A Pinch Of Homepage cooking with herbs and spices

Q: I have a small rosemary plant in a pot that I want to use as a kitchen herb. It is in it’s second year (quite a trick as I live in Ontario and winters are short on daylight). It is starting to sprout flowers. Do I trim them off to keep the herb plant as a herb or do I just let them bloom? Will it affect flavour or growth? PC

A: Sounds like you have a happy little rosemary plant. The flowers are just a natural part of growth. You don't need to trim them off and they won't change the flavor.

Q: Where can I find horseradish root in the Johannesburg area? Who are the suppliers? Where can I get a horseradish plant? Many thanks, EM

A: I did a Google search for plant nurseries in Johannesburg and came up with quite a few. I would sit down with the list and start making phone calls to see if they have a horseradish plant. You might also ask around within your gardening friends. If they have a plant, I'm sure they would be willing to dig up a bit of root for you to plant. They grow quite easily that way.

Q: I have 2 slightly different looking rosemary plants. Both are very healthy and growing like weeds, but neither has any scent, even when rolled in my fingers. What's up with that? Thanks for your help! LM

A: It may be that your plants are growing so fast that they don't have the energy to generate essential oils. If you are using a fertilizer, stop and try allowing more time between waterings.

Q: Hi, I'm guessing that it's possible to use turmeric powder as a substitute for fresh. However, I've been unable to find any site that would allow me to convert 1.5 inches of fresh into X number of teaspoons. Can you please help? Best regards, PJ

A: I haven't had much opportunity to cook with fresh turmeric. Here's what I would do, however. Use a microplane zester, or something similar, to grate the 1.5 inches of root. Measure this and then use one-third of that amount of the dried powder. If you can't get ahold of the fresh turmeric (hence your question, right?), try doing the same thing with fresh ginger root.

Q: Hi, I have a rosemary plant that I've had for about 3 years on my kitchen window sill. It was doing great, but getting little bushy, so I trimmed it a little bit. This was about a year ago. Since then it has been in continuous bloom and has not grown at all. I've looked on the internet, but everyone seems to have the opposite problem! I don't want to use any leaves from it, since it is not growing. Any ideas to get it growing again? Thanks, BD

A: Sometimes plants throw out flowers when they are in trouble. Since yours is an indoor plant, I wonder if you might be watering it too much. Rosemary hates wet feet. Light may be another issue. Perhaps you could move it to a window where it gets more sun.

Q: Thank you so much for having this website. Is there a way to revitalize mint gone limp that I have bought from the supermarket? Thank you, SB

A: You could try giving the leaves a five or ten minute soak in a bowl full of ice cold water. This works well with leafy greens like spinach and lettuce so it might work with mint leaves.

Q: Hi, Just found this site, which is a good one. We live in Canada and in my last trip to New Mexico found a great store where I bought all kinds of dried peppers, even though I didn't - and still don't - have a clue what to do with them. One is a bag of dried green chilies - bag just says "whole new Mexico dried green chile". They are not ground, just dried - flattened and dried. I can't seem to find a decent recipe for using them. Every recipe I find calls for fresh green chilies. Can I substitute one dried for one fresh that's called for in the recipe? And how long do they last? Seems to me I've had them for a couple of years. Thanks SQ

A: Dried green chiles are somewhat unusual as most dried chiles I've seen are red. You won't get the best results by substituting them for fresh, however, you could use them instead of dried red chiles called for in recipes. These are often charred in a dry skillet and then crumbled or soaked in small amount of water to soften before pureeing. Dried chiles are best at under a year old when they are still pliable.

Q: Love this site. Am particularly interested in making soup stocks & broths with minimal salt yet mega max intense flavor. Any ideas? Thx.

A: It is a good rule of thumb not to salt stocks and broths until the last minute as they reduce and can become oversalted. Your question reminded me of an interesting article I read last week in Saveur that discussed making stock in detail. Find Bone Gatherer with this link.

Q: Hi, I have a Rosemary plant that will be in its second season now. Is there any change in quality as a herb for cooking that takes place with Rosemary as the plant gets older? I very much would like to keep the same plant for a few years but want to make sure that the Rosemary does not reduce in strength and flavor, or get bitter, as the plant gets older. Also, once the plant is in bloom, is there any noticeable change in the flavor of the Rosemary? Great Web site! Thanks, BJ

A: Rosemary plants age quite well. I don't think you will notice any change as it gets older or when it blooms.

Q: Hi I'm cooking some chicken and I put some dried green peppercorns that I bought in Egypt. The colour is running out, is that normal? I never used them before, please let me know, Thank you, AT

A: I think it is normal. I have some in a decorative jar that I've kept for years because of the sentimental value and they have all faded to tan. You might want to replace yours unless they still have a nice flavor.

Q: Since noticing almost instant health benefits – reduced joint swelling and no more stuffy sinus in the mornings --I’ve been experimenting with turmeric. In addition to the powder, I bought turmeric fingers but have no idea how to use them beyond grinding into powder. Can you enlighten me on the use of turmeric fingers? BH

A: You're lucky to find turmeric fresh, we don't see it very often where I live. I would use it like fresh ginger. After peeling, grate it or mince it or even slice it into thin disks for soups. You'll probably find recipes that call for it fresh in Thai cookbooks.

LC writes: I've been reading about your search for a source of spices from the Blue Ribbon Co. For what it's worth, I have information that may help find them. I have a jar of Blue Ribbon Summer Savory herbs in my pantry that is labeled: "Imported by Specialty Brands, Division of Burns Philip Food Ltd., Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 6L9" "Blue Ribbon is a registered trademark of Thomas J. Lipton used under license"

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