Jazz up summer meats with fresh rosemary

Posted on June 12, 2012 by bilrob

Jazz up summer meats with fresh rosemary

Summer is a perfect time to start experimenting with fresh herbs in your recipes, and rosemary is a great herb to launch that experimentation.

Rosemary is a hearty herb that originated in the Mediterranean, and it’s easy to grow at home. It loves sunshine and can thrive in your backyard or on a sunny window sill.

In ancient times rosemary leaves were used to scent soap and sprigs were placed on soldiers graves as a sign of remembrance. Today we use rosemary leaves (as well as other herbs) to jazz up food without adding salt; high levels of sodium intake can lead to fluid retention and increased blood pressure.

Besides a bold flavor, rosemary has antioxidants that help promote healthy body cells and contain disease-fighting properties. Rosemary, for instance, can help protect against inflammation and oxidative stress, which are risk factors for cancer and heart disease.

Rosemary’s floral yet earthy notes make it versatile and able to lend distinct flavor to a range of savory and sweet dishes. Toss the leaves into soups, sauces, vegetables, potatoes, rice or stuffing, even fruit salad and chocolate tarts; add it a little at a time as rosemary has a strong taste.

Stir chopped rosemary to bread batter, or brush commercially prepared rolls with olive oil, sprinkle with the leaves and bake for aromatic bread that will entice your taste buds.

You can also use whole sprigs to infuse vinegar or olive oil that can then be used for salad dressings or marinades.

Rosemary can add a layer of flavor to grilled meat and fish. Prepare an Italian rub using rosemary, oregano, basil, garlic and parsley and sprinkle it on chicken, beef, pork, seafood or veal before grilling.

That same rub can be used to spice up almonds; toss the nuts with a bit the mixture and some olive oil and bake until fragrant. Use the nuts in salads or enjoy as a snack.

Try this recipe: Rosemary and fresh fruit combine in a nice salsa for grilled salmon.

• Toby Smithson, a registered dietitian, works for the Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center and is a national spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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Your favorite herbs

Posted on June 3, 2012 by bilrob

Your favorite herbs

Herbs – Most people can instantly name their favorite wild animal: a giant tiger, a sleek python, a cuddly panda or a playful otter. The reason they state the affinity for the beings are many: a quality that the animal seems to imbibe, the habitat they live in or just the marvel of their physical attributes. After all who wouldn’t want to swim like a dolphin, soar like a condor or live in the rainforest canopy? But if you ask most people what their favorite herb is, the answers are slow to come, or something sarcastic about the one that is smokable. The answer comes slowly to me, too, not because I don’t know, but because I just can’t choose. The herbs in my garden bring me year-round beauty, joy and wonder.

Spring: In the herb garden, the lemon balm is the first to poke its leaves out from under the straw. Dark green and vibrant, it beckoned me to pick a leaf and sniff it. It whispered of bees and new batches of tea. Then came the Baikal skullcap, next the oregano and, finally, new bluish-green leaves at the base of the lavender emerged. Oh, and somewhere in there came the spearmint creeping into areas it shouldn’t. Clary Sage, too, begins popping up all over in sometimes very unusual places, not limiting itself to any garden at all. The patch of calendula, once again reseeded itself so well the young plants, practically form a mat. Once again, the growing season is on and these plants seem to thrive in Flagstaff’s unique growing environment.

Summer: Summer is the time for fresh herbs; calendula petals for salads, spearmint leaves for mojitos, lemon balm leaves for teas, oregano for savory sauces, lavender flowers in lemonade. The calendula I grow came originally from seeds from Thunderfoot Earthworks in the Verde Valley. The flower colors are the most vibrant shades of yellow and orange. So vibrant, they would be garish as clothing (unless you are a Lily Pulitzer fan). I happily get lost gazing at all the color variations: plain yellow, plain orange, orange centers with yellow rays, yellow centers with orange rays. Every year, I try to decide which combo is my favorite as I cut the flower heads for drying.

Somewhere around early to mid summer, I begin harvesting the herbs in earnest. For the oregano, lemon balm and spearmint, I dry the leaves, preferably before they begin flowering. To dry the herbs, cut sprigs of leaves, bundle them together with an elastic band and hang them upside down in a cool, dark room.

Fall: Somewhere after the hubbub of the new school year quiets down, I begin to strip the dried leaves for storage. The aromas of dried plants are pungent. Oregano has a slightly hairy feel and an earthy smell. Spearmint smells so strong it commands attention. Lavender flowers are slow to strip off the stem. It takes a lot of sprigs to get enough flowers. The calendula flowers are somewhat faded when dried but still stunning. Store the herbs in glass containers that are absolutely dry (even a little moisture can create a moldy, unusable mess) in a cool, dark place. Harvest enough for a year’s use.

