Archive for the ‘Herbs’ Category

Sage Sizzle…No Shizzle!

Posted 25 Feb 2011 — by chefshirle
Category Gardening, Herbs, Organic Gardening, Organic Produce, Vegan, Vegetarian

I had a bumper crop of Sage last fall. It seemed such a waste to just let it die off as winter approached and, as you might know, I have an issue with “wasting” herbs. (see my “Herb Preserve” post to see how far I’ve gone to save some herbage)

Anyway, I noticed the trend of frying herbs about 2 years ago and hadn’t yet experimented with this idea until last fall.

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Mummified Herb Preserve

Posted 31 Oct 2008 — by chefshirle
Category Herbs

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It’s a hard thing to do. Waving a big “good-bye” to summers bounty of fresh herbs. I was not looking forward to parting with my basil and mint crop over the winter, so I started searching for options to help me with my herb withdrawals.

Somehow, I am not even sure how, I came across an article about freezing herbs in salt to keep them for use over the winter. The sound of fresh herbs buried in salt sounded not-so-appealing to me. Would they become dry as a fallen leaf? Would they retain the flavor of their sodium captors? The questions had me curious.

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Eating Off The Land…or attempts at an organic backyard garden.

Posted 23 Oct 2008 — by chefshirle
Category Compost, Durham NC, Herbs, Organic Gardening

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Do any of you know that person who can grow anything, anywhere with little to no effort? My Mom is one of those people. She can pick a sprig of who-knows-what off the parking lot of the Home Depot, stick it in some dirt at home and the next thing you know, there’s a tree! Really.

I, on the other hand, have not been that successful of a farmer (except for all the cacti I have, which are hard to kill).  As a kid we always had a garden. Didn’t matter where, my Mom always planted one where ever we lived and it always thrived.

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Spices & Herbs 101

Posted 10 Mar 2008 — by chefshirle
Category Herbs, Kitchen Tips, Spices

Spices- beauty shot

Confused by coriander? Stumped by savory? What is the dif between dried and fresh in the herb world? Well, hopefully this tiny tutorial might help ease your fear of flavorful spices and herbs. It’s easy to add flavor to a recipe without adding salt or sugar, simply use herbs and spices to contribute color, savory taste and sensational aroma, without adding the fat and sodium. So let’s get spicy!

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