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The Lingle’s Herbs Newsletter
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 1529-1901Vol. II, 2.
About Our Newsletter - This newsletter is devoted to educating
our subscribers and customers on various aspects of herbs. It will include such varied
subjects as: a focus on a particular herb (or its genus), growing and harvesting tips,
cooking with herbs and accompanying recipes, recommendations on organic growing, and any
other thoughts that happen to be crossing our minds as we go to print. We may occasionally
mention special promotions on the herbs we sell, but this in not the primary
purpose of our newsletter. However we are entitled to sneak in an occasional shameless
plug for our nursery.
Send us your Comments: We want to know what you think about our
newsletter! Any topics you’d like to see covered?
In This Issue: 1) Herb Quiz 2) Lingle's Musings 3)
Herbal Vinegars 4) Thanksgiving Recipes: Fresh Poultry Seasoning and Herb Turkey
Stock
Herb Quiz
1) What are the ingredients of allspice?
2) What are the sources of frankincense and myrrh?
3) What plant bears seeds which formed the basis of one of our present standards of
weight?
(Answers at the end of this newsletter.)
Lingle's Musings
Fall has arrived here in southern California. It’s that funny time of
year when running an errand in the car at noon, we crank up the air conditioning. Then
driving out to dinner at night, we blast the heater and defroster. And then the next day
we find ourselves melting in the car because we've left the dial on heat from the night
before.
Here by the coast, we experience the vicissitudes of summer and winter in a single day. We
have hot dry days, and cold damp nights. And those cold nights are coming early now that
we’re back on standard time. So we make the best of it, sneaking in a bit of
gardening in the early afternoon, then seeking refuge in the kitchen in the evening.
This cycle provides us with the wonderful opportunity to preen and fertilize and harvest
from the herb garden by day, and enjoy its bounty by night. The short days afford us much
more time to spend in the kitchen playing with the herbs. We tie them up and hang them to
dry. We finally try those recipes we’ve cut out of newspapers and magazines months
ago. And we make our years worth of herbal vinegars.
This year was a fantastically busy one for
Lingle’s Herbs. We added our online shopping cart early in the year and the phones stopped
ringing. Our customers were busy on our web site, clicking the mouse with great alacrity.
When business suddenly tripled overnight, we were caught a bit off-guard, and running
around franticly filling orders. I’m not complaining mind you! I can think of worse
problems to have. I’m just intrigued by peoples’ amusement of clicking buttons
on a screen, and having plants arrive at their door in a few days. I too have become
mesmerized by the Internet and online ordering. Several times a week, by parcel or post,
boxes arrive full of books, CDs, clothing and kitchenware. I wonder if the novelty of
shopping in your pajamas and puffy bunny rabbit slippers at 5:30 in the morning will pass.
I wonder if those ubiquitous strip malls will be torn down and turned into warehouses for
the equally ubiquitous online bookseller with the South American name. But I digress. This
is supposed to be about herbs.
This issue of the Lingle’s Herbs Newsletter is about making herbal vinegars–a
delightful fall project we enjoy every year. This issue also embraces the advancement of
the digital age where we have how-to pictures to go along with the instructions. Also, I
finally share my soon-to-be world famous recipes for fresh poultry seasoning and turkey
stock, just in time for Thanksgiving.
And I am certainly thankful this year. Thankful for health,
happiness, herbs, and nice customers.
Thanks for reading,
John Lingle
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Making Herbal Vinegars
Homemade herbal vinegars are tasty and fun to make right
from your own herb garden. They’re delightful to use in salads, marinades, and for
seasoning all types of food in the kitchen. They’re healthy for you, and allow for
the use of less fat and salt in cooking. They also make gracious gifts you can give from
your kitchen at holiday time. Herbal vinegars are very easy and inexpensive to make, and
you can get very creative with the ingredients. Fall is the best time to start planning
your herbal vinegars, when the herb garden is ripe and full of the ingredients you can use
in these creations. If you don’t have an herb garden, fresh store-bought herbs will
work. When your vinegars are finished, you can pour them into a variety of bottles,
personalize them with a little raffia or ribbon, and add a homemade label. While we offer
some recipes here, the only limit to these herbal concoctions is your imagination. |
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Choice of Vinegars
You don’t have to make the base vinegar yourself, you can season
store-bought vinegars with your own fresh herbs. There are a wide variety of vinegars that
you can start with available in stores. Different brands of the following vinegars will
all differ in taste and quality. It’s best to sample each vinegar to decide which
suits your palate best.