Winter: Winter time is tea time. Sitting by the fire and drinking in favorite combinations of dried herbs, mixing my herbs with ones bought at Winter Sun. It is a time for making salves, shampoos and facial steam mixes. Outside all signs of the herbs greenery are gone, hidden under snow and frozen in the ground. But soon enough, the tender shoots or new seedlings will emerge starting the whole cycle over again.

I really am hard pressed to pick a favorite, and these are only the ones that I grow. This morning, it is lemon balm — its leaves looking so juicy and sweet. By midsummer it may be the purple blossoms of the dolphins-shaped skullcap or the heady scent of clary sage. Herbs, especially the mint family, grow easily and well in Flagstaff, despite drought, freezing and monsoons. Plant them yourself and find your favorite.

Ann Brown is a Master Gardener who is married with two daughters, a dog, a cat, and eight chickens, and who has a passion for herbs. Dana Prom Smith edits Gardening Etcetera, blogs at http://highcountrygardener.blogspot.com and emails at stpauls@npgcable.com.

Bill & Sheila’s A-Z of herbs

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Natural herbs can help fight outdoor insect pests

Posted on June 2, 2012 by bilrob

Natural herbs can help fight outdoor insect pests

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) – Now that summer is here many families will spend a good amount of time barbequing and enjoying the outdoors. Pests like mosquitos and gnats can ruin any family get together, but now they don’t have to thanks to things you can possibly find right in your backyard.

You can say goodbye to those pesky bugs just by picking up a few extra ingredients all while loading up on your hot dogs and hamburgers.

Eric Baker – Owner, Baker Garden and Gift: “There’s definitely natural things, and a lot of the natural repellents you buy off the shelves as far as repellents a lot of them are based off of a natural material we can grow here locally.”

Eric Baker, Owner of Baker Garden and Gift says herbs like lemon sage and rosemary confuse the bugs sensors and will have them flying away for good.

Eric Baker: “Pluck off two or three stems and you know crush them or rub them up between your hands and not only are they going to release oils in the air, but they are going to release oils on your hands and that is going to be and you are going to detract insects just with that.”

This au natural route is so simple all you have to do is buy or grow the herbs then set them in a glass or chop them up and put them next to your grill. The natural herbs won’t only keep the bugs and mosquitos away, all you have to do is pull some off, add it to your food to make for a more flavorful meal.

Eric Baker: “Thyme is an excellent one that people use in marinades, so they might marinate their meat.”

For things like aggressive bees and hornets, it’s best to lure them away. You can get something like this wasp trap.

Eric Baker: “Probably do is fill this up with a liquid, and it could be a soda pop, you know something that is going to be sugary, and then crawl up in the center of this guy and then they are kind of locked.”

One thing to remember, anywhere you put the trap bees will come, so make sure to keep it far away from the fun.

Eric Baker: “You want to put it off to the side, you know maybe on the side of the garage where you’re not going to spend a lot of time.”

This summer as you’re shopping for new plants or even your favorite barbecue treats, make sure to take a spin in the herb isle to ensure a bug free summer.

Baker says another thing to make sure you have a bug-free summer is keep your yard groomed by picking up pet waste and making sure all garbage is put away.

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Spring Vegetable Soup - Irish style

Posted on May 18, 2012 by bilrob

Spring Vegetable Soup – Irish style

When I asked Darina Allen — chef, cookbook author and director of the legendary Irish cooking school Ballymaloe — what the secret to great cooking is, her sky-blue eyes lit up.

She smiled and said brightly: “It’s really quite simple — you start with what’s coming up in the garden.”

There is nothing greener or fresher than Ireland’s County Cork in spring. That’s where I recently met up with Allen, the Alice Waters of Europe.

I walked with her through one of the beautiful gardens that dot her family’s manor hotel and farm in search of fresh spinach and rosemary for her easy Spinach Soup with Rosemary Croutons and other delicious recipes.

She snipped crisp arugula and fresh mint to flavor a light fish soup and plucked dandelion greens from the yard for a salad.

At Ballymaloe, cooking lessons begin in the garden.

“If you teach people to grow their own food, they appreciate it all the more,” Allen told me.

“They start to understand the value of eating seasonally, locally and organically. I try to explain that if you pick food at the right time, it should taste perfect — it shouldn’t need a lot of other flavors or complicated cooking.”

