Cooking With Dried Herbs And Spices

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Toss Your Musty Old Herbs Right Now

I had a lovely weekend at Islandwood, a delightful education center here on Bainbridge Island, where several hundred women gathered to share friendship and fun. I was among the presenters, offering programs in sustainable gardening and cooking with herbs. The weekend was a blast, and the event raised over $15,000 to support programs that bring inner city school children out to the woods, where they explore with botanists and biologists and learn about sustainable living (including composting toilets, which are always a hot topic of wonder and amazement, even for adults).

Among the fascinating things I learned was that most people’s cupboards hold herbs that are elderly indeed. When participants had the opportunity to taste fresh herbs (all from Log House Plant’s very broad collection), many of them were astounded at the variety (many kinds of thyme, mint, etc.) as well as the bright, vivid flavors.

Throw Away The Oldies

Try this at home: check the sell-by dates on your herbs and spices. Any that are more than a few months old should get the boot! Or you can keep the containers but toss the contents, restocking in small amounts. The best place to get fresh dried herbs (if that is not a contradiction in terms) is at a busy bulk food department. My local Town and Country Market goes through amazing amounts of herbs and spices, so they are always nicely colored and strongly flavorful.

I usually buy no more than a tablespoon of either one, unless it’s something I use a lot (such as ginger or cumin). You can figure out pretty fast which you DO use a lot of, and get as much as you think you’ll actually use up within two or three months’ time. When you get home, compare the old and the new; the older ones will look dull and have less scent as well as less flavor.

Keep Them Tasting Great

Whether you buy herbs or dried your own from the garden this summer, you can extend their shelf life by freezing them in double bags and leaving just a tablespoon or so ready to use. For frequent use, herbs and spices are best stored in glass jars with tight fitting lids, so you can see what you’ve got and how fresh it looks. Glass also protects flavor and prevents fragrance crossovers better than plastic. This is especially important if your herb and spice rack is right next to the stove, where it’s very convenient but also exposed to flavor-degrading heat and moisture.

When you dry your own herbs, it’s pleasant to experiment with sweet and savory blends, whether to reduce your family’s salt intake or simply to perk up the less varied winter diet. Smell and taste less familiar herbs to see what they suggest. Look through cookbooks from around the world to discover intriguing ways to flavor daily staples from onions and potatoes to carrots and beets.

Herbs de Provence

A classic combination for vegetables, chicken, grilled fish, soups and stews. Vary according to your own preference, as French cooks do.

2 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons  lavender
2 tablespoons  rosemary
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano

Blend well and store in tightly closed glass jar.  Makes about 2/3 cup.

Summery Herb Seasoning

Wonderful in a vinaigrette, this fragrant, flavorful blend is also lovely sprinkled over grilled apples and pears or steamed vegetables.

1/4 cup dried lemon thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried lavender
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Mix all ingredients and spread on parchment paper to dry. Grind in a blender to desired texture, then store in a sealed glass jar. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Savory Herb Blend

Terrific in soups and on leafy salads, this enlivening seasoning mixture is also excellent on steamed or roasted vegetables, savory fruit salads, and omelets.

3 organic oranges, rind grated
3 organic lemons, rind grated
10 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon (or less) dried hot pepper flakes
1/4 cup ground black pepper (or less)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Mix all ingredients and spread on parchment paper to dry. Grind in a blender to desired texture, then store in a sealed glass jar. Makes about 1 cup.

Posted in Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Slugs And Snails And A Stout Cup Of Coffee

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Slugs In Trees

This week, I’ve been pruning overgrown shrubs, thinning out the oldest trunks and removing crowded branches to allow more light and air to reach to core of the plant. I was amazed to see that where the foliage was most dense, the trunks and branches were thickly clustered with snails. As I merrily tossed them onto the nearby driveway, I felt a twinge of guilt. For many years now, I have let the garden find its own balance, using neither pesticides nor fertilizers (except for food crops). Still, the sight (and feel) of those slimed and goo-dripping branches just rankled. Surely the plants would be healthier with better air circulation and fewer non-native mollusks!

The Way The West Was Won

Now, the Northwest is rich in native slugs but most of our native snails are water dwellers. Our soils are mostly too calcium-poor to support the shell building that snails require. The proliferation of snails in recent years can largely be traced to plants imported from California. Many years ago, European snails were cultivated in San Francisco to provide high class treats for successful gold miners with more money than sense. The captives did what snails do, proliferating wildly and making their slow but steady way throughout the state. Like many pests, they hitchhiked past tough territory, hidden in market loads of produce and plants. As the years rolled by, snails spread throughout the West.