Apple Cider Vinegar–A fruity vinegar, this works well
with stronger herbs. It makes fine vinegar for salad dressings. The better apple cider
vinegars are made from whole apples. Unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar is available
in most health food stores. Beware of ‘cider’ vinegars that contain any added
coloring, as they are of lower quality. They are actually caramel colored distilled
vinegar with a small amount of concentrated cider stock added.
Champagne Vinegar–This vinegar is made from still wine from the grapes used to
make champagne, usually Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Champagne vinegar is soft, smooth and
delicate. We use champagne vinegar when combining it with the more subtly flavored fines
herbes. And they are excellent for making vinegar from the flowers of lavender and
sweet violets. Champagne vinegar also makes a wonderful vinaigrette to drizzle over seared
seafood, particularly salmon. |
Distilled Vinegar–While it’s
the most readily available vinegar, distilled vinegar is too harsh to use in herbal
vinegars, as it will mask the flavor of the herbs. Spend a little more and use one of the
other vinegars listed.
Red Wine Vinegar–Made from red wine, this works equally as well as white wine
vinegar and has an appetizing red color. The rich depth of red wine vinegar works better
with stronger herbs. It is excellent for vinegars to be used for marinating red meat, and
for vinaigrettes where the color is very appetizing.
Rice Wine Vinegar–Made from cooked rice, this vinegar has a sweet flavor, and
makes a very nice herbal vinegar salad dressing. Its mild, sweet taste is excellent with
milder herbs and flowers. Because it often contains sugar and salt, it is usually sold as
‘seasoned’ rice wine vinegar, which works fine for herbal vinegars.
Sherry Vinegar–Imported from Jerez in southeastern Spain, sherry vinegar is
rich, smooth and mellow, and blends well with stronger herbs like rosemary. It has a
slightly nutty flavor with a sweet aftertaste. It’s a bit more expensive because it
is aged in oak, much like balsamic vinegar. Sherry vinegar blends well with other oils for
marinades, salad dressings and vinaigrettes.
White Wine Vinegar–Made from white wine, this vinegar will work fine for most
of the herbal vinegars you make. It’s balance and acidity blend well with the herbs,
allowing the full herbal bouquet to be tasted. As a general rule, we like to use white
wine vinegar when the final color is important, like when using purple basil, which will
yield a lovely rose-colored vinegar. The mellow flavor of white wine vinegar blends well
with light meats and fish. |
Bottling Your Vinegars
Whether you plan to make your vinegars for your own use, or give
them away as gifts, start keeping clear bottles from foods you use in your home. Clear
wine bottles, syrup bottles, and any other attractive food grade bottles can be recycled
into fine vessels for your vinegars. We often use the bottles that the base vinegar came
in. Soak off the labels in warm, soapy water. Also, many import shops offer a wide variety
of shapes and sizes of clear bottles you can use, as well as the corks you will use to cap
the bottles. Do not use metal caps, as they will interact with the vinegar. Bottles that
come with attached porcelain caps work well too. Just make sure to properly sterilize all
bottles by placing them in a large pot of water and bringing the water up to boiling for a
few minutes. Then let them cool and place them upside down on paper towels to fully drain,
and then right side up to air dry. Your bottles must be completely dry before you fill
them with your vinegar, as water will cloud your herbal vinegar. |
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Methods for Making Herbal Vinegars
Depending on how much time you have to complete your herbal
vinegars, you can use either the longer cool-steep, or quicker warm-steep method. |
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The Cool-Steep Method
If you plan far enough ahead, the cool-steep method produces some of
the best herbal vinegars. If you want to make enough for gifts, you can make big batches
in large glass jars (sun tea jars work well) or plastic food grade gallon jugs. For
smaller batches, mayonnaise jars work fine, but place some plastic wrap over the mouth of
the jar, as the vinegar will interact with the metal lid.Gather
the fresh herbs you’re going to use, and wash and dry them well. As a general rule,
we use 1 cup of herbs for 2 cups of vinegar. But we’ve enjoyed slightly stronger
vinegars using equal parts herbs to vinegar. Bruise and crumple the herbs up a bit, and
place them in your sterilized glass jar. Then fill the jar with the room-temperature
vinegar, cover, and place it in a cool, dark area for a few weeks to let the herbs’
flavors steep into the vinegar. Shake the jar every few days. After about three weeks,
taste the vinegar every few days by putting a few drops on some plain bread, until the
flavor is just right.
