Herbs Season Food To Perfection

 

Culinary Herbs Flavor Foods

Herbs used in cooking are distinguished from vegetables and are used in small amounts to flavor foods without adding additional calories can be beneficial to health. Scented herbs include popular fragrances lavender, lemon balm, sage, and mint typically used in cooking seasoning foods to add more flavor. Aromatic herb blends can be made into potpourri, oils, and lotions or consumed in the diet by adding microgreens to any dish. Cooking with herbs can reduce salt intake making a huge difference in your weight, and lowering water retention in your body. Reducing fluid retention helps your body rid itself of water weight.  Herbs have been used for thousands of years adding flavorful seasoning to many delicious meals. Flavoring savory recipes with fresh herbs is a nutritious way to spice up any dish without adding extra calories. 

When cooking with herbs, add them to the dish at the end of the cooking time maintaining the intensity of flavor, delicate flavors will not be lost during food preparation. Herbs are plants high in nutrition value including protective combinations of polyphenols plant compounds with potent anti-inflammatory properties. Herbs are aromatic plants with a savory essence used to garnish or flavor food. When consumed for dietary micronutrients some plants have photochemical compounds that have effects on the body often consumed to improve nutrition. Fresh herbs can add extraordinary flavor to any dish without adding calories while seasoning foods.  Herbs can be grown in a garden in large quantities or in small pots during the growing season to provide fresh herbs for cooking purposes. One basil plant is cost-effective providing enough basil during the season to add to recipes, sauces, stew, and pesto.

Drying Herbs

Dry cut herbs in bunches tied with twine then hung on a drying rack until needed for cooking.

Nord Eagle Wooden Herb Dryer 6 x 8 decorative wall plaque dries flowers, spices and herbs includes 5 hook bonus with twine makes drying herbs a breeze in small quantities.  Preserve the bounty of your garden using a natural wood dryer, a perfect addition to any gardener's kitchen. Hand-harvested bunches of fresh herbs upside down until the herbs are completely dry then transfer the herbs to storage containers for later use. Fresh culinary herbs can be purchased at your local grocery store in the produce aisle; dried herbs can be found in the spice section.

Cooking With Herbs

Grilling is a favorite pastime shared across the globe using various cooking methods in which live fire and smoke cook food to perfection. Americans enjoy the tradition of grilling outdoors savior the distinctive roasted flavors in each dish. In 2019 36 billion US dollars worth of barbecues and grills were purchased in the United States an increase from 1.21 billion in 2009. Grilling flavorful foods has gained popularity among adults using barbecue methods to enhance the style of cooking creating unique dishes particular to specified regions.

Classic American barbecue often involves grilling meats, steak, hot dogs, and hamburgers continues in 2021 even as many diets change people are grilling veggie burgers, grilled vegetables, and grilled desserts 88 percent of US consumers continue to grill meat or steaks. Create unique flavorful foods using traditional cooking techniques grilling over direct heat usually over a hot fire at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) for a few minutes until the desired doneness is achieved. Bold & Healthy flavors cookbook now available in paperback and ebook features easy to make 450 recipes including salmon with yogurt-tahini sauce to Chicken Chipotle.  The recipes are packed with flavor that represents all types of international cuisine including the Mediterranean, Latin American, Asian Greek, Indian all healthy recipes that impart low-fat cooking methods using spices, herbs, heart-healthy oils, marinades, and stocks to develop delicious flavors in every dish, healthy enough to eat every day.

The Health Benefits of eating chicken is enormous as a rich source of low-fat lean protein that contributes to muscle growth and development consumed as a highly digestible protein of good nutritional quality.  Bold & Healthy cookbook now available in paperback and ebook features easy to make 450 recipes including salmon with yogurt-tahini sauce to Chicken Chipotle.  Discover recipes are packed with flavor that represents all types of international cuisine including the Mediterranean, Latin American, Asian Greek, and Indian. Poultry meat consumption contributes to the overall quality of the diet suitable for those who want to eat a healthy diet, maintaining good health.  Chicken represents an excellent source of important vitamins and minerals and protein is categorized as having a good biological value in the diet. Cooking with herbs can season meats with an array of flavors without adding calories to your favorite dish.

Grill herb-roasted chicken brushed with a mix of ½ cup olive oil, 2 cloves peeled minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of thyme, and the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon for freshness. Grill the chicken over hot medium flame until the chicken thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. The flavors of the herbs and lemon will infuse into the meat for a unique taste. Hearty recipes that impart low-fat cooking methods using spices, herbs, heart-healthy oils, marinades, and stocks to develop delicious flavors in every dish, healthy enough to eat every day.

Essential minerals are the building blocks of life bonding agents between the food you consume metabolized in the body allowing the body to absorb nutrients. Most people get the minerals they need from dietary sources by eating a wide variety of nutritious foods high in mineral content. At least 20 chemical elements are required to support the biochemical processes serving structural, and functional roles including electrolytes. Cooking with herbs can increase microgreens high in nutrition to ant dishes.

