June 10th is National Herb and Spice Day. It can be a day to go through your cabinet and check spices to see if still have their potency. Or, can be a day to test some spice combinations, or try a new recipe.
This book is a great resource for using herbs and spices. It is aptly named “Herbs and Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use Virtually Every Seasoning at the Market” by Aliza Green, 2006. If you have any questions about any herb or spice, this is a wonderful reference book. It gives many tips on purchasing and storing spices and herbs, as well as how to use them.
Have several more books a little older in the library. First is “Garden Herbs: Culture, Storage, Uses” by George E. Whitehead, 1944. Has a nice quote “Good nature collects honey from every herb.” This book has a lot of details for growing, harvesting, and storing herbs for your own use.
Next is “Spices” by Henry N. Ridley, 1912. This is a good book to read about spices. It goes into the history of many spices, and where they come from. If you want spice facts and trivia, this is a great old book. One interesting fact is about Pimento or Allspice being harvested in Jamaca.
In 1881, there was such a demand for walking sticks and umbrella sticks from the Pimento sapling, there was a danger of dealers uprooting all young trees. The author quotes “in the first three quarters of 1881, there was an export of 4,500 bundles valued at $15,000. The bundles contained 50 sticks each.. For the previous five years only 2,000 bundles were exported each year. Jamaca had to urge separate planting for the stick trade because of the destruction of the spice trade.
A nice illustration at the beginning of the book.
Here is “A Pageant of the Spice Islands” by R. H. Crofton, 1936. This is a wonderful book about the history of cloves, and how they were harvested, where they were harvested, and stolen to grow in other areas, and the spice trade and routes. It is a very interesting read.
Whether you need to find out how to use spices and herbs, or some interesting stories about them, I and my library are well-seasoned experts.
Is it Thyme for some spice jokes? No big dill. I’m cumin to the end. If Cinnamon comes from tree bark, why do they call it ground cinnamon?
Thanks for reading…you herb it here first.
Librarytomes 