A Tad on Teas

Bagged teas can be expensive and completely unnecessary considering the tasty cost-effective alternatives. While loose teas are available at high end grocery stores or health sections of some markets, The Good Earth located in Broad Ripple off Guilford Ave. sells bulk teas and herbs - many organic - for less than a dollar an ounce in most cases. For anyone desiring to be more in touch with their food, getting a bag of real chamomile flowers or rose hips may elevate the ordinary boxed teas to another level. Teas can be as flavorful as a juice, sweet like soda, and yet as nourishing if not more than a glass of water. It is gaining some popularity at coffee shops because hot tea is often the cheapest beverage on the menu, the price of a few dollars easily buys several cups of tea when buying in bulk. Another benefit is that loose whole leaf teas and herbs are much higher quality than what is often in commercial bagged teas. They take a bit longer to steep, but have richer, unmatched flavor. 

Finding the right way to brew loose teas is important, but by no means difficult. There are baskets, tea balls and even bags to fill yourself. Some bags even come ready to press shut with an iron, or even easier - a hair straightener. Pre-bagged whole leaf tea can be ridiculously expensive, but this option allows the best quality tea to be both portable and affordable. Most coffee shops won't charge much for a cup of hot water. 

Storing loose teas and herbs isn't rocket science, but they will loose some potency just sitting in cinched shut plastic bags. A good investment is to find some airtight containers, either tins or just regular tupperware type containers and keep blends and extra tea in those. Keep cool and dark, and they should get an excellent shelf life. The best thing about teas are that most spices and herbs can go into teas, as well, and because they are steeped they don't need to be powdered. Whole cinnamon bark can stay flavorful much longer than ground cinnamon, for instance.

Brewing hot teas are pretty straight forward. It's good to have anywhere from one to two tablespoons per serving of hot tea, depending on preference. Some teas are more flavorful than others, which affects how much and and how long to brew. If using herbs for medicinal purposes it is suggested to keep them brewing for 10 to 15 minutes, but in general most teas are pretty much done after 5 minutes. Black, green and white teas should steep no longer than 3 minutes in water that is either just short or that has just started boiling because they tend to get bitter. Many herbal blends and rooibos don't tend to get bitter.  If using a tea ball or some other filter system, keep herbal loose tea for brewing multiple cups in a day. Caffeinated teas, however, release 99 percent of their caffeine in the first 60 seconds of steeping, so they should be refreshed. Although it isn't always a practical reality, filtered and purified water makes cleaner tasting teas as opposed to tap water, and is preferred among true tea fiends. 

Some good herbsm spices and herbal teas to ask about. These are all caffeine free and have great medicinal benefits from energizing to relaxing, balancing blood sugar to helping with heartburn:

Hibiscus, rose hips, lemongrass, chamomile, honeybush, red and green rooibos, ginseng and Siberian ginseng, orange peel, red raspberry leaf, peppermint, spearmint, fennegreek, cinnamon, St. John's wort, licorice root, and chicory. '

Popular Spice Mixes and Combinations

While it is the meat and vegetables that make up the bulk of curry or the chicken that makes it to the plate when someone orders jerk chicken, spice blends are responsible for naming  those and many other popular dishes. Most stores now even have all the spices mixed together into different heat grades (extra spicy, mild, etc.), but that is not to say the mixes are hard to make, or switch up to suit personal tastes and preferences.

Here are some well and lesser-known spice blends to increase your spice lexicon before tomorrow concludes this week with the classic Mediterranean herbs (Poultry seasoning will be covered with the herbs since those are what make it up).

Garam Masala - The name means heat or warmth in Sanskrit. The most popular blends are made from cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, garlic, cloves, dried fennel, mace, dried chillies and nutmeg. It is delightfully sweet and yet gives the palette a nice feel of spice. It is milder in flavorings than any curry, but much earthier. The most important thing to remember about this is to put it in right before serving or toward the end of cooking. Like paprika and other spices, cooking at high temperatures can burn the spices and alter the flavor significantly. 

Harissa - Most commonly found in couscous and native to Northern Africa, this is a hot sauce used in Middle Eastern cooking.  It is made from chilies, garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway and olive oil. It can be found in any Middle Eastern or global market and ranges in values of heat. 

Caribbean or Jamaican Jerk Seasoning - a combination of chilies, onion, garlic, thyme, allspice, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. This blend can be used as a dry rub or mixed with a citrus juice, olive oil or another liquid as a marinade/glaze.

Curry - While the only true authentic way to enjoy this is to go to South India where they grind the spice fresh daily, most people in America settle for pre-ground curry. Buy in small batches from a reputable spice dealer and store for no longer than 2 months; it loses its potency very quickly. There are two varieties that are easy to find. One is yellow and gets much of its color from tumeric. The "madras" is the hotter variety and uses more chilies. Curry is always going to be different and so just experiment. 

