About Culinary Herbs
by: cmac1 | Total views: 66 | Word Count: 577 | View PDF | Print View
Over the last few years there has been an increased awareness of herbs. The health conscious have discovered that herbs contain neither calories nor fat – very useful if you are watching your weight! Many have also discovered that herbs and spices can be used to replace salt in their day to day cooking.
When using herbs as a seasoning it is important to use them sparingly, herbs are supposed to enhance the dish not dominate it!
One of the additional pleasures of herbs is that many of them can be home grown, even if you don’t have a garden, plant pots on a windowsill or a window box can provide more than enough space to provide you with the basis of a good selection.
The best time to harvest your herbs is, first thing in the morning, after the dew has gone but before the sun has chance to heat up the plants and the essential oils in the leaves begin to evaporate. Carefully remove the leaves without bruising or damaging them in any way and discard any which are discoloured.
As the flavour of the herbs will quickly start to disappear, use them straight away. If you need to store them for a few hours, first clean and dry the leaves, then place them in a perforated plastic bag, so that they can breathe, and put them in the fridge. For longer periods the herbs can be frozen (either whole or chopped).
One novel way of storing herbs, or your favourite blend of herbs, is to spoon the herbs into an ice cube tray, add water and freeze. Then when you are making your favourite soup or casserole, simply add an ice cube or two!!
Although fresh herbs may be preferred it is not always possible to use them, so it is always useful to keep a good supply of the dried variety on hand. As the flavour of dried herbs tends to be concentrated it is a good rule of thumb is to substitute 1 teaspoon of crumbled or ¼ teaspoon of powdered herbs for each tablespoon of fresh herbs required.
As well as adding herbs directly to a dish, herbal flavours can also be added in different ways, such as infused oils or vinegars.
Making your own herbal vinegar at home is great fun, however a word of caution – do not attempt to make your own herbal oils there is a chance that botulism can be introduce to the oil so stick to the professionally made oils.
One final thought – food should be fun – there is no point in following somebody’s recipe to the letter if you don’t like the end result – so experiment and go with what YOU like.
A Few Tips
• Try drying herbs on racks, slats or upside down by their stems.
• For best drying, place your herbs in a well ventilated, dry, cool environment. Ensure that you have plenty of air space and turn every few days.
• Another alternative to drying is using the microwave by laying the herbs out on absorbent paper cooking on low for 3 minutes. Please check your microwave manual for warnings against drying herbs!
• A dehydrator is also an option.
• The best time to pick the leaves or flower buds is when they start to unfurl.
• Try to harvest your herbs shortly after the morning sun as the herbs are most potent then. Seeds must be collected when they turn brown and brittle.
• Never pick herbs in wet or humid conditions.
About the Author
Chris McAndrew is part of the Spinney Kitchen family. He spends much of his spare time growing the herbs, fruit and spices which go into Spinney Kitchen produce.
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