Seasonings

Hello everyone,
Well Summer camp for Kids is over, I completed my thesis (yeah!) and I am now working on my class calendar for the rest of the year. Be sure to check out the calendar for some exciting new classes.
The last week of summer camp one of the kids asked me about how you learn to season foods properly. This is probabaly the question I hear the most from everyone. I answered him a little differently than usual. We all went outside and looked at the various herbs. I had each child rub a sage leaf and asked them if the smell reminded them of anything. One child said, Thanksgiving! We continued on through the herbs and moved back into the kitchen to finish this discussion. Our sense of smell and taste (and memories) are so important in seasoning food. The kids thought of a holiday to place the sage leaves. What other herbs do you think of when you want to cook poultry? Perhaps parsley and thyme? Maybe rosemary? I like to have people think of fresh herbs for seasonings before they reach for the salt and pepper. Seasoning is indeed an art and often trial and error is how people learn. Next time you make a pasta sauce, try using thyme instead of basil. I love thyme with marinara sauce personally.
Here are a few more tips:
Deviled Eggs: Cumin, Green Dill, Mustard, Summer Savory, Curry, Tarragon
Fruit Cups: Cardamom Seed, Mint, Rosemary
Tea: Almond Extract, Mint, Anise Seed, Ginger, Lemon or Orange Peel
Halibut: Basil, Dill Seed, Fennel Seed, Green Dill, Lemon, Marjoram, Saffron, Summer Savory, Tarragon, Thyme, Lemon
Apples: Allspice, Anise, Caraway Seed, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg, Almond Extract, Lemon Extract
Cucumber: Basil, Chervil, Chives, Green Dill
Tomato: Basil, Chervil, Chives, Parsley, Summer Savory, Thyme

Let me know if you need help with a dish you'd like to make.
healthy regards!
Patty

Food and other "stuff"

Hello everyone,
My niece Susan and her husband Kenny now live in Southern Oregon where my sister Margaret lives (Talent, Oregon) which is quite the hub for organic foods and lifestyles. Susan graduated from Davis and Kenny from Stanford. They are both now organic farmers on my sister's land! I am always receiving interesting web site links from them as we have such similiar interests. This is one you will want to check out; it's www.betterworldsshopper.org Last time we were up visiting we spent an hour checking out the businesses, food-stuffs, etc. where we purchase various items. It's a rating system. It is truly fascinating.
Have fun!
Patty