I bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil recently and when I opened the jar, although the top popped, the contents fizzed up and over the sides of the jar. I discarded the contents, but wondered if the fizzing meant there was something wrong with the contents or is this normal? I have read that botulism can be a problem with garlic in oil, and there was garlic listed on the ingredients list. JW

Yikes! I would say the fizzing was a definite indicator that something went wrong in the canning process. It was most likely the tomatoes rather than the garlic but it is due to the same problem: too much moisture giving botulism a place to grow.

 

I have been growing 4 trees which were given to me as seeds. I was told that they were nutmeg, but upon researching nutmeg, these trees in no way resemble it! The leaves bear a slight resemblance to marijuana leaves, have red blooms which produce a round seed which is first green and as it grows turns yellow. Within this contains 4 seeds. Do you know what this could be? Thanks for any help, R

You're right, that's not nutmeg as we know it. Your best bet would be to snip a branch with leaves and flowers and take it to a local nursery that specializes in trees. Maybe they can help you identify it.

 

Is Cuban oregano edible? Are there photos and descriptions of all varieties? Is it true there are 40 varieties?

Cuban oregano is indeed edible. Read more about it and finds links to photographs in the article "Herb of the Year 2005: Oregano, Family and Friends."

 

Can you tell me the actual dry measurement in a packet of Sazon Goya - Culantro y Achiote? DS

I can't tell you the "actual" measurement but I will venture a guess. Weighing out 1.4 ounces of Kosher salt came to 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. I'll bet this is close.

 

My question is: How many crocus does it take to yield one gram of Saffron? thank you DF

It takes 70,000 flowers to produce a pound of saffron. According to my calculations it would take about 150 flowers to produce one gram. No wonder the stuff is so expensive!

 

Here is a story your site and readers may enjoy: When my grandchild Ruby was 3 years old, she overheard a conversation I was having with her mother one morning. Mother asked me to sniff the odor of a new herbal medication she had been prescribed; I told her it smelled like asafoetida. At which Ruby piped up to say, No it doesn't, it smells like fenugreek. her mother and I burst out laughing--was there another 3 year old in the US who knew what fenugreek smells like? But the she lives in San Francisco, the land of infant gourmets. MN

Thanks for sharing your story with us. I can't help but wonder how many grown-ups in the US know what fenugreek smells like.

 

I am looking for instructions about how long fruits are good for after being frozen. My big question is will dry ice prevent the berries from thawing mushy. SM

You can store fruits for up to a year in the freezer. Since the changes to the berries texture takes place upon freezing because of the water in them expanding, I don't think using dry ice would would make much difference.

 

I wish Portuguese was on your herbs list! Thanks JG

Ah, wishes really do come true. See "Another Multi-Lingual Herb and Spice Index" for Portuguese as well as Russian, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese.

 

What happens to the nutritional content of bananas once frozen? JJ

Seems to me it would stay the same since you aren't changing anything but the texture.

 

back to top

What spice can be used to substitute juniper berry? JB

Juniper berry is a such a distinctive flavor (rather like gin) that I don't think you will get that taste from any other plant. Depending on the recipe, you might try adding a bit of gin or just leaving it out all together. You could also try going for a different flavor like marjoram, thyme or rosemary, again depending on your recipe.

 

I just purchased a bag of Menudo Mix (oregano, onion, chile & lemon peel. ) thinking it was for salads. After looking at it I am wondering if that is it's proper use. Can you help me? Thank you, JH

Your menudo mix sounds like a nice mixture of herbs for a soup or a salad. The traditional menudo is a spicy stew made of tripe (animal stomach lining) and hominy (lye-soaked corn).  Some folks swear by it as a hangover cure.

 

I am trying to find the research that says why people have an aversion to the taste of cilantro...I understand it is because those with an aversion do not produce the enzyme necessary to digest it, hence it tastes like soapy. Can you help? JJ

You already know more about it than I do! Although I have often quoted this fact, I never thought about the science behind it.  Now I'm curious and will look for more information but meanwhile, anyone out there know why?

 

I live in CA, but have been to Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca many times when my son-in-law attended Cornell and I visited...I just purchased Maranatha organic roasted tahini and want to make baba ganoosh...which I am unsure I'm spelling incorrectly. It is a mixture of roasted egg plant, tahini and lemon and fresh garlic. I have three Moosewood cook books, but this recipe is not in them. Can you help? KC

If you have the Enchanted Broccoli Forest, check out the recipe for Spicy Eggplant Puree. I found another simple one in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone that combines a roasted eggplant with 3 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup tahini and the juice of a lemon. Season it with salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. In Mediterranean Light, Martha Rose Shulman uses 2 eggplants, 1 lemon, 2 cloves of garlic and lightens it up by using 4 Tablespoons of plain yogurt and only 2 Tablespoons of tahini. She also adds a tomato and a green pepper. By the way, Deborah spells it Baba Ghanoush and Martha Rose spells it Baba Ghanouj.