We are used to seeing lots of slugs and snails in spring, but our typically dry summers drive them into dormancy by now. However, the wetter than usual summer kept these slimy pests going strong. In summer, we can make the garden less attractive to slugs and snails by limiting water use. Watering less frequently but more deeply and allowing the soil to dry out between waterings is good for soil and plants alike.

Black Coffee

Since they travel on homemade slime trails, slugs and snails need a regular supply of water in order to get around the garden. The lubricating slime contains lots of water, which means slugs can’t cope as well in dry gardens. If slugs treat your garden like a salad bar, toss leftover morning java on beds and borders. Even mild dilutions of coffee can help keep slugs from destroying plants without harming other critters.

How? A few years back, Hawaiian scientists were seeking safe, nontoxic ways to keep plant-harming pests away from nursery crops of potted plants. They tried many things, but most harmed frogs as well as the pests. When they sprayed plants with concentrated caffeine, the local frogs were not bothered, but slugs and snails died.

Waiter Waiter Percolator

The researchers found that as little as 0.01 percent (1 part per ten thousand) caffeine kept slugs off foliage plants. Higher concentrations of 1 to 2 percent (1-2 parts per hundred) killed  slugs and snails outright. Since an ordinary cup of instant coffee typically contains about 0.05 percent caffeine, getting the concentration all the way up to 1 or 2 percent is more like showering your garden with a double espresso than using the rinse water from your coffee pot.

Exactly how does coffee affect slugs? Most likely, caffeine affects mollusks’ nervous systems. Coffee jitters that make humans uncomfortable might prove fatal for slugs and snails. Mollusks may be especially vulnerable to contact poisoning from caffeine because it is very water soluble. Slugs and snails move through the garden by creating a smooth layer of slime or mucus, residual trails of which often mark garden plants. This locomotive mucus contains lots of water, which makes it a perfect way to introduce water soluble substances to slugs. When they crawl over a caffeine-sprayed area, the chemical is absorbed directly into the mollusks’ soft bodies.

Mulch With Coffee Grounds

The research clearly indicates that frogs are not susceptible to sprays of caffeine. That’s very good news, since even environmentally benign slug baits such as Sluggo that are based on iron phosphate are not considered safe for use near water.  This is because frog and fish eggs are especially vulnerable to pesticide and herbicide damage. Even the nitrogen from grass clippings tossed carelessly into streams, pools, ponds or open ocean water can kill susceptible eggs. A few inches of fresh grass clippings generate enough heat to damage or kill eggs as well.

For now, mulching hostas and lilies with coffee grounds will keeps slugs at bay while providing nitrogen to your plants. Worms also love coffee grounds, which means you’ll be attracting tiny tillers into the garden to do the earth moving for you. Slug slaughtering coffee products could lead to a boom in the recycling of commercial coffee grounds.  A safe, eco-cool slug deterrent that could be used in damper sites would be a boon indeed for those gardening near water.

Posted in Pets & Pests In The Garden, Soil, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , | 2 Comments

What To Do With Green Tomatoes

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

You Might As Well Harvest Now

Many gardeners had a slow start with tomatoes this year and now quite a few readers have asked how to help ripen green tomatoes. As fall arrives, the cooler temperatures affect tomato stems, making tomatoes fall off their vines at the drop of a hat. The good news is that tumbling tomatoes will continue to ripen indoors, as will any picked green. True, they won’t taste quite as terrific as vine-ripened fruit, but they’ll definitely taste better than anything you can buy at the supermarket.

Give ‘Em Shelter

Bring pot-grown tomatoes indoors pot and all if you can offer them a light, bright place. A south- or west-facing sunporch is ideal, especially if it has curtains to pull at night (that minimizes heat loss). Given enough light and adequate warmth (60’s and up), cherry tomatoes will continue to crop well into winter. In favorable conditions, tomato plants can last for years (or until they get whitefly).

Check bed-planted tomatoes for good-sized, firm, and undamaged fruit. Those mature enough to ripen will be a light, fresh green with a glossy skin. Any that are already starting to turn red will continue to do so indoors. Harvest the best looking, healthiest vines first, picking the largest fruit. Dense green tomatoes make good chutney, while soft ones make good compost. Compost anything that is damaged or looks diseased.

Try The Ripeness Test

To check ripeness, slice open a likely looking tomato. If the seeds are surrounded with clear gel and slide off the knife, the other tomatoes will ripen. If you slice through seeds, you might as well make chutney (see below for ideas). Wash each tomato carefully to remove dust or dirt, and trim off any stems. Dry stems often jab holes into tender neighbors, a common cause of rot.  Another rot-inducer is moisture, so dry each fruit individually and put them on bakers’ cooling racks until they are completely dry on the bottom.