> Making these yourself and wondering about which chilies to use? Check out the blog about chilies and pick from the list of powders. Everyone has his own preference, so as always, culinary limits need not apply.

> Need something new to cook for a get-together? Go Middle-Eastern/Indian by making home fries using sweet and yukon gold potatoes sprinkled with garam masala or curry spices. 

> Want some suggestions for combining spices? Here are a few good ones to keep up your sleeve.

Smoky/Spicy Chili Blend - mix these together and use to make a big pot of either chicken or beef chili

- 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder

- 1-2 tbsp cumin 

- pinch - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1-2 tsp white pepper

- 1-2 tsp paprika

- salt to taste 

For Grilled or Roasted Vegetables  - Sprinkle dried oregano, thyme, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper... about 1/2-1 tsp of each for 3-4 portions of vegetables. 

For Fish - Best to keep it light - Squeeze some lemon juice and salt fish before cooking. This makes it taste fresh from the sea. While cooking sprinkle with black pepper, garlic powder, and marjoram (oregano's dainty cousin)

For Chicken - Combine thyme, paprika, garlic powder, salt and white pepper, basil and sprinkle when chicken is almost cooked

Spices: The Bulbs, Bark, Pods, Berries and Roots

The most curious thing about spices is how they originated. Most were discovered among thick brush and are part of larger plants that are not valued for their flavor, so there must have been so much experimentation that went into finding the World's spices. Here is a bit of information about some of the most common spices.

Garlic - This bulb is part of the lily family and a cousin of the onions and leeks. The cloves can iether be minced and put into dishes or kept whole to infuse the flavor and then removed. Roasting can be done in about an hour in a 300 degree oven by slicing the whole head of garlic in half and covering in extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Raw garlic is valued for its natural antibacterial properties. Beware of elephant garlic - it is easy to think the bigger the garlic, the bigger the flavor  - not true. It is the mildest of all available garlic. Garlic powder is usually just ground dehydrated garlic, but avoid things labeled garlic seasoning, because they'll contain mostly salt.

Shallots - These are a good cross between onions and garlic; they taste like a very delicate onion and grow in cloves similar to garlic. Their flavor is great for salad dressings and marinades. Shallots are small, so making soup and similar dishes normally call for too much onions to substitute shallots. They're a bit more expensive than onions, so best to save for special occasions. 

Ginger - This root has been known as being a universal healer. Its name comes from Sanskrit for "horn root" and grows in subtropic areas from Jamaica to India to China. It has a very peppery, slightly sweet flavor. It has spice as opposed to real heat, like most chiles have. Ginger is often candied to intensify the contrast between spicy and sweet. Powdered ginger tastes much different than fresh, but is great in baked good and curries. Fresh ginger is found in most markets in its mature form, covered in a tan skin. Tightly wrapped ginger unpeeled can last 3 months to 6 months in a refrigerator and freezer respectively. Peeled ginger can be covered in sherry or madeira wine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. The wine will become infused with ginger flavor and can be used for marinades. Ginger is known for having amazing detoxifying abilities and helps with all digestive distress, which is why there are often ginger teas in most health food stores. If a ginger snap has been the only ginger you've ever tasted - try fresh - it is an amazing spice.

Allspice - This spice may be the most mistaken spice of all. Many think that it is a blend of spices, but it is actually a berry of the pimento bush and only tastes  like  a combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It is the principle spice to Caribbean jerk seasoning, but tastes great in any spiced cookie or cake recipe.  

Cardamom - This spice has a  great blend of spicy and sweet flavors, but should only be used in small amounts. It can be found ground, but ground seeds start to lose flavor immediately, so it is best just to buy pods. The whole pod can be digested and can either be crushed with a mortar and pestle or just dropped into a curry whole and the pod will disintegrate. It is often used in Northern African, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.

Anise & Star Anise - Thought to be the same thing, both do have a licoricey flavor, but have different profiles and are used in different parts of the world. Anise seeds are shaped like commas and are used in Europe to flavor spice cakes, Greek ouzo and many other edibles. The licorice flavor comes from this seed and not from licorice root. Star anise is slightly more bitter and the principle spice in Chinese five-spice blend. It is a pod shaped like a star, and can be ground to put into stir-fry. Like cardamom, a little goes a long way.

Cinnamon - This common spice is the inner bark of a tropical tree and harvested during the rainy season. The bark is not curled at all until it dries. At this point it is either ground or sold in sticks all around the world. There are two different types of cinnamon, ceylon (tree) cinnamon and cassia cinnamon (most common in America). The first is buff colored and mildly flavored, while the cinnamon most Americans know is the dark reddish brown pungently flavored spice. So impress dinner guests next time and offer them some desserts with cassia.

