EDIBLE FLOWERS - Because edible flowers generally have a subtle flavor, many cooks go by appearance rather than taste when they include them in their recipes. A few of the most popular flowers are bergamot (good with poultry, pork and curries) calendula (peppery), dianthus (also called pink; spicy and clovelike), hollyhock (mildly flavored), nasturtium (peppery flavor; the flower, leaf and seeds are all edible), carnation (also clovelike), marigold (citrusy and pleasantly bitter), violet (slightly wintergreen and dandelion (bitter).

Many of these flowers can be found in farmers’ markets, natural food shops, specialty food stores and some grocery stores. Of course, another way to get your favorite blooms is to pick them yourself. Make sure the flowers haven’t been treated with pesticides (this is why it’s not a great idea to get them from a florist_. Pick the flowers fresh at the peak of their bloom, early in the day, and consult an encyclopedia of edible plants, if you’re not sure which to eat. Always check for insects, then wash the flowers and carefully pat them dry.

GARLIC

CLOVE
The garlic clove is separated from a head of garlic. The single clove, with a paper wrapping and all, is planted in the fall after the soil has cooled but before it has been hardened by the first frost. Within a few weeks, green shoots appear above the ground and remain throughout the winter.

SCAPES AND BULBS
In the Spring, the hardneck plants’ scapes (flower stalks) extend into serpentine coils. These tender, juicy young scapes are an old Asian favourite when steamed or stir-fried. As the plant matures, the scape unfurls. The young bulbs are mild and succulent but not as developed in flavour as they will be after drying. The stalk and leaves can be chopped and used to season stocks. They can also be purchased in a jarred form in some specialty shops. Denningers in Oakville and Burlington offer the scapes in jar form.

UMBEL
If the scape is not harvested from the plant, the umbel (the collection of flowers plus the top set or bulbils) at its tip enlarges. The umbel is covered by a sheathlike spathe where the bulbils develop. You can pickle the umbel whole then later pop out its bulbils for a tasty condiment with roast lamb.

BULBILS
The bulbils look like grains of rice. They offer a slight crunch and a delightful kick when tossed into salads. Outer skins are included too. They’re great for risotto or with a stir fry.

GARLIC GREENS
Bulbils that are planted or that fall to the ground come up as baby garlic plants, which are marketed as garlic greens. Baby garlic – roots, tiny bulb, and greens – can be sliced and tossed into salads or pureed into a green-garlic pesto. If you want baby garlic plants to develop to their full size, transplant them in the fall and let them spend another winter underground.

MATURE BULB
After harvest in mid-summer, the garlic plant is cured in a cool, dark, well ventilated space before the bulb is cut from the stalk. By this time, the outer covering of the bulb has dried into a wispy paper covering.

A garlic bulb can be sliced, point tip up, and covered, placed in the oven at 400 degrees for one hour with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of olive oil. Garlic baked can be mashed on toast points, added to all types of purees and sauces or stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in olive oil.

HEALTH BENEFITS
Garlic's health benefits have long been recognized in folk-medicine traditions around the world. Even the scientific community can't overlook this aromatic bulb -- research shows that garlic is good for the cardiovascular system. It lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol and inhibits blood clotting, which reduces the risk of heart attacks. In addition, garlic is a strong antiseptic, counteracting the growth of many bacteria and fungi that can cause disease. Eat more of it when you've got a cold, a sore throat, or an ear infection. Best of all, it's easy to enjoy this wonderful -- and delicious remedy.

HOW TO PREPARE LOBSTER/CRAWFISH - Although it may offend the tender-hearted, these should really be cooked live. The lobster ha such a diffuse nervous system that a deep incision into the top of the head where a small cross-shaped depression can be discerned may not necessarily ensure an easier end, though it does immobilize your dinner for you. In order to ensure that the tail, containing the delicious white meat, remains straight when cooked, you can follow these steps.

Cover your hands in thick rubber gloves for protection before placing the lobster, right side up, on a flat board large enough to accommodate it but not too large to fit into the cooking pot. Secure by means of tying strong pieces of kitchen string tightly at intervals around the board and lobster.

If dealing with a crawfish, ensure that the antennae or feelers are folded back and secured along the crustacean’s sides.

If preparing ordinary lobster with claws, fasten each claw closed with a strong rubber band before tying to the board just in front of the head.