 

Good afternoon, Could you give me an idea where I might find the ISBN for an old Sunset book on making curries and curry powders. Regards, JN

That's a tough one if you don't have the specific title. Check with the folks at Jessica's Biscuit, a major online cookbook shop. I found quite a few books about curry from Sunset there but most were recently published.

 

Hi. My wife is interested in taking curcumin, what % of curcumin is there in Tumeric? Thanks, regards TT

The short answer is: I don't know. The long answer is: I try really hard not to give information that may be used for medicinal purposes rather than culinary. Please follow this link Just the Facts for information without hype on herbal supplements of all kinds. For cooking with the spice, be sure to see "All About Turmeric."

 

Where are Chives grown? When are they harvested? What variations are sold? Give me some history on the food? Does it have any mythological or mystical features? What type of nutrition does it provide? HC

 I trust you have read All About Chives. Chives are native to Europe and Asia but are cultivated all over the world today. I have seen regular chives, garlic chives and a fat-leaf chive that is good for freezing. Freeze-dried chives are a common commodity. They have been used as a food for 5000 years but are rarely considered a medicinal herb. Chives may be snipped from the plant (about 2 inches from the ground) anytime after the plant is six inches tall. They can be grown year around if brought indoors during the cold season. Otherwise they will die back and go dormant for winter. Chives have been thought to drive away evil spirits and disease when clumps are hung in the home. Nutritional information about herbs is difficult to come by so I am uncertain on that subject.

 

Do you have recipes using epazote? M

I have only recently begun experimenting with this delightful herb. Although I haven't written any recipes with epazote yet, I love adding it to beans and stews. Rick Bayless' cookbook Mexico, One Plate at a Time puts the herb to good use. Update: Introducing "All About Epazote."

 

What type of herbs and spices were used during the time of the Louisiana Purchase? Thanks for your help. J

The spice trade was alive and well in 1803 America. Black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger were typical spices.  Thomas Jefferson is known to have served ice cream flavored with vanilla beans and sesame seed cookies. Many herbs were grown in home gardens including sage, mustard and dill.

 

Turmeric and tumeric. Are they one and the same, just two different spellings? Or are they two different herbs/spices all together?? txj

I believe they are one and the same with turmeric being the correct spelling. Funny, I had never noticed this discrepancy before receiving your question. Then, the very next day I was given a beautiful plate with different Indian spices illustrated and spelled out. It was spelled "tumeric." One source I checked listed the spice as Turmeric but misspelled it once as tumeric in the text. There is no entry for tumeric in the dictionary.

 

I have been told that fenugreek has many medicinal purposes. I am taking it in pill form for fibromyalgia and weight loss.  Am I wasting my time? It is also supposed to give me energy and loss of appetite. Please give me info. Thank you..Peggy

These are questions you really should ask your doctor or a holistic practitioner, Peggy.  Here at aPinchOf I go out of my way NOT to offer advice on using herbs for health simply because I am not an expert on this aspect. You can find out more information about the spice in general at All About Fenugreek.

 

How are sesame seeds hulled?  LD

I loved this question! It had never occurred to me how they might do it although I have always heard the term.  The procedure may be done chemically or mechanically and varies from country to country.  The chemical process is much quicker, apparently, and the seeds are soaked in caustic soda.  The mechanical procedure involved soaking the seeds and then applying some sort of friction and, perhaps, steam.  An Indian method requires soaking the seeds for 10 to 12 hours before pounding with wooden hammers.  Other methods use a sort of stone grinder that crushes the hulls.  The seeds can be dried in the sun or in mechanical dryers.  For home hulling, I found a website from the University of California-Davis that illustrates a device for hulling grains like rice, millet and sesame seeds.  It looks an awful lot like a meat grinder to me.

 

I see all the different grades of olive oil on the shelves. What is the difference in them and what are the uses for them?

Olive oil grades, extra-virgin, mild and so on, are based on which "pressing" the oil comes from. Pressing is when the olives pass through the grinding stone and the oil is extracted. Extra-virgin is the first pressing resulting in a very green oil with the most flavor and least oleic acid. After the first "cold" press, heat or chemicals may be applied resulting in the various other grades. Like wine grapes, olives vary from region to region and the best way to find your favorite is to taste. In Italy this is done with a fettunta, or an oiled slice--grilled bread rubbed with garlic and doused with a new oil. As a general rule in my kitchen, I keep both extra-virgin and mild olive oils on hand. For salad dressings or as a final garnish, I use the extra-virgin but if I will be using it for cooking, I use the mild. Heat will break down the delicacy of the extra-virgin oil and sometimes make it bitter. For more information on olive oils, visit the olive oil source site.

 

 

Copyright 1999-2015 A Pinch Of... All rights reserved