Vanilla - Once only reserved for royalty, and still very expensive compared to most spices and extracts, vanilla is a miraculous spice. When mentioned that spices often go through a long journey to make it to the supermarkets, no other spice can match the tedious process of harvesting vanilla. Out of 20,000 orchid varieties, only one bears anything edible, and that one gives the world the vanilla bean. The flowers must be hand pollenated and bloom only one day a year. Vanilla is found only three places in the world (Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti). The beans take 8-9 months to mature, spend another good portion of a year drying and curing, and then must begin other processes to get turned into extract and other flavorings. Whole beans are about 400 times smaller than they were coming off the plant, and can be split, scraped of their seeds and used as flavorings. And that common debate between vanilla and chocolate - most good chocolate actually is enhanced by vanilla flavoring. Want something really special? Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and add to raw sugar. Shake and save homemade vanilla sugar for topping desserts or coffee and cappuccino.

Introduction to a Week of Herbs and Spices

Often what elevates ordinary ingredients into ethnic fare is the addition of herbs and spices. It makes food more personal, and is like putting the finishing brushstrokes on a great painting. Most people know parsley as the curly mess of leaves used as garnish on restaurant plates, and basil as the stuff pesto is made of. Of course, the familiar song "Scarbourogh Fair" mentions "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme," and those are in the take on the old medieval song because herbs played even greater importance than flavor additives earlier in European history. (SIDENOTE: The refrain of that song is literally meant to represent the relationship between a man and a girl. The parsley is to remove bitterness, sage has always been associated with strength, rosemary with remembrance and thyme with courage.) If interested in food an history, one of the most interesting things to research is how herbs and spices literally guided early civilizations. It used to be WAY more than finding the right shaker in the grocery store aisles. Any great spice store like Penzey's Spices on E. 82nd St. is a good place to go to find people who are knowledgeable and interested in such topics, besides having a great global selection of herbs and spices. That website also has great recipes as well.

So in order of herbs' and spices' great importance on humanity and food, it is worth devoting a whole week of blog postings to. Each day will be a new topic focusing on a family of herbs and spices based on region and use. 

This post other than introducing the week-long event will focus on the differences between herbs and spices and some fun basic facts. Both are used for scenting and flavoring, among other things. What makes them sought after are their volatile essential oils. These are often found bottled in health food stores for different health and beauty care products, so for instance, rosemary oil would be a very bad thing to flavor food with, but is a great in a homemade astringent. If those oils are found naturally in the leaf of a plant, then it is called an herb (basil, tarragon, parsley, rosemary, etc), while if found anywhere else (pod, seed, twig, bark, etc.) it is a spice. Not all herbs are edible, such as bay leaf. Bay can be used to flavor broths, soups, roasts, but is never ground because it must be removed before serving. The same plant may also produce both an herb and a spice. Corriander is a seed that has a nice lemony fresh flavor, while the leaf of the same plant is known as cilantro. Cilantro has a very soapy, pungent taste. They are used in totally different styles of cooking. 

Storing herbs and spices is very important to preserve the essential oils. Spices ideally should be kept in their whole form until just before using. Grinding with a mortar and pestle is usually a good way to break up spices. If needing a very fine grind, a small coffee grinder works great, but the oils will stick in the coffee grinder - so be careful to get a second one for heavy spice grinding use so you don't mix flavors. Whole spices can last up to 2 years in sealed airtight containers kept in cool dark places. Ground spices on the other hand last less than six months. 

Ground dried herbs can last up to one year, but be sure to do a "sniff test" before using. If the container smells more like sawdust than anything, it is better to pitch it. The oils can turn rancid and actually make food taste way worse. Herbs and spices don't necessarily have to break the bank, but use good sense. Stay away from dried basil that is brighter than astroturf. It is a dried plant, after all. 

One of the best things to do in summer is to keep potted herbs on the porch or a kitchen window. They are easy to find in starter plants, and start from seed very easily. Most just need a lot of sun, room for quickly growing roots, and frequent watering. Basil sets the wet extreme as far as care goes, being happiest in a pot sitting in a dish of water that is constantly filled, almost hydroponically grown. On the other hand, rosemary and thyme are more of shrubs and so they can stand to be watered every 4-5 days or so. Essentially just make sure the leaves don't wilt. Most herbs can recover in a day or so if the leaves get wilted. Just sit them in some water and really let them soak in a lot of moisture and sunlight. Harvesting fresh grown herbs is as easy as picking a few leaves for a recipe. If plants are growing faster than you can use them, the best thing to do is to buy a spare ice cube tray and fill sections with 1tsp to 1 tbsp cut herbs suspended in a little water or extra virgin olive oil. These are so convenient then to just pop into dishes all year round. When cooking with herbs be sure to note whether the recipe calls for fresh or dried, because dried herbs are about double the flavor strength as fresh. Overpowering a dish with too much of one herb can be off-putting.

Look forward to a week of herbs and spices. For any general questions, bookmark CNN interactive's Herb and Spice encyclopedia. Very useful!