Today's diet of refined foods may inhibit mineral absorption and often contributes to mineral depletion.  Calcium makes up 920 to 1200 grams of adult body weight with 99 percent contained in bones and teeth. It is the most abundant mineral in the body and works well with phosphorus, magnesium plays a vital role in building strong bone formation and the regulation of cardiovascular health. Basil is high in natural minerals provides the largest amount of calcium of any herb. 100 grams of basil contains about 1684 milligrams of calcium according to Sunny Botanist. Your heart muscles and nerves require calcium to function properly.  Research suggests it needs vitamin D for good absorption necessary for the synthesis of B12 helps with red blood cell formation and supports bone health may reduce the effects of developing osteoporosis. You can get vitamin D from sun exposure and fortified food sources. RDA for vitamin D is 600 international units (15 micrograms) for each day for adults. Calcium is an essential mineral that helps with blood clotting, lowers blood pressure, and prevents muscle cramping.

Calcium must be taken equally spaced throughout the day for adequate absorption through effective food sources green vegetables, herbs, kayle, milk and dairy products, fortified foods sources and shellfish. The upper recommendation limit of calcium is 2,500 mg per day for adults 19-50, and for those 50 and older 2,000 mg per day. Dietary calcium is generally safe but consuming more isn't necessarily better, excessive calcium does not provide extra bone protection. Kitchen  Spices and dried herbs can withstand a longer cooking time without losing flavor. Fresh herbs have become more readily available in most local grocery stores usually found in the produce section. Herbs can be infused in boiling water to make a wide variety of herbal teas usually made from edible dried leaves, flowers, and seeds to create a unique tea blend.  Some teas are used for medicinal purposes often used to induce relaxation promoting better sleep patterns.

Chamomile herbal tea is the common name for several daisy plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the spices Matricaria recutita and Anthemis nobilis are commonly used to make herbal infusions for traditional medicine for thousands of years with encouraging results. PubMed Central clinical study 2017 investigated the effects of Chamomile on the sleep quality of adults.  Participants who ingested 200 mg of Chamomile extract twice per day showed significant improvements in sleep quality. Chamomile can be used as a natural remedy for sleeplessness. The chamomile plant is an edible herb that can be added to many dishes to create marinades, flavored oils, or garnishes.  Use the leaves and flowers of the Chamomile plant to make spice blends or herbal tea infusions. Acopa clear glass Cruet with wire bail lid prevents spills locking in freshness is great for infusing oils perfectly balanced to rest on trays and tabletops.

The 35 oz clear glass jar capacity works great as a display for gourmet oils and vinegar. The contemporary design blends style with function for an unforgettable experience infusing oils with a hermetic top to seal in freshness. Make gourmet herbal oils for cooking using a combination of fresh herbs with cloves of fresh garlic to drizzle on top of grilled meats layer in subtle earthy tones. Prepare a 32 oz glass jar with a lid sterling it to make sure the jar and lid is clean and then dried.  Any water can lead to spoilage. Place 5 fresh peeled garlic cloves in the bottom of a 32-ounce glass jar.  Fill the bottle with a combination of fresh sprigs of herbs including, thyme, 2 sprigs of rosemary, and the rind of one-half lemon sliced thinly. Fill the bottle with olive oil to cover the herbs, garlic, and lemon.  Using a knife or chopstick move the herbs around the jar to ensure all the pockets are filled with oil.  Fill the jar right to the brim with olive oil.  Cover the jar with a sealed lid then shake the ingredients slightly to combine. 

Place the bottle on top of a plate to protect all surfaces from spills during the herbal infusion process. Store the jar in a cool location inside your house for 3-6 weeks to infuse the oil with flavor. Strain the oil into your storage bottles over the cheesecloth to remove the solids from the oil.  Cork then label your bottle herbal infusion. The oil should last at room temperature for 1-2 years adding 2 capsules of vitamin E to the bottle to preserve freshness.

Herb Gardening

Simplistic gardening ideas thrive successfully in your home & garden space by cultivating plants used in landscaping or consumed for food.  Extend your growing season knowing your garden's microclimate using a compass or map to determine the orientation of the growing area to the daily sun exposure. Notice how many hours of sunlight your garden receives during the day. The more sunlight the garden receives during the growing season the more likely it will support developed plants, fruits and vegetables.

As the temperature changes in many climates going from cold winter days to spring the growing season will lessen in fall and then cease to exist. Grow cool tolerant crops including leafy greens, broccoli, kayle, and carrots using frost covers, cold frames or poly covers for your garden. Getting all your crops established before the weather freezes may provide any home & garden an ample supply of nourishment. Small walk-in greenhouses are available in different styles made with various materials to select from. Start your indoor herb garden today with the Indoor Herb Garden Starter Kit complete with 5 organic herb seeds, a wooden flower box, growing into Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint for a kitchen windowsill garden. Meet all your needs for growing all of your own herbs using the complete starter kit package including 5 types of herb seeds, 10 peat moss pots, 5 nutritional soil discs, 5 writable plant markers, 3 mini gardening tools, for digging, weeding and soil loosening, 1 bonsai pruner, 1 small watering bottle, 1 manual planter box, and manual booklet. 

The Meeker herb grows kit is simple to use perfect for garden beginners suitable to be placed on the kitchen windowsill so you can easily pluck fresh herbs for culinary use seasoning food to perfection while cooking available on Amazon.

Cheers!

Patricia Lynn

Images Courtesy of gate74 at Pixbay