The food coming out of Ballymaloe is a far cry from the cabbage and corned beef Americans typically associate with Ireland.

Light delicious salads, creamy soups, roast duck and more are served in the gardens on tables with checked blue tablecloths.

Now that I’m home, I’m heading to the season’s first farmers market to look for asparagus, Bibb lettuce and other ingredients to make some fresh spring recipes.

But even before I do that, I’m getting out the shovel and plan to dedicate 10 square feet of my yard to a kitchen garden.

SPINACH SOUP WITH ROSEMARY CROUTONS

Croutons:

2 cups ½-inch cubes country-style sourdough bread

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

Soup:

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups diced peeled red potatoes

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth or water

6 cups fresh spinach or chard leaves, tough stems removed

Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

To prepare croutons: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss bread cubes, oil, garlic and rosemary in a large bowl until well combined. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare soup: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Pour in broth (or water). Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Stir in spinach (or chard) and continue to simmer until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes more. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender (in batches), leaving it a little chunky if desired. (Use caution when puréeing hot liquids.)

Serve the soup garnished with nutmeg, if desired, and topped with the croutons.

Makes 6 appetizer servings, 1 cup each.

Nutrition information per serving: 169 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 4 g mono); 5 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 6 g protein; 2 g fiber; 578 mg sodium; 334 mg potassium

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Soup recipes with Bill & Sheila

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Common herbs can provide good taste, good health

Posted on April 4, 2012 by bilrob

Common herbs can provide good taste, good health

Last week, I wrote on the health benefits of certain spices and foods in our common pantry, however, there are some of the most common kitchen herbs that need to be recognized. They not only help your meals taste great, they also have incredible healing properties.

Here are some of my favorite kitchen garden herbs and their benefits to you. Last year, I had a great time growing these in my garden and selling them fresh at the market. Look for fresh, chemical-free herbs this year at market as well.

• Parsley: Parsley is one of the richest sources of vitamin C. It is also a wonderful source of Vitamins A, K and folic acid. And did you know that the leaves and roots of parsley can be used for urinary tract infections?

The root is especially good to help dissolve and expel stones and gravel. All parts are good for digestive weakness and bronchial and lung congestion. It is a wonderful diuretic, meaning it is helpful in ridding the body of excess water. Parsley’s volatile oils — particularly myristicin — have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Vitamin C-rich foods, such as parsley, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

Add more parsley to your food and make a tea by pouring a cup of boiling water onto 1-2 teaspoons of the leaves or roots and let infuse for 5 to 10 minutes. Drink three times a day, for extreme medicinal effect.

• Sage: Do you know that the Chinese have traded green tea for sage for years? They are wise enough to know the benefits of these ancient kitchen herbs. Its reputation as a panacea is even represented in its scientific name, Salvia officinalis, derived from the Latin word, salvere, which means “to be saved.”

Increased intake of sage as a seasoning in food is recommended for people with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, as well as bronchial asthma and atherosclerosis.

Having trouble remembering things? Research published in the June 2003 issue of Pharmacological Biochemical Behavior confirms that of all the herbs, sage is an outstanding memory enhancer.

For menopausal women, sage eliminates night sweats, cold sweats and hot flashes. It regulates hormonal changes, eases irritated nerves and banishes depression.

It can also relieve dizziness, trembling and emotional swings. It eliminates headaches, strengthens the liver, aids digestion and decreases excess gas. Best of all, sage actually bestows extra decades of life on its users. It is antiseptic to most bacteria inside and on your body, and is filled with anti-oxidants that retard wrinkle and grey hair, prevent cancer and it provides much needed minerals.

As a medicine, you can make sage tea by infusing 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf in one cup of hot water, drink up to 8 times a day. Do not drink as a tea excessively over a long period of time, as the essential oils in sage can accumulate in the kidneys and liver.

• Rosemary: Is there anything better than lamb cooked with some fresh sprigs of rosemary? Well, there’s more to this herb than meets the eye.

Rosemary has a toning and calming effect on digestion. Rosemary also has calming effects by working against fatigue, sadness, anxiety, calming muscle soreness, digestive pains and indigestion caused by stress. It can treat premature baldness, acting as a hair growth stimulant when applied to the scalp as an infused oil.

One cup of rosemary tea is as effective as aspirin for headaches and other inflammatory symptoms, including arthritis. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. In addition, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration.

Heidi Harrabi is manager of the Austin Area Farmers Market. Her column appears weekly in the Austin Post-Bulletin.

Bill & Sheila’s A-Z of herbs

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