If you are going to broil your lobster or crawfish, you can first immobilize it by piercing through the back of the head as described above, lay it on its back and use a heavy, very sharp kitchen knife to split it in half from heat to tail.

HOW TO PREPARE OYSTERS/MUSSELS

Oysters: Hold the oyster with the hinge part of the shell in the palm of your hand. Protect yourself with a cloth. Push the blade of a special oyster knife or thick, strong bladed knife between the shells (actually the two valves of the shell) near the hinge. Run the knife around until you can cut the muscle that holds the valves together. Open the oyster, taking care not to tip the bottom shell and spill the juice or liquor surrounding the oyster. Carefully cut the oyster free where it is attached to the inside of the shell.

Mussels: Scrub well and remove and traces of filaments or “beards”. Discard those which do not close when handled. Insert a sharp knife carefully at the pointed end to serve the muscle. Mussels are usually cooked briefly until they open. Discard any which do not open when cooked.

HOW TO PREPARE SHRIMP, LARGE AND SMALL - To peel raw or cooked shrimp, pull the head off where the head armoring forms a natural division where it joins the tail. You can then use scissors to remove the legs and cut lengthways down the underside of the shrimp and pull the shell apart, removing the flesh or you may prefer to snip and remove one ring of the shell plating at a time.

Small shrimp are more quickly peeled once the head is removed by simply pulling off the end of the tail and then inserting your thumbs into the underside of the shrimp among the legs (while it is upside down) pushing apart the sides, the remaining shell should come away quickly and easily.

Use tweezers to remove the black vein (or intestinal tract) from the center back of the peeled shrimp or use a shrimp hook.

KOSHER SALT - Kosher salt is made in accordance with Jewish dietary laws. The rules for keeping kosher were originally set down in the Old Testament and were intended to govern the selection and preparation of foods in order to ensure that meals were safe and sanitary; in fact, the word kosher means “clean, fit or proper.”

Kosher salt is pure; it has no additives. (Common table salt, on the other hand, can contain cornstarch, which makes it pour more smoothly and/or iodine). Also, kosher salt is coarsely ground, making it particularly good for curing meat, fish and chicken in accordance with the dietary laws; the larger surface area of the crystals can absorb more juices than regular salt crystals, and unlike fine salts, kosher salt won’t melt and be absorbed into the meat.

Kosher salt can be substituted for regular salt. Some people find it a bit too mild, but others enjoy its coarse texture and purer flavour and use it for all their cooking.

RINSE YOUR PASTA? - Rinsing your pasta stops the cooking process. Cold water cools the pasta, reduces the starch content slightly and can help prevent it from sticking; therefore, if you’re going to put the noodles aside to finish preparing later, or if you’re going to use them for a cold pasta salad, rinsing can be a god idea. If you are going to eat the hot pasta immediately, there is no need to rinse it. Some cooks believe rinsing the pasta removes the top layer of starch which can leave the dish with a bit less flavour and a mushy texture. If you’re worried about sticking, toss the drained noodles with a drizzle of oil.

MELTING WHITE CHOCOLATE - White chocolate, a mixture of cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and vanilla, is a very delicate confection. It can be melted for dipping or used in recipes like any other kind of chocolate, but because it scorches and clumps much more easily than other types (due to its high milk-solids content), heating must be slow, gentle and carefully monitored.

To melt white chocolate successfully, first chop it coarsely into small, even-sized pieces. Then put it into the top pan of a double boiler over water, bring water to a boil, and turn off heat. Stir the chocolate as it melts, continuing to stir until smooth, then remove from the heat. Don’t cover the pan since a drop of condensation in the chocolate can cause it to seize; for the same reason, be careful not to let any steam escape from the bottom pan and settle on the surface of the chocolate. If you want to melt the chocolate in the microwave, chop it coarsely, then put it in a microwave-safe container (a large glass measuring cup is ideal). Heat at no more than 50 percent power (some conservative experts even recommend low power) for 30 seconds, then stir, and heat for 30 seconds more. Continue with these intervals until the chocolate begins to melt at the edges, then remove and stir until it is completely smooth and glossy. Keep in mind that chocolate melted in the microwave melts from the inside out, and often holds its shape even as it is melting – don’t let this mislead you into heating it too long. Frequent stirring will distribute the heat and speed the melting process.

