5/20/20 part 1 of 3
You do not have to be a prepper to have fresh herbs and veggies on hand.
If you like grilled fresh fish and you want to add some flavor- grabbing some herbs
from your window sill or tomatoes off the patio contributes to eating well.
Growing your own is the path to wellness(health support)eating. The herbs you eat and the veggies you grill add to the power of your immune system. Until the advent of vaccines – food and good health were the only guarantee of surviving an infection whether it was caused by a germ a virus or both. The person who had access to a variety of flavorings and vegetables year around had the best chance of fighting the inevitable illness, barring any chronic complications. Then just as now those complications included pregnancy, diabetes etc. But the wise ones- those who studied botanicals and knew agriculture studied the seasons and knew when to plant and when to enjoy.
Only Kings could afford to hire the apothecary – a person who knew what acted as a medicinal agent (immune support) when consumed regularly. The average person grew their own agents of health. Here is a list any foodie would swoon over, divided into three categories vegetables / spices / teas. The teas can also flavor fish!
Teas from herbs grown in your windowsill
Lavender https://www.englishteastore.com/
Peppermint (same website as above)
Lavender and Peppermint plants available from garden centers -
example: Lowes and Home Depot- Organic available
You can always buy tea online and drink it but did you know there is even more value cooking with herbs that in Europe are considered medicinal?
Grab a mortar and pestle or a food processor because crushed food grade lavender buds blended into food grade coconut oil is made by you -NOT already prepared. That said, lavender is on the FDA GRAS list which means the plant is generally recognized as safe -you might be allergic to lavandula officinalis / lavandula angustifolia but that means you are allergic to other plants in the mint family.
Why Lavender? It grows in steady hot sun, which means it is powerful just like other foods that grow in hot steady sun – example pepper. Lavender has been known from ancient times, as evidenced by work of Dioscorides entitled “De Materia Medica,” which praises its medicinal properties. This same study quoting the ancients was familiar to the healers during the Plagues in the medieval period, then modern medicine, rediscovers lavender, mainly for its aromatic properties. Yet earlier uses of lavender where considered important for antimicrobial defense.
Since bad viruses often set up the body for secondary infections the European Medical Community has done the most exploration into lavender – no surprise that American Western Medicine has not.
In 2014 the Polish scientists knowing about the ancient lavender tradition opened up university level studies. Quoting the conclusion of one study, with the link:
“Presented literature review indicates that both lavender (L. angustifolia) and its secondary metabolites have multidirectional biological activity. Our research has shown that lavender grown in Poland is a valuable plant resource with chemical and biological properties similar to French lavender, and thus should attract greater interest among local herb producers.” http://herbapolonica.pl/magazines-files/7999475-Prusinowska%20and%20Smigielski.pdfhttp://herbapolonica.pl/magazines-files/7999475-Prusinowska and Smigielski.pdf
NOTE: Liquid bottled non bud lavender is made for aromatic purposes like candles and soaps which means it is not edible at all!! DO NOT GET BUD LAVENDER CONFUSED WITH ESSENTIAL OIL LAVENDER!! (highly concentrated) Buy the bud lavender and coconut oil in the food section of your grocery store.
Finally, be clear of any drugs used to treat insomnia for at least a month – see link https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-838/lavender
Any spice or plant derived food can be a problem for someone who is allergic or on prescribed medication but remembering that is not difficult. The reward in being more cognizant of sensitivities to anything you cook or eat with lavender is the amazing unique flavor that makes any fish, but especially a white flesh fish taste as if it came from a really good restaurant!
The following good advice from https://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender.htm will keep your fish from tasting bitter.
In cooking, use 1/3 the quantity of dried lavender flowers to fresh lavender flowers. The key to cooking with culinary lavender is to experiment; start out with a small amount of flowers, and add more as you go.
Adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make
your dish bitter. Because of the strong flavor of lavender: the secret is that a little goes a long way.
Simple Lavender Rub on Pan Fried Fish
Ingredients
1/4-1/2 cup Buds (the purple flower part) dried or fresh lavender from a grocery
This is important you do not want lavender treated for soap, etc. Whole
Foods/Amazon carries this in the grocery section so you know that it is
food grade. If we were in France – this would not be confusing…It is
called Culinary Lavender
1/4-1/2 cup Food Grade Coconut oil
Directions
Pour about 1/4-1/2 cup of lavender flower buds into a mortar bowl
and crush with a pestle or use a food processor so that the buds
are bruised and release their flavor. Add melted food grade coconut
oil just enough to cover the buds. Put into a glass jar and will use only
one tablespoon for the fish rub we are making. Store jar on a shelf -not
the refrigerator.
Cooking
Let mix sit for one hour at room temperature
Then spoon on top of fillets (not the skin) and rub no more than
ONE tablespoon into the flesh of your fillets. Now pan fry the fillets.
NOTE: this is simple -because the French use a lavender mix called Herbs
de Provence (amazon.com) in which the variety of spices vary from
4-8 including savory. As usual make sure you are not allergic to anything
in the Herbs de Provence mix or lavender tea.
recipe and image http://www.luckybankseats.com/fish/fancy-lavender-salmon
Honey Lavender Salmon Oven Grilled (serves 4)
Ingredients
Four 8-ounce WILD salmon fillets www.seafood4unow.com
¼ cup honey -the more local, the better
2 teaspoons lavender buds, crushed
French sel gris (SEA SALT) and black pepper, to taste
Cooking
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Rinse salmon fillets and pat dry. Set fillets on a
parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Coat fillets with a thin layer of honey--
any extra can be drizzled on later. Sprinkle lavender buds over the salmon. Roast
for 10-15 minutes until the fish just begins to flake. I like to eyeball it at around
8-10 minutes per inch of fish, but the fish will be done when you press it with
your finger or a fork and it flakes easily. Season with salt and pepper while the fish rests
and drizzle with any remaining honey for serving
This is your lucky day!!
PHONE-IN SPECIAL PRICES ON SALMON
720-331-4525