Never Chill Tomatoes

Whatever you do, never store tomatoes in the refrigerator. Cold turns the stored sugars unto starch, so tomatoes lose their sweet-tart flavor fast. Instead, store ripening tomatoes on several sheets of newspaper to keep them dry. Line berry boxes or the shallow plant nursery boxes with newspaper and carefully layer in your tomatoes, making sure none touch. Smaller tomatoes keep well in open egg cartons.

Keep tomatoes in a dim, fairly dry place with good air circulation, out of direct sunlight. A warm garage is fine, as is a kitchen or pantry shelf. A moist environment like a laundry room may encourage molding, while a hot, dry one can make tomatoes shrivel up. If you really want dried ones, use a real food drier; the results are a lot better.

Give Them Good Neighbors

As the reddest tomatoes ripen, their neighbors will too. Like apples, tomatoes give off ethylene, a natural gas that promotes ripening in fruit. To encourage slower ripeners to catch up, rotate greener ones closer to redder ones. Your most mature peppers and tomatoes will ripen over 2-3 weeks if your house stays between the mid 60’s and low 70’s. Any cooler, and they’ll take another week or so (too cool–low 50’s–and they’ll taste lousy as well).  You can also slow roast the whole batch and freeze or can the results, which are fabulous in sauces, soups, and stews.

Green Tomato Treats

Happily, there are many tasty things to do with green tomatoes, from savory sides and spicy chutney to deliciously sweet-tart dessert. Whichever you choose, use good-sized, evenly green fruit that’s firm and glossy, discarding any that looks wrinkled or feels mushy. Among my favorites is Grilled Green Tomatoes, a speedy treatment that softens and awakens the latent sweetness in any under ripe fruit. Here, the middles get almost creamy while the edges get lightly caramelized, which gives them a pleasing little crunch. Plain or pepper-spiked, they make a splendid side for grilled fish or chicken.

Grilled Green Tomatoes

4 firm green 3-4″ tomatoes, sliced 1/2  inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon rosemary, stemmed and chopped

Prepare coals or start grill. Rub tomato slices with half the oil, then dust with salt, pepper(s), and rosemary. Brush grill with remaining oil and grill tomatoes on both sides until edges are well-browned (3-5 minutes per side). Serve hot. Serves four.

In Grilled Green Tomato Chutney, the same treatment brings out rich undertones in onions, apples, and plums (pears work too), making an especially rich melange. If garlic tends to slip through the grill, place the cloves on a clean piece of wire screen (this works for cherry tomatoes as well).

Grilled Green Tomato Chutney

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 medium green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 white or yellow onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 apples, cored, sliced 1/2 inch thick
8 Italian prune plums, halved and stoned
6 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 red or orange sweet peppers, seeded and quartered
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/3 cup sugar

Prepare coals or start grill. Brush grill with oil and grill tomatoes, onions, apples, plums, and garlic on both sides until edges are well-browned (3-5 minutes per side), set aside. Grill peppers skin-side-down until blackened (4-6 minutes), let cool and peel off skin. In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients with 1/2 cup water over medium high heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Chop fruit and vegetables into 1/4 inch dice, peel garlic and chop. Add to pan (add water to cover if needed) and simmer until barely tender (5-6 minutes). Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Makes about 6 cups.

Tender, sweet, and surprisingly juicy, Roasted Green Tomatoes are a country classic. Serve these delectable morsels with baked potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and a mixed green salad for a satisfying meatless meal.

Roasted Green Tomatoes

1 quart medium green tomatoes, cut in quarters
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme, stemmed and chopped

Toss all ingredients gently to coat well, then place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in a cold oven and bake at 300 degrees F until lightly caramelized (60-90 minutes). Makes about 2 cups.

Posted in fall/winter crops, preserving food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Whiff of Smoke And Autumn Is Here

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Ann Lovejoy
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Roasting To Boost Flavor

This was not the best year for many crops, but my, the peas were good. In fact, I’m still getting some from the August planting, which faltered in the belated, sudden heat, but are now having a second wind. Squash are still productive (of course), and my neighbor Mary harvested eight small but mighty cantaloupe, so ripe the whole field smelled like fragrant fruit.

My late beans are getting past their best, and I find that roasting now brings out their flavor better than steaming or stir-frying.  Best of all is roasting them over an open fire made with apple wood (pruning scraps) and/or rosemary trimmings. The smoke gives everything a delicious, mysterious savor (good with fish too).

