. I'd put tarragon, all the basils, and cilantro at the top of the list. We managed to keep Thai basi, mint, parsley, and head lettuce growing all winter hydroponically. Perfect for fresh spring rolls and lettuce wraps without having to hit up the Korean market. The Thai basil mother plant and her three offspring just passed last month. (started a half dozen more seeds).

Just made my Spring/Summer spice blends/dry brines. Twice a year...Spring/Fall. Filled my kitchen spice jars from bulk. Lets me know what i need to order. Small list. Coriander, fennel seed, dill. And 5 lbs of sesame seed. Hopeful for delivery tomorrow. Waiting on sesame for another batch of chili crisp.

UrfaBiber is my catnip. Heavenly. Mesquite and amchur close second. Amchur is dried ground green mango. Fenegreek and sumac need a run in the spice grinder to release their full scent.

If i'm within a few blocks of Kalustyan's, a magnet draws me in. Always something new to try. Should be on any NYC visit bucket list.
plllog thanked sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Love tarragon! A little can go a long way. I often put a pinch in scrambled eggs or an omelet, and it takes classic chicken soup or stew to the next level, IMPO. It's wonderful for salmon too. The aroma reminds me of sweet clover or sweetgrass.

Another I love is a curry powder blend by Frontier Co-op that I buy from local bulk stores. A spoonful makes beef stew wonderful, again IMPO, and it makes our favorite roast chicken seasoning with some lime juice and smoked salt. I make chicken salad with it too using chopped apples, mayo and raisins.

Smoked salt is my other current love.

All of the above add umami, I believe.

P.S. I have fresh rosemary in my yard, so I rarely resort to dried. I use it a lot too - along with lots of fresh sweet marjoram.
plllog thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
agmss15
2 years ago
I love the smell of sweet marjoram. I have not cooked with it a lot but if I could find soap or shampoo I would bath in it.
plllog thanked agmss15
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I used to rub it on my wrists to enjoy the fragrance 🙂

And I'm chuffed that I started 3 new marjoram plants from cuttings and they're growing vigorously.

My rosemary easily starts from cuttings as well. I just stick them in water and once they sprout roots I pot them up.

I've done that with basil and mint too.
plllog thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10

An herb, a spice, an aromatic, etc. — What's your own “catnip”?

John Liu

Comments (26)

amylou321

Related Discussions

CA Kate z9

seagrass_gw Cape Cod

Fun2BHere

colleenoz

Lars

Islay Corbel

neely

floraluk2

plllog
Original Author

Lars

amylou321

bbstx

jrb451

plllog
Original Author

gardengrl66 z5

chloebud

lat62

agmss15

notdancin

rob333 (zone 7b)

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10

agmss15

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

An herb, a spice, an aromatic, etc. — What's your own “catnip”?

Comments (26)

Related Discussions

plllogOriginal Author

plllogOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

plllog
Original Author

plllog
Original Author