PEARS - There are many, many different types of pairs, some of them more popular and readily available in your supermarket, to purchase. Here are a few of the most common pairs:

ANJOU: The second-most popular pear, the Anjou is egg-shaped and quite hardy by pear standards. Anjous are in season from October through May. They are bright green, usually with a golden blow as they ripen. The skin is thin enough to eat, but not as sweet as the flesh, which is spicy-sweet and juicy. Anjous are good for eating fresh and in salads, and they don’t fall apart when cooked.

ASIAN: From a different branch of the family tree, the Asian pear tastes like a watermelon crossed with a potatoe. It’s grainy, sugary and crisp and the best eaten apple-hard.

AURORA: A sweet, summer pear, the Aurora is another excellent new variety that has not yet won over many farmers.

BARTLETT: The most commonly grown pear in North America, the Bartlett is the standard against which all other pears are measured. Picked in summer. Bartletts bruise easily and don’t keep, so most of the harvest goes to canning. Fresh Bartletts are at their peak when the deep yellow skin is still flecked with green. Their delicate flavour doesn’t stand up to cooking.

BOSC: The Bosc is especially hard in the store and slow to ripen, so it’s often wrongly thought of as tough and dry. But this pear rewards the patient consumer by turning creamy, juicy, aromatic and wonderfully spicy when ripe. Boscs are delicious fresh and are perfect for poaching, which shows off their elegant, graceful shapes.

COMICE: Considered to be the very best pear in the world, the Comice is so wet, soft and delicious that connoisseurs have made a ceremony of eating one. To do it properly, you need a fruit knife (preferably sterling), a plate, lots of napkins and utter silence, since any distractions are an insult to the fruit. Available in specialty-food stores and fruit markets in fall and winter, the Comice is chubby, with bright-green skin and a substantial blush.

DUMONT: The Dumont is a late-autumn pear that’s delicious and buttery. Since the fruit is less attractive and the trees less productive than other varieties, it never became a commercial success. It caught on with backyard growers, however, who wanted a pear to store in their basements and bring out to ripen throughout the winter.

FORELLE: Named for its colourful red and green freckles, the Forelle, also called the Trout Pear (Forelle means “trout” in German), originated in Saxony in the early eighteenth century. Though beautiful, it varies widely in eating quality, because it occasionally fails to ripen. At its best, the Forelle is very sweet and juicy; at its worst, hard and tart.

PACKHAM’S TRIUMPH: Bred in Australia in 1897, Packhams are now one of the major varieties eaten in North America. Their flesh is juicy, smooth and buttery. They are ripe when their dull, green skin gains a soft golden glow. Imported Packhams are available in markets in summer.

RED BARTLETT: The flavour of these late-summer fruits is identical to that of yellow Bartletts – gentle and sweet. The pear tastes better with its crimson skin peeled away.

SECKEL: The smallest of all commercially grown pear varieties, the Seckel was first found growing wild in North America around the time of the Revolution. Seckels are olive green with a predominant red blush. Hard as rocks in the store, they should be eaten when the green shows a flush of gold. Their dense flesh is particularly sweet, making them lovely little dessert pears or snacks.

RISOTTO – THE NEXT DAY - If you add broth to risotto, the next day,and try to reheat it, you’ll end up with mush.

One good leftover option is to make rice pancakes, called risotto al salto. Simply combine chilled leftover risotto with some beaten egg and, if desired, some grated Parmesan cheese. Form into patties and fry them in a little butter or oil until they are firm and golden brown on both sides. Then top them with additional Parmesan before serving. Salto is Italian for “jump” and the name risotto al salto comes from the technique Italian chefs use to flip the cakes over in the skillet.

Another way to use leftover risotto is to make suppli, which are small breaded rice croquettes. Combine the chilled risotto with lightly beaten eggs. Dip two tablespoons of the mixture into some breadcrumbs, then form into small (two or three inch diameter) logs. Dip the logs again into breadcrumbs, and deep-fry in oil until golden brown. Pat the suppli dry with paper towels, and serve them as appetizers or a light main course.

You can also form the risotto around a piece of cheese. This variation is called suppli al telefono, because when someone takes a bite out of the finished croquette, the melted cheese inside is said to flow out like telephone wires.

SAVOY CABBAGE - What is Savoy Cabbage? How is it different from regular cabbage?

Over the past three thousand years, farmers throughout Europe have cultivated astounding permutations of one vegetable family, Brassica, which now includes Savoy cabbage and the more common green, white and red cabbages, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, kohlrabi, rutabagas, kale, collards, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts.

