Lavendar & Herbal Honey

I know it's been a long time since we had the lavender in our share, but I just came across this great use for it.  So if you happened to dry some of your lavender . . .

Herbal Honey
Take 4-6 stems of fresh lavender, or 2 four-inch pieces of fresh rosemary, and submerge in a one-pint jar of honey. Screw the cap on tight and put in a sunny window for two weeks. Every day or two, invert the jar several times. Taste after two weeks and see if the herbal flavor is strong enough for you. If not, repeat for one more week. You may remove the herbs before using the honey, or leave them in.

Not Your Average Basil: Using Thai Basil

Photo Courtesy of Xotic Spice

Thai Sweet Basil, or Anise/Licorice Basil (Bai Horapa): This tropical variety of sweet basil provides the unusual basil flavor present in so many Thai dishes that it has come to be identified as "Thai basil" in America, even though the Vietnamese and Laotians also use lots of it in their cuisines. Its leaves are deep green, smaller and not as round as Western sweet basil. They grow on purplish stems, topped with pretty, reddish purple flower buds. Both leaves and edible flowers are have a strong basil scent and an equally strong under note of anise or licorice. The flavor is just as distinct as its scent, when some people think of licorice - black twizzlers come to mind, but the flavor is much more complex and exciting to the palate.


Plentiful in Thailand, bai horapa is eaten almost as a vegetable, and I have found it's flavor equally pleasing whether it is raw or cooked. It goes well with anything made with coconut: milk, cream or juice. It is also a great replacement for cilantro...

As with many leafy herbs, this basil can be kept fresh by placing it in a glass with the cut ends in water, covering it with a plastic bag and storing it in the refrigerator. Or, you can wrap the herbs in paper towels before bagging them in plastic before refrigerating. They will stay fresh for about a week."-excerpt and picture from the blog Xotic Spice 

I still have a bag full of Thai basil left in my refridgerator, so I am hoping to try this recipe for Thai basil pesto.

Thai Basil Pesto-courtesy of the blog From Scratch

Ingredients:

•1/3 cup peanuts

•1 cup Thai basil

•1/3 cup cilantro

•4 cloves garlic

•1 TB lime juice

•1 small red chili (I left the seeds in, if you aren't a spice fiend you might want to scrape the seeds out)

•1/3 cup vegetable oil (although, next time I'm going to try peanut oil, I was out when I made this)

Directions:
I am sans food processor right now, so I just tossed all peanuts, herbs, garlic, and pepper in my spice grinder, tossed the resulting paste in a mixing bowl and added the lime juice and the vegetable oil and used a hand mixer to combine everything. I used half of it for Rice Noodle Stir Fry with Thai Basil Pesto , and froze the other half in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

Note: Because of the lack of a substitute for the cheese in Italian style pesto, this paste doesn't have much in the way of a salty flavor. Next time I make this I may add a TB of fish sauce--but then again may not, since almost everything I will probably cook with this with with have Nuoc Cham on the side.

Let me know how you've been using your Thai basil at produce@zoegarden.com.

Jessica

Bag Dried Herbs

If you  can't use all your herbs fresh, don't worry.  You can dry them easily at home.  Here's a quick method for drying herbs in a paper bag, taken from budget101.com

Bag Drying Herbs

Wash herbs by swishing the branches through cold water, holding by stem ends. Shake off excess water and lay on towels until moisture has evaporated (1 to 3 hours). Wet herbs will mold while drying.

Bundle 6 to 8 stem ends together and secure with string or rubber band. Enclose branches upside down in a large paper bag. Gather the bag around the stems and tie. Using a pencil or knife, punch about 10 holes all around the bag for air circulation. Label and date each bag. Suspend in an airy place for two to three weeks. Herbs will be crispy when dry. The bag protects herbs from dust and other pollutants during the drying process.

Recipes: Spearmint

Here's a bunch of links to great threads on Chowhound.com on the many uses of Spearmint:

• iced tea
• mojitos
• fruit salad
• grilled seafood
• homemade ice cream
• sauteed with squash or zucchini
• mixed w/ Apple Cider vinegar and sugar and served w/ lamb

Recipes: Tarragon

 

A great use for your extra herbs is to make flavored oils and vinegars.  Here's one for Tarragon Vinegar

Recipes: English Thyme

Excerpted from "The Garden Pages" blog.

"In the kitchen thyme can be used either fresh or dried.  It goes well with poultry and eggs and adds rich flavor to soups and stews.  Thyme also has a long history in the medicine cabinet.  It has carminative, antiseptic and expectorant properties. It has been used as a tea for respiratory problems and gastrointestinal  

The lore of thyme is also rich.  It was used in Greece to give courage and energize the sprit.  To say another "smelled of thyme" was a rich compliment.  Thyme was burned whole as an incense to cleanse and purify temples.  Sleeping with a bit of thyme under your pillow is said to prevent nightmares.  Thyme is said to be a favorite plant of elves and fairies.  I too am enchanted by thyme.  Try some an you will be too."