By Lorraine Kiefer There is a chill in the air, it is time to make soup and bake pies. Adding herbs and spices not only makes the kitchen smell good, it adds some delicious flavor. Top chicken soup with a handful of fresh green parsley, top mushroom or tomato soup with sour cream and lots of chopped fresh dill. Roast...
By Lorraine Kiefer
There is a chill in the air, it is time to make soup and bake pies. Adding herbs and spices not only makes the kitchen smell good, it adds some delicious flavor. Top chicken soup with a handful of fresh green parsley, top mushroom or tomato soup with sour cream and lots of chopped fresh dill. Roast root vegetables with a sprinkle or rosemary is wonderful too. Sprinkle cinnamon on apples both in pies and those baked or simply stewed or cooked in the microwave. Grow a few fresh green herbs in a sunny window and stock some fresh spices now.
Many times people ask the difference between a spice and an herb. I usually say that an herb is the green leafy part of a plant that is pungent, fragrant and tasty. Many herbs are used for cooking, medicine, crafts or fragrance. On the other hand, spices are usually brown or some other earthy shade and come from the bark, seeds, root or fruit of a plant. They are usually used dried and are rather hard, thus they are often ground or crushed. Most are used for cooking or medicine, once in a while for crafts, and sometimes even for fragrances or bathing.
The spice cinnamon is a favorite for pies, apples and other fruits, coffee, chocolate, cakes and cookies. Herbs and spices are often regional, but most were originally found growing in different areas and were taken to a new home by traders or soldiers. Spices are mentioned in ancient writings including the Bible and Middle Eastern documents. Many of our most popular herbs and spices were brought to this country by the settlers. There are however many native plants such as blueberries, cranberries, elderberry, chokeberry and others that were used both for culinary and medicinal reasons. Actually our country was founded because people were looking for a 'spice route'.
During the Middle Ages, at the time of the Crusades many spices were first introduced to Europe. People soon developed a fondness for these exotic flavors. They became so much in demand that explorers were promised great rewards for finding a route (spice route) to places where the spices grew.
Probably one of the most popular of spices, especially this time of the year, is cinnamon. Actually it is the bark of low-growing evergreen bush called Cinnamomum zeylanicum, a native of Sri Lanka. It is peeled from the branches in strips and dried. It was first used in many Middle Eastern dishes as well as Indian and Asian cooking. Not used in Europe until the Middle Ages it was very popular at first, only to be usurped by pepper. It is still a favorite for pies, apples and other fruits, coffee, chocolate, cakes and cookies.
Another spice used in many autumn pies, cookies, and other dishes is the clove. The name clove comes from the Latin word clavus which means nail, because the clove bud looks like a nail. The clove tree Eugenic aromatica is a native of south east Asia and grows in tropical climate near the sea. The spice comes from the young unopened flower bud that has been dried.
Ginger comes from the root of the ginger plant Zingiber officinalis and is a native of the damp, tropical jungles of Southeast Asia. We might wonder at the fact that it was one of the earliest spices imported into Europe by way of the caravan routes. It was much later that the Spanish took it to the West Indies in the 16th century. Plants were moved about in those days with settlements. In Medieval Europe, ginger was regarded as an essential ingredient in most meat dishes as well as in breads, cakes, cookies and even beverages. It is said to help in settling the stomach and aiding digestion. Ground ginger is added to the fall favorite, ginger snap cookies, and a popular soda is ginger ale.
No spice cabinet would be complete without pepper. The peppercorns used ground on food are from Piper nigrum, not the pepper we grow in the garden from the Capsicum family. Native to the Malabar coast in southeast India this also found its way to Europe and was a very valuable commodity, used at one time to pay taxes and rents. The peppercorn will keep indefinitely before being ground and can be found in black, white, green and red.
Paprika is actually made from the fruit of the plant that we know as pepper in our garden. The dried and ground red peppers are from Capsicum tetragonum.
Although many of the spices grow only in tropical places, one plant, horseradish, Amoracia rusticana is a hardy perennial native to the cold Northern and Eastern European countries. The root is used and ground to flavor foods. It was used in olden times as it contained vitamin C and other nutrients. I grow lots of this one in my garden.
Today it takes only a trip to and herb shop or supermarket to obtain a powder, root or seed that might grow in some tropical island or mountainous rain forest valley. Adding spices to food adds a bit of adventure to the meal. So when you eat the all American pumpkin pies this autumn, remember that the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and all spice that we often take for granted were grown in far away exotic places and were greatly valued by those early Americans.
Sign up for some holiday classes now. See a spice demonstration and taste hot mulled cider and spice cookies at the annual Christmas open house the last two weekends in November. Check out many recipes on my website tripleoaks.com.
Harvest Ginger Snaps
Beat: 1 1/3 cups sugar, 3/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup light molasses and 1 egg.
Add: 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 2 tsps. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. cloves, 1 tsp. ginger and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Refrigerate one hour. Shape i nto 1 1/4-inch bars. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Spring with chopped nuts if desired.
Lorraine Kiefer is the owner and operator of Triple Oaks Nursery in Franklinville. She can also be reached by e-mail at Lorraine@tripleoaks.