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Straining the Vinegar
When the vinegar is done steeping, you will need to strain it to
remove any tiny particles that will cloud your vinegar. Place an unbleached, flat-bottomed
(basket) coffee filter in a metal strainer. Then pour your vinegar through the coffee
filter into a large measuring cup. Val Reddemann of Compliments of Nature
(www.compnat.com) recommends unbleached coffee filters because white coffee filters have
invariably been bleached with chlorine bleach. The bleaching process produces toxic
Dioxins, which are left in the paper. Unbleached coffee filters are available at most
grocery stores, and be sure to get the flat-bottomed ones sold a ‘basket
filters’ that will fit in the strainer, not ‘cone’ filters. |
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Filling the Bottles
Now, you want to make a beautiful presentation of your bottle. Pick
a fresh sprig of each of the herbs you’ve used to steep your vinegar, wash and dry
them well, and add them to each of your sterilized, dry glass bottles. Using a funnel,
pour the vinegar into the bottles. Then tightly cap the bottles with corks. Now your ready
to decorate the outside of the bottles with some of the methods suggested later. |
The Warm-Steep Method
If you suddenly discover it’s mid-December and you want to give
some herbal vinegars as gifts, or you don’t have a lot of time to make your herbal
vinegars, this warm-steep method will work fine. Just be careful not to boil the vinegar,
or some of its acidity will be destroyed, thereby changing its flavor. Also, boiling
vinegar will adversely affect the fresh herbs over which it is poured. Warming the vinegar
will speed the steeping process, but just don’t be in too much of a hurry.Follow all of the above steps in the cool-steep method, except the vinegar
you add to the herb-filled steeping jar must be heated to just below a simmer. Pour the
heated vinegar into the jar of herbs. This will quickly impart the herbs’ flavor into
the vinegar. Then let the vinegar and herbs cool to room temperature before tightly
covering the jar, and place it in a cool, dark area. Begin tasting the vinegar daily in
about 3 days. If the flavor gets too strong, you can dilute it with some of the plain base
vinegar. |
Sealing Your Bottles
If you are using corks to seal your bottles, and you will be
shipping your herbal vinegars for holiday gifts, (or you just want to add a decorative
touch to your own bottles), make certain the corks in the bottles are well sealed. This is
easily done with beeswax. Tap the corks into the bottles, and make certain the corks have
tightly sealed the bottles by holding them upside down for a few seconds and checking that
no vinegar is seeping out. In a small pan, heat the beeswax until it liquefies. (Lining
the pan with a double layer of aluminum foil make for easy cleanup.) Then dip the tops of
the bottles into the melted beeswax. Dip the bottles about an inch past the tip of the
bottle to completely cover the cork and some of the bottle. Let the wax cool and harden
for a few seconds, and then repeat several times until you have a nice thick layer of wax
completely covering the cork and mouth of the bottle. Beeswax is available from honey
vendors at Farmers’ Markets. If you can’t find it, just melt down a solid,
unscented pure beeswax candle. |
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Decorating the Bottles
You can put just as much of your personality into decorating the
bottles as you put into your herbal combinations. Tie bows around the neck of the bottle
with plain raffia or fancy cord. Or hand write a self-adhesive label and stick it on the
bottle. You can also make laser printed labels on card stock, cut them to size, put a hole
in them with a hole punch, and tie them to the bows. Decorating and labeling the bottles
adds a nice finishing touch, but shouldn't detract from the beauty of the fresh herbs in
the bottle. |
Recipes for Making Herbal Vinegars
Whichever steep method you use, the following recipes will provide a
delightful herbal vinegar for a variety of uses. We’ve selected base vinegars which
we have found work well with the herbs in each individual recipe. But once again, let your
palate be your guide. The recipes are all for two cups of vinegar, and may be increased
for larger batches. All of the herbs must be fresh, not dried. |
| Bouquet Garni Herbal Vinegar–Use
this vinegar to deglaze a pan after sautéing meats, in a salad dressing, or in a marinade
for any type of meat. ¼ C. Rosemary
¼ C. Thyme
¼ C. Parsley
6-8 fresh Bay Leaves
2 C. White Wine Vinegar |
Fines Herbes Herbal Vinegