Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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It was my intention to be back with the Herb Snips column this month but life circumstances have changed that. My recovery from a broken leg and Mike's health issues will be ongoing for several months. Once we are on our feet we have decided to head in a new direction. We will sell our home and move closer to family. We will miss our dear friends and the amazing sense of community here in Tehachapi. There will be no replacing our wonder-filled home with its oaks hanging over the spacious deck...
On Nov. 4, while delivering Meals on Wheels I tripped on an uneven driveway. I fractured my femur and had to have surgery for a small break above the knee. During rehab it was further fractured and I had to have a second surgery on Nov. 13. I now have a top to bottom brace on the right leg and use a wheelchair for mobility going from bed to commode to chair. This is our world for the next several months. For Mike and I it is very difficult but doable. So many amazing people have stepped up to...
Shrubs are vibrantly flavorful drinking blends that are made with fruit, vinegar, sugar, herbs, spices and other flavorings. They are very popular and featured on many cocktail menus. Their versatility makes them a perfect holiday mixer for alcoholic and non-alcoholic libations. They are also excellent seasoning options for zingy sauces, salad dressings and such. Their history goes back a long way. The name was derived from the Arabic word "sharab" or "sharbah," both meaning drink. Between the...
Last month we explored some of the myriad herb teas and drinks in the non-alcoholic category. This time around we will consider alcoholic drinks that can be enhanced by adding herbs and spices. Using herbs in alcoholic drinks should not be a surprise to anyone. Many liqueurs such as Chartreuse, Benedictine, Drambuie, and Amaro originated in Italy and France during the 1800s. Chartreuse was created by monks who never shared the recipe which included 130 herbs. Benedictine in its original had 27...
Herb teas have been medicinally prominent since ancient times but the development and dominance of western medicine relegated them to a position of folklore for many years. The natural foods movement changed all that. There was a resurgence of interest in herb teas for good health and the industry was not found napping. Around 1970 Celestial Seasonings seized the opportunity to meet the call for variety by customers. They took it one step further by promoting the notion that an infusion of herb...
What is pesto? I had been asked this question so many times that I began to look and listen attentively when the word was used. I knew what pesto was, having written a book about it. It is a delicious sauce made by combining basil, garlic, hard cheese, nuts and olive oil. I found out why it was so puzzling when I looked at recipes that had pesto in their name but basil was not an ingredient. For shame! They were imposter sauces taking the name pesto in vain. I was intrigued. I watched the chefs...
I thought the essentials of an Italian herb garden were basil (basilico), parsley (prezzomolo), oregano (origano)and rosemary (rosmarino). I remember my friend's grandmother growing these in her garden in the 1950s in Flushing, New York. I loved to be in their house when the " sauce" was brewing. It was the tantalizing smell of fresh seasonings, tomatoes, onions and garlic that first turned me on to herbs and Italian food. When I was 9 years old my girlfriend's mother gave me my first Italian...
I wondered if it was true that basil grown in the Liguria region of Italy was the best in the world. For over 30 years I heard this from both the herb and culinary communities. I thought it might be just hearsay based on pride in a crop so much a part of the culture. The opportunity to go to Liguria and discover for myself was the fulfillment of a dream. Researching the weather of this region it seemed that not all areas of Liguria would be suitable for year-round basil growing, as I knew it....
Basil (Ocimum Basilicum) was deemed "king of herbs" in ancient times. Basilius is the Greek word for king! It was likely brought to Greece from India where it was, and still is revered and used in Hindu religious ceremonies. The French call it "herbe royal." American Indians used basil for decades before the colonists arrived with their seeds. By the late 1700s, basil appeared in advertisements in American newspapers, and was an important ingredient in many of their recipes. Today it is essentia...
Sorrel has been a favorite culinary herb in Europe for centuries. It leafs out in the early spring when the lemony taste is at its peak. The flavor dissipates and it becomes tough in the hot weather. Rumex acetosa, garden sorrel and the French, rumex sculatus are the best varieties for cooking. The latter has a stronger lemon taste, and is less acidic. Sorrel adds pungency to mixed green salads, vegetables, sandwiches, soups, egg dishes, soft cheese and sauces for strong meat and fish (recipe)....
Pasta is formed into many different shapes from dough that combines flour, water and/or eggs. The Chinese and Italians have a 4,000-year-old tradition of making it. The culture that was first is a matter of continuing debate. While visiting these two countries I was assured that each was the originator. I think you will agree that the resulting products are more important than "who done it." We will explore the characteristics, varieties, uses and preparation of this ancient food. The...
The word hop is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word hoppan, which means to climb. The hop vine (humulus lupulus) will spiral up 25-feet each growing season. Since it dies to the ground in the winter, its growth rate and pattern are amazing to watch. The hop plant is dioecious, which means the male and female parts exist on different plants. It is the flower (strobile) of the female plant that is harvested for beer making and most other uses we will discuss here. Since a pollenizer is not needed...
Comfrey, (Symphytum officinalis) is an ancient perennial herb. The Romans called it conferva meaning, "join together." This refers to its ability to heal bone fractures and skin wounds. There are many species but you should stick with the S. officinalis because some others are very poisonous. Even this species has its health cautions which we will discuss. Comfrey prefers a moist, rich soil and is deeply invasive. It will tolerate sun, but I find partial sun best in our summer heat and it cuts...
For our final venture into spice land we will explore blends. These are dried mixes that combine spices with herbs. Some are commonly used and others may surprise you. I hope they all will tickle your taste buds by enhancing the dishes they are used in. A homemade blend that I want to share is an all purpose blend for savory dishes. Savory is referring to dishes that are not desserts. I like it because you can make it ahead and vary the ingredients to accommodate the food you are preparing (see...
We will compare today's Christmas meal with the celebratory feast that Christ and his loved ones might have eaten. It will be interesting to see the comparative use of herbs and spices as well as the foods and preparation techniques. Pretend it is 25AD and you are in Israel about to attend a festive meal where Jesus is the honored guest. Since the host is wealthy you will enjoy a great variety of foods. Servants are the doers of the meal. Breads are made from wheat. The unleavened is fried...
Thymus is an herb with several hundred species. You can fill your garden with thyme plants that look, smell and taste different from one another. Thymus vulgaris, (garden thyme) is the standard for cooking. It tastes like a peppery cross between clove and oregano. Some tasty variations are lemon, lime, caraway, and orange. These may have only subtle differences, but the flavor and scent will persuade you. Some varieties are for ornamental use only. The creeping thymes, which carpet the ground...
It is not easy for a plant to remain popular when it smells so bad that it is nicknamed "Phu". Valerian (valeriana officinalis of the valerianaceae plant family) is just such a "survivor". The fetid odor is most pronounced when the roots and rhizome are dried so the casual grower may not notice the "dirty socks" stench. I emphasize the name because there is some confusion between this herb and the common garden plant called (valeriana, Jupiter's beard, devils beard and fox's brush). This is...
There are very few herb plants that I can't easily give away. White horehound (marrubium vulgare) is one of these! It is scorned and considered a weed by those who do not know of its historical and practical virtues. Let us look at this herb that grows so easily and is so disliked by many gardeners. It is an upright, bushy and hardy perennial with wooly stems and rounded hairy leaves that have serrated edges and a musky smell. The small white flowers grow in dense whorls (circular patterns)...
The answer is emphatically not sagebrush! This bush is in fact not salvia (sage) at all but an artemisia. The misnomer is probably because the scent is similar. I have not found an explanation for this naming error. Please let me know if you have. There are hundreds of artemisia species. The A. tridenta is the sagebrush we are so familiar with. Like most, it has a strong aroma and bitter taste due to its terpenoids and lactones. Some artemisia species have historically been used in Chinese medic...
In September 2015 we covered several commonly grown basils. This time around we will talk about some new varieties of Ocimum Basilicum that have distinctive qualities. I hope this information will peak your interest to try at least one of these unique basils. I mentioned in the 2015 column that I was growing pesto perpetuo basil because it did not flower and was said to be rabbit and deer resistant. This means you do not have to pinch off flowers to keep ahead of the plant bolting to seed....
Many herbs grow naturally and go unnoticed in Tehachapi because they blend into the landscape and we have become accustomed to their subtle beauty. We are unacquainted with their history and myriad uses. I hope to correct that and encourage you to take a fresh look at several of these delightful and beneficial plants. "Use" is the key word when it comes to defining an herb. Webster states that an herb is a plant that is "valued for its medicinal properties, flavor or scent". Let us look at some...
Tangy is the perfect descriptive word for French tarragon! It tastes like anise, pepper, licorice, mint and pine. The botanical name, artemisia dracunculus var. sativa, is the plant to buy. It has a zesty flavor that chefs appreciate. Food writer Craig Claiborne calls it “seductive and satisfying”. It has been used in cooking for 2000 years. Do not confuse it with Russian tarragon, which does not have the same pungent taste. This aromatic herb derives its name from the French “es...