The Savoy – distinguished by its crinkled deep-green outer leaves that often are tinged with blue-forms loose, showy heads fancied by generations of still-life painters and ceramicists, and takes pride of place in many a backyard cabbage patch. One of the hardiest and most frost-resistant varieties, the Savoy is harvested from October to March.

Unfortunately, cabbage is closely associated in many people’s minds with overcooking (and the accompanying rank odor); stodgy meals, and, as British food writer Jane Grigson succinctly puts it, “a nasty history of being good for you.” It is, in fact, loaded with vitamins B and C, iron, potassium, and calcium. One way to preserve the nutrients and flavor is to eat it raw in salads or slaw or to cook it briefly; if you’re adding it to soups or stews, cook it until the leaves are softened, not limp. Savoy cabbage, because it is tender and sweet, particularly benefits from quick cooking; try it sautéed or in a stir-fry. As the leaves are beautiful, they can be very effective blanched and wrapped, like grape leaves, around a filling.

SILVER AND GOLD DRAGEES - Silver and Gold Dragees are little balls, in various sizes, which can be placed on cookies. You might have noticed that many of them are being used to “coat” the cookie. Last Christmas, many magazines showed the cookie as ornaments hanging from the Christmas tree or as decorative edible cookies.

The FDA objects to the use of all metallic colors in confectionary products and advises against using gold, silver, or bronze in or on food because there is no evidence to support their safe use. However, according to the FDA press release: “so far the FDA has not made formal objection to the so-called silver dragees (small silver balls), which have been on the market for many years, if they are marketed exclusively as cake decorations. Labels must clearly inform the public, “to be used as a decoration not as a confection”, on the principal display panel immediately below the name of the product. The back panel also bears the statement “sold as a decoration only – not to be consumed.”

Therefore, any cookies decorated with silver/gold/bronze dragees should not be eaten. Similarly, the “edible” gold leaf should not be eaten.

SPICES - There is a definite change in our eating habits all across the country. Different populations groups are moving in and they’re bringing their native tastes with them. But they’re also sharing them with the rest of us, in restaurants. And we’re learning that we like these flavours. Spices make food more interesting. If we’re trying to be more health conscious – lowering our fats, lowering our sodium, then we need to put some flavour back in the foods we create.

For that flavour to have full impact, storing spices properly is important. Often treated more as collectibles than condiments, spices do in fact deteriorate. Spices degrade the moment they’re taken off the plant. There’s a continual process of perishing, losing their essential oils and their flavour to evaporation. The more you expose them to air, the faster they will degrade.

The best rule of thumb is to buy and store spices whole and grind them yourself as needed. To preserve the spice’s flavour, preserve the spice intact. Tight fitting glass jars will best protect spices from air and infestation. All spices need to be kept away from light, which fades both colour and flavour, and from heat. Choose a drawer or closed cabinet shelf away from the stove. Stored properly, most whole and ground spices will last for at least one year.

If you decide to set up a stock of new spices, don’t assume you need to buy them all at once. Buy the ones you like the smell and taste of and feel likely to use in the foods you’re curious to cook. And experiment – the real beauty of spices is the brilliant way in which they blend.

SPICE BLENDS

CURRY: An Indian spice blend of black pepper, fenugreek, cumin, whole or ground turmeric, mustard, fried whole or ground ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and dried red chiles. Additions can include crushed fresh curry leaves and green cardamom.

GARAM MASALA: A Northern Indian mixture of cumin, coriander, cardamom and cloves. Variations include nutmeg, caraway, cinnamon, bay leaves, black pepper, cloves, mace, black cumin and nigella.

RAS EL HANOUT: This Moroccan blend of up to twenty spices will always consist of cardamom, mace, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, dried or ground ginger, black pepper, cayenne, coriander and cumin. Additions include galangal, grains of paradise or cubeb.

FIVE SPICE: The best known Chinese spice blend contains star anise, Szechuan pepper, cinnamon, fennel seeds and cloves. Additions of ginger, licorice root and cardamom add depth.

ALLSPICE: Dried Jamaican berry, scented similarly to clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Grind whole in pepper grinder.

ANISE SEED: Spanish or Indian seed, often sold with a bit of stalk attached, with a taste like licorice.

ANNATTO SEED: Red Peruvian fruit seeds, used in South American, Central American and Caribbean rice and casserole dishes. Also known as achiote.