The Spring And Fall of Peas

I’m always happy when the pea season stretches out. When I was an art student in Italy, a simple dish of peas and rice was my springtime favorite, and it’s still lovely with late peas. Fluffy rice is served very hot with a peppery sauce of clotted cream, garlic chives, and glossy green young peas, barely cooked. If clotted cream is hard to come by, try a cultured sour cream like Nancy’s, but don’t substitute yogurt, because it will dominate the delicate flavor of the young peas.

If your garden or market doesn’t offer garlic chives, use the fresh green tips of growing garlic. You can also substitute regular chives, though the distinctive bite of the garlic will be lost. If none of the above are to be found, use a small clove of garlic.

Risi Bisi

1 cup raw shortgrain brown rice
2 cups new peas OR snow peas (about 1 pound)
2 sprigs fresh spearmint  (any mint will do, really)
1 bunch fresh garlic chives  OR 1 small clove garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons fruity olive oil
1 dried pepperoncini or chile pepper
1 cup clotted or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Cook rice according to directions on packet. Shell the peas (rinse and string snowpeas) and set aside. Rinse the herbs, setting aside a small bunch of garlic chives sprigs for garnish. Stem the mint and mince about a teaspoon of mint foliage with the remaining garlic chives (you should have about 2 tablespoons of minced chive foliage). When rice is done, top it with the peas, return the cover and steam peas over the rice for 2-3 minutes. Peas should lose their raw flavor but remain plump and bright green. Heat the oil in a small saucepan and sizzle the dried pepper over medium heat until lightly brown on all sides. Discard pepper, add  minced herbs and stir for 15 or 20 seconds. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set peas aside briefly while you turn the rice into a serving dish. Top rice with sauce, add peas and garnish with garlic chives. Serve immediately. Serves four.

Roast Anything and Everything

We can emphasize the complex natural flavors of almost anything with slow roasting. Sweet potatoes, for instance, can taste sticky-sweet when boiled and mashed. Roasted with herbs and spices, they take on savory flavors as well as developing a deliciously crisp crust.

Savory Roasted Roots

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon corinder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large carrots, cut in quarters lengthwise
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths lengthwise
2 white or yellow onions, peeled and quartered

Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. In a bowl, combine oil with next 5 ingredients, reserving half the salt. Gently toss vegetables in
oil mixture and arrange in a single layer (without touching)  in a roasting pan. Bake for 10 minutes, turn everything over and continue roasting until crisp and brown (5-10 minutes). Serve hot, sprinkled with remaining salt. Serves four.

Magic Mushrooms

Our local mushrooms are just staring to appear, now that the rains are returning. In the meantime, we can add savor to the big fat supermarket Portobellos by slow roasting them. Roasted Portobello Mushrooms are fabulous as an entree and leftovers make an exceptional soup. Offer these luscious treats with a tossed green salad and hot rolls or serve them like burgers in whole grain buns.

Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 large Portobello mushrooms, stemmed

Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. In a bowl, combine oil, shallot, rosemary, salt and cayenne and let stand 5 minutes. Brush over mushroom caps on both sides, then place them gill-side-down (without touching) in a roasting pan. Roast for 5 minutes, turn each cap and roast until soft (5-7 minutes). Serve hot or cold. Serves 4-6.

Roasted Portobello Soup

2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel or cumin seed
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 Roasted Portobello Mushrooms (see above), chopped
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
2 green onions, finely sliced

In a soup pot, heat oil, garlic, and seeds over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add celery and carrot, stir to coat, cover pan and cook until juices run (3-5 minutes). Add chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth, bring to a simmer and puree in small batches to desired consistency. Serve hot, garnished with green onions. Serves 4.

Something Good To Make With Squash

I’ve recently been asked for a recipe for Roasted Squash And Apple Soup. This very flavorful version is welcome during the holidays, when lush richness without a lot of extra fat is appreciated by all.

Roasted Squash And Apple Soup

1 butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces
3 Granny Smith or Braeburn apples, cored and cut in wedges
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons rice oil (or safflower oil)
6 cloves garlic, whole
2 cups unsweetened apple cider (fresh if possible)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup organic cream, whipped or sour cream (nonfat works fine)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Rub squash, apples, and onion with half the oil and place with garlic in a single layer (not touching) in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, turn each piece and roast for 10 minutes. In a soup pot, heat remaining oil with roasted garlic, peeled and chopped. Chop remaining vegetables, add to pan with cider and salt and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until squash is very tender (15-20 minutes). Add broth and pepper, bring to a simmer and puree in small batches to desired consistency. Serve hot, garnished with cream. Serves 4.

Posted in Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment