Whole & ground spices
It was time: This morning, I hopped onto a stool and reached into the back recesses of my highest spice cupboard. I pulled out several dusty bags and jars, spices I hadn’t visited in ages. (The big downside of keeping things in out-of-easy-reach spaces.)
Out went a jar of 2016 sage.I tossed a quarter cup of dusty oregano, half a jar of tasteless ground turmeric, some fennel from I don’t know when, and star anise that looked good but didn’t have a hint of fragrance. They were old and tired out. Their fragrances, and, therefore, their flavoring power was gone, gone gone.
Out went that big jar of ground ginger. It had seemed like such a bargain three years ago, but today it would pack just a fraction of its original punch. It’s essence had evaporated. An initial reaction to faded spices is to double or triple the amount used in any recipe. Guess what, it usually doesn’t work!
Favorite spice tools
So how do we keep spices in fighting shape for great flavor and good value? I mean, why buy terrific vegetables and fruit, or pasture-raised beef, lamb, pork or poultry and then diminish them with dusty pepper, paprika, cumin or allspice? Fresh spices will enhance the work you’re doing to put great and sustainably-raised food on your table. Spices also bring a wide world of flavor to local food, no matter where you live. (Our own grass-fed-grass-finished beef can be infused with the tastes of Korea on day, Mexico the next, or carry the fragrances of India next week. And what about the great Upper Midwest aroma or cadamom in cookies and coffee cake.
Here are a few spice blends (PDF) that can bring a world of flavor and wonderful aromas. SpiceBlends
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