Page 42 - Harnett Life Fall 2018

Put a Little Spice By Janice Fields

Into Your Life

tasty alternative to salt, fat, and sugar when
seasoning food. Researchers are finding
many culinary herbs contain antioxidants that
are protective against diseases such as cancer
and heart disease.

Herbs and spices have been used for cook-
ing, medicine, aromatherapy, pest control,
and decorations since the beginning of civi-
lization, but sometimes we may need a nudge
and tips on using them. Here are a few tips to
help you enjoy more flavor in your cooking.

1. Make herbs and spices more convenient
and accessible to you. Plant a small herb gar-
den in a raised bed or in pots. I love stepping
out the kitchen door for fresh green onion,
thyme, or rosemary.
2. Substitute dried herbs with fresh. A gen-
There are many fresh and dried herbs and spices to choose eral guide is 3 times as much fresh as you would use of the
from to make your food taste better. I remember growing dried herb. For example, if a recipe calls for ¼ - ½ teaspoon
up with our family using a few spices and herbs. Mama was ground dried herbs, you may substitute 1 teaspoon crum-
a wonderful cook. She flavored our food with onion, cay- pled dried herbs or 1 tablespoon fresh. Play around with
enne pepper, salt, sugar, black pepper, and a little oregano the amount to suit your family taste buds.
or basil in her spaghetti sauce. She also added cinnamon 3. If doubling a recipe, do not double the spices and herbs.
and nutmeg to desserts and sage to her homemade sausage, Increase by 1½ times, then taste and adjust as needed.
as well as mixed pickling spices in her sweet pickles. 4. To ensure best flavor and storage quality, purchase or
pick herbs close to the time you will use them. The opti-
In addition to using herbs and spices, Mama fried fatback, mum time to pick herbs from your home garden is after the
bacon, and streak-of-lean for flavoring vegetables. We morning dew has dried and before the sun gets hot.
know today those salt-fat choices are not healthy. Making 5. When storing fresh herbs in the refrigerator, poke a few
healthy food choices can be challenging in our fast-paced holes in a plastic bag, add the herbs, and place them in the
day and time. All sorts of things may intercept the best of crisper drawer. They will last a few days with this method.
intentions – stress, busy schedules, mood, skipping meals, 6. Wash herbs under running water just before using them.
not planning, fast food on every corner, vending machines, Shake off the moisture or spin-dry. Pat any remaining
and yes, the candy bowls at work. It’s so easy to grab-and- moisture with clean paper towels.
go. 7. Preserve the flavor of fresh herbs by adding toward the
end of cooking. Delicate herbs, like basil, can be added 1-2
Another thing we do is develop routines of choosing the minutes before the end of cooking or just before serving.
same foods to eat, cooking with the same recipes, and eat- Less delicate herbs like rosemary can be added during the
ing at the same restaurants. These are easy and comfort- last 20 minutes of cooking.
able, yet boring, decisions. By limiting our food choic- 8. Preserve those fresh herbs by freezing them. For more
es, we may also miss key nutrients critical for protection details, check out the National Center for Home Food Pres-
against chronic disease. ervation website - www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/herbs.
html.
Never fear! There is a delicious answer to our boring food 9. Check out medinsteadofmeds.com for recipes that use
decisions. Transform ordinary meals into extraordinary flavorful herbs and spices. My favorite taco seasoning rec-
with spices and fresh herbs. Herbs and spices provide a ipe, included here, is located on this website.

Page 42 Harnett Life ~ Winter2018