An herb, a spice, an aromatic, etc. — What's your own “catnip”?
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Herbs and Spices used the most: seasonal and everyday use.
Comments (8)I use a lot of herbs and spices for food and for medicinal purposes. I use basil,oregano,thyme,chili peppers,savory,rosemary,pepper,fennel,garlic, and onions in my Italian cooking; Turmeric,cinnamon,garlic,basil,pepper,chili peppers in my middle eastern and Greek cooking; Sesame seeds,pepper, chili peppers,mint,basil,cilantro,garlic,onions,shiso,ginger,horseradish, and seaweed in my asian cooking; Chili peppers,cilantro,onion,garlic,basil,oregano,hibiscus, and cumin in my Mexican cooking. I use different chili peppers and basil for the dishse depending on the flavor I want. For herbal cures I use a wide range of things depending on my problem. Currently I have an undiagnosed illness that has these symptoms: sores that bleed,fatigue,itch,lumps,crawling sensations,stabbing sensations,sore throat,sore behind,bouts of diarrhea. What seem to do the best for it so far is peppermint oil, lots of it. I have in the past had bouts of candida; for that I use gentian violet from Wal Mart if I have panties that I don't mind being stained purple; If I don't I use a solution of borax(water plus store borax). For arthritis I use Du huo, a combination of Chinese angelica and notoptygerii herbs; this also works for bursitis and tendonitis. For most general infections I pick Echinacea from the yard and eat it fresh. For tough infections I also use licorice with the Echinacea as well as oregon grape stems I pick from around here(I live in Denver, Colorado), or huang lian; both have the same active properties as goldenseal but are not endangered in the wild. For colds,etc. I use Japanese honeysuckle plus cocklebur fruit combination of herbs. For most sore throats I use pickle juice from dill pickles you buy at any store. I use other herbs as the occaisions arise....See Moreadding and changing herbs and spices in stewed tomatos
Comments (7)Crushed Tomatoes from the Ball complete book of Home Preserving. Ahh makes a big difference! ;) Yes that is a safe recipe and very different from Stewed Tomatoes. And the separation, the floating, you saw is common. You can gently shake the jar or just ignore it and they will settle all on their own with some time. So then in theses recipes i can only use dried spices not fresh and no veges, but i can use most dried spices and dried veges,dried mushrumes, dried etc or am i taking it over board to the next level? You can use dried spices, yes. They don't change the pH. Just do it carefully as the dried spices will intensify during storage. Too much can ruin the whole jar. Dried vegetables is another matter. They DO change the pH and they can also change the density. They have to be rehydrated before adding them and you need to rehydrate them in vinegar or bottled lemon juice, not in water, and they can be used only in very small amounts. Don't make assumptions about recipes without checking first. That can easily get you into trouble. ;) Dave...See MoreJarred spice/herb shelf lifes?
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 MoreHelp me choose spices and herbs for outdoor garden
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 Moreplllog
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