CARAWAY SEED: Dutch seed, related to dill and cumin, used in northern European baking and cabbage and noodle dishes.

CARDAMOM: Indian and Central American seed pods, white (bleached) or green (unbleached). Uncracked pods ensure freshness of the aromatic black seeds inside.

CAYENNE: Like paprika, a finely ground, pungent red-chile-pepper blend. Used more for heat than flavouring.

CELERY SEED: The very small seed from the garden celery plant, used mostly in Indian cooking, whole or ground.

CHILI POWDER: A hundred-year-old south-western prepared seasoning, about 80 percent dried red chiles. Other ingredients usually include cumin, oregano and dried garlic.

CHIRAITE: A dried Indian pod found in halwa masala. Also used medicinally in teas.

CINNAMON: Stripped evergreen bark hand-rolled into “quills” or sticks. True cinnamon, a pale brown, is Sri Lankan. Most “cinnamon” sold is the reddish brown Indonesian cassia (another tree). Buy whole.

CLOVE: Unopened myrtle-flower buds, dried, sold in “nails”; up to seven thousand make a pound of ground spice. Buy whole nails – Tanzanian or
Madagascan are superior to Brazilian. For best flavour, use the bud crowns, break off the nail stems.

CORIANDER SEED: Seeds of the cilantro (Chinese parsley) plant with a sweet, lemon-sage flavour unlike the fresh leaves. Buy whole – Moroccan rather than Romanian.

CUMIN SEED: Pale brown seed that is the dominant taste in Latin American cooking and an important second note in American chilli powder.

CURRY: A mild, premixed powdered blend, usually containing coriander, cumin, mustard, turmeric, red chile and fenugreek.

FENNEL SEED: A sweet Indian seed from a plant related to the fennel bulb. The flavour in Italian sweet sausage.

FENUGREEK SEED: Indian and Mediterranean seed with an aroma similar to celery’s.

GALANGAL: Indian root, strongly flavoured, related to ginger, also sold dried or powdered. A popular Thai flavouring, in combination with ginger and lemongrass.

GINGER: Knobby rootstock, sold fresh, dried, powdered, preserved and candied. Buy fresh root that is hard, heavy, unwrinkled; it will keep unrefrigerated for a week.

GREEN CHILE MOLIDO: The “New Mexican Chile” pepper, milder than most red chiles, dried when pepper is still green. Molido means ground; in its ripe, red state, the chile is the long pepper in wreaths. Try in as an alternative to cayenne.

JUNIPER: Adriatic evergreen berries; the flavour in gin – bittersweet with a hint of pine.

LICORICE ROOT: A sweet twiglike root, about eight inches long, found in central to northern Canada and Alaska. Used in some east Indian masalas and as a flavouring in medicine and candy.

MACE: Crimson to red-orange lace covering a nutmeg husk, softer in flavour but used similarily. If you can find them, buy dried blades to crush or grind.

MUSTARD SEED: Canadian white, brown, or black seeds of the cabbage family, used raw in pickling, fried with food as a seasoning, found most commonly s a condiment.

NIGELLA SEED: Indian black seed with a peppery taste. Featured in curry blends and traditionally baked into nan bread.

NUTMEG: Large seed from West Indian evergreen; premium is Grenadan. Buy whole.

PAPRIKA: Found only as a powder, blended from several dried red chiles. Hungary still produces the best, hot or sweet.

PEPPER: Buy whole berries or peppercorns; use black Indian Tellicherry or white Indonesian Lampong (for light coloured sauces. Green peppercorns are softer, unripe berries; buy freeze-dried. Pink peppercorns, called baises roses, are not pepper but sumac-tree related berries from the island of reunion, used for aroma and colour. Szechuan berries are also unrelated, hotter than pepper, with a distinctive taste. Long pepper, similar to black, is milder and sweeter.

POPPY SEED: Ripe blue-gray seeds from the Netherlands and Australia are more common than brown or yellow. Opium is extracted from the unripe seed pods.

SAFFRON: Dried crocus-flower stigmas, hand-picked; the world’s most expensive spice. Each blossom yields only three stigmas; 225,000 make a pound. Spanish La Mancha is the best available.

SESAME SEED: Chinese black (unhulled) or Guatemalan white (hulled) seeds. Black have crisp texture and are good raw, white are oilier, better for ground pastes such as tahini. Dry-roast or lightly oil-fry before using.

