Tag: herbs

Ginger as Medicine

On Wednesday we wrote about how we are all using more ginger than in times past and how we love our gingery Asian Chicken broth. While most of our broth is used in cooking, we also use it as medicine.

Ginger as Medicine

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center maintains a directory of herbs and botanicals with information about their uses. Their report on ginger points out that, “Ginger root contains compounds that may help relieve or prevent nausea and vomiting. These substances can increase the flow of saliva and digestive juices and may also help calm the stomach and intestine.”

Liquid Ginger!

We sip a cup of warm homemade, ginger-scented chicken stock rather than ginger ale for an upset tummy. We share filtered-until-it-is-clear supplies of it with friends who are preparing for a colonoscopy, and we’ve supplied friends with colds, flu, and chemotherapy patients with sips of what one friend called, “your magic elixir.”

Penny loves ginger tea. She often makes her own with ginger from our supply, but you can buy some excellent organic ginger tea.

Some folks swear by ginger mints, ginger gum, or organic candied ginger to combat motion sickness.

In “Ginger Root In Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine,” author Eyton Shalom writes, “There are no panaceas in medicine, but if there were going to be one, it would have to be the humble ginger root.”

Please Read this Important Part!

Even with all these positive recommendations, increasing ginger consumption may not be for everyone. In addition to following the scientific research on each substance, Sloan Kettering also puts side effects and warnings even on everyday items like ginger. If you are planning on adding a lot of any ingredient or a supplement containing that ingredient to your diet, you would be wise to check for interactions with medications and medical conditions.

You should also let your personal physician know if you are using something like ginger as medicine.

Related Post: Ginger Goes Mainstream

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

November 9, 2018
Sage Season Primer: Fresh vs Dry and Rubbed Sage vs Ground Sage

When I think of bread stuffing for poultry, I think of sage.

With temperatures dipping this week, I went to the roof and gathered a collection of herbs from our community herb garden.

Sage is always one of the herbs I pop into a small jar by my sink to use fresh. And, when the end of the garden season arrives, I pick what remains to dry for use over the winter.

I was reading this post over at Leite's Culinaria on homemade breakfast sausage when I noticed the note in the ingredient list, "7 tablespoons rubbed sage (do not substitute ground sage)."

Since I seldom use any sage other than that which I have dried and crushed myself, I did some research.

According to Ask Betty Crocker, "Ground sage is made by grinding the entire leaf into a fine powder like any powdered herb. Rubbed sage is made by rubbing dried whole sage leaves to create a light and fluffy mix. Rubbed sage is lighter and less concentrated so a teaspoon of rubbed sage will be less intense than a teaspoon of ground sage."

It's a lesson learned, one I pass along to you. Be careful which form of dried sage you buy for your holiday meal. And, by the way, if you use dried sage, use about half as much as you would use of the fresh herb.

If you have a sage plant, you can try to keep it going inside or you can pluck the leaves, spread them on a tray, and let them dry. I usually have fresh parsley all year round but soon I'll also have a lyrical supply of sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Favorite uses for sage!

That sausage recipe sounds wonderful and I may make a big batch of that next time I have my meat grinder going. Here are a few more recipes using sage from Leite's Culinaria.

I also love brown butter with sage added as a sauce for pasta, especially ravioli.

Here's a great bread stuffing recipe that will make the cut for my holiday table.

How about roasted root vegetable with garlic sage butter?

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Simple Spring Supper: Asparagus & Eggs

November 2, 2016
Sage Season Primer: Fresh vs Dry and Rubbed Sage vs Ground Sage

When I think of bread stuffing for poultry, I think of sage.

With temperatures dipping this week, I went to the roof and gathered a collection of herbs from our community herb garden.

Sage is always one of the herbs I pop into a small jar by my sink to use fresh. And, when the end of the garden season arrives, I pick what remains to dry for use over the winter.

I was reading this post over at Leite's Culinaria on homemade breakfast sausage when I noticed the note in the ingredient list, "7 tablespoons rubbed sage (do not substitute ground sage)."

Since I seldom use any sage other than that which I have dried and crushed myself, I did some research.

According to Ask Betty Crocker, "Ground sage is made by grinding the entire leaf into a fine powder like any powdered herb. Rubbed sage is made by rubbing dried whole sage leaves to create a light and fluffy mix. Rubbed sage is lighter and less concentrated so a teaspoon of rubbed sage will be less intense than a teaspoon of ground sage."

It's a lesson learned, one I pass along to you. Be careful which form of dried sage you buy for your holiday meal. And, by the way, if you use dried sage, use about half as much as you would use of the fresh herb.

If you have a sage plant, you can try to keep it going inside or you can pluck the leaves, spread them on a tray, and let them dry. I usually have fresh parsley all year round but soon I'll also have a lyrical supply of sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Favorite uses for sage!

That sausage recipe sounds wonderful and I may make a big batch of that next time I have my meat grinder going. Here are a few more recipes using sage from Leite's Culinaria.

I also love brown butter with sage added as a sauce for pasta, especially ravioli.

Here's a great bread stuffing recipe that will make the cut for my holiday table.

How about roasted root vegetable with garlic sage butter?

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Simple Spring Supper: Asparagus & Eggs

November 2, 2016
Here’s a Peek at a Back Bay Hidden Garden

Have you ever wondered about those gardens behind the walls along the Back Bay Alleys? We were dinner guests of a friend with a charming walled, English-style garden in the rear of his home.

Penny has always been a fan of green and white gardens, especially those that are used the most in the evening. This corner is a great example of a charming use of that concept with just a pop or two of color.

Accessories are fun in a garden. As your eyes move around, you see one interesting object after another.

Comfortable seating and handy tables added ease to the hospitality.

A dining table gives options for dinner or for working in a lovely setting.

Notice the bed of herbs near the door leading to the kitchen.

We were totally enchanted with these roses that seemed to be growing in bouquets.

It was so quiet and peaceful that it was easy to forget we were in the heart of the city – until we looked up!

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 21, 2016
Here’s a Peek at a Back Bay Hidden Garden

Have you ever wondered about those gardens behind the walls along the Back Bay Alleys? We were dinner guests of a friend with a charming walled, English-style garden in the rear of his home.

Penny has always been a fan of green and white gardens, especially those that are used the most in the evening. This corner is a great example of a charming use of that concept with just a pop or two of color.

Accessories are fun in a garden. As your eyes move around, you see one interesting object after another.

Comfortable seating and handy tables added ease to the hospitality.

A dining table gives options for dinner or for working in a lovely setting.

Notice the bed of herbs near the door leading to the kitchen.

We were totally enchanted with these roses that seemed to be growing in bouquets.

It was so quiet and peaceful that it was easy to forget we were in the heart of the city – until we looked up!

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 21, 2016
Hearty, Herby Split Pea Soup

My favorite split pea soup recipe started out as the one in Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells. She takes a simple pea soup with ham recipe and adds lots of garlic herbs and spices– thyme, marjoram, parsley, and cloves. I took her recipe and added big pieces of carrot and a dose of cumin seed toasted and then ground.

I love Patrica Wells' cookbooks because the recipes always seem to work, and she has a very relaxed style that invites you, as a cook, to make changes and finish the dish in differnet ways. With this I took her up on not puréeing the soup but serving it in a rustic, chunky style.

If you would like to learn from a real pro and love little tips tucked into the pages of a cookbook, I highly recommend this one, Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells. I've learned a lot from this outstanding food writer.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

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January 26, 2012