STAR ANISE: Eight pointed brittle fruit pod with a seed in each point, of the magnolia family, from China or Vietnam. Sold whole.

TAMARIND: Seed pod sold most commonly in partly dried, brown-and-white blocks of fruit pulp, pod, and seeds. Soak in hot water to reconstitute, then squeeze for juice.

TURMERIC: Indian ginger-related root, sold dried and powdered, occasionally fresh. Bitter flavour; used more for its bright yellow orange colour in curry blends and mustards.

VANILLA BEAN: Deep-brown vine beans picked unripe and lengthily cured; the waxy Madagascan and Mexican pods are expensive but richer in oil than extract. Tahitian are more floral and the most plump.

WASABI: Japanese horseradish root, fiercely flavoured, sold as pale-green powder or paste. Used with soy sauce as a condiment for Japanese raw-fish dishes.

SUGAR

Raw Sugar – Brown, unrefined sugar as it is shipped from cane fields to refineries.

Molasses – What’s left over after the sucrose crystals have been removed from the raw sugar. It is used in the production of antibiotics, baker’s yeast, rum and industrial alcohol, and as animal feed.

Brown Sugar – Refined white sugar coated with molasses. Dark brown sugar has a stronger molasses flavour than light brown sugar.

Superfine Sugar – (Also called Castor Sugar) – The finest form of granulated sugar. Dissolves easily, making it useful for sweetening cold drinks and meringues (which weep if they contain undissolved sugar).

Confectioner’s Sugar – Powdered white sugar mixed with a little cornstarch (three to four percent) to prevent caking.

WHAT SHOULD I KEEP IN MY PANTRY?

OILS - Extra Virgin Olive, Canola and Walnut Oil

VINEGARS - Aged Balsamic, White Wine and Red Wine Vinegar

GRAINS, DRIED BEANS - Quick-Cooking Polenta, Stone Ground Cornmeal, Oats, Lentils, Black-Eyed and Split Peas, Black, Pinto and Cannellini, Beans.

DRIED PASTA AND RICE - Spaghetti, Penne, Fettucine, Lasagna and Orzo, Couscous, Arborio, Long-Grain White, Long-Grain Brown and Basmati.

BAKING NEEDS - Pure Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Semisweet, Dark Chocolate, Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, Unflavored, Gelatin, Instant Yeast, Cornstarch

SUGARS - Granulated White, Superfine, Light and Dark Brown, Confectioners, Sugar, Light Corn Syrup, Molasses, Pure Maple Syrup and Honey

FLOURS - All-purpose White, Whole Wheat, Cake (not self-rising)

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS - Onions, Garlic, Dried Wild Mushrooms, and Lemons

NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT - Pecan and Walnut Halves, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Raisins, Golden, Raisins, Currants, Dried Apricots and Figs, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Dried Chilies.

CANNED AND BOTTLED - Italian Plum Tomatoes, Green and Black Olives, Olive Paste, Anchovies, Capers, White Truffle Oil, Anchovy Pasta, Chickpeas, Black Beans, Hot Sauce, Mustards, Italian Oil-Pack Tuna, Low-Sodium Chicken Stock, Fruit Jam

SPICES - Kosher and Sea Salt, Black Peppercorns, Ground Cinnamon and Cinnamon Sticks, Ground and Crystallized Ginger, Madras Curry Powder, Dried Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Ground and Whole-Seed Cumin, Whole Fennel Seed

WHITE BALSAMIC VINEGAR - White Balsamic Vinegar is finally coming to all general grocery stores. Several different brands of white balsamic vinegar are available – Colavita’s has been rated the best. It offers a sweet, mellow acidity. Once banned in Italy for being inauthentic, white balsamic has now won grudging acceptance there. It can be manufactured by filtering the colour out of commercial balsamic or by blending aged white-wine vinegar and concentrated grape must.

YAMS vs SWEET POTATOES - What's the difference between a Sweet Potatoe and a Yam? True yams, native to Asia and Africa, are rare in North America. They are scaly, with a dry, starchy taste. What is marked in North America as a yam is really a sweet potatoe, a tuber native to the Americas, with a moist orange or pale yellow flesh. The mix-up may have started when American slaves began calling sweet potatoes nyami, from a West African word meaning to eat. a few letters were lost and nyami became yam. The japanese believe sweet potatoes increase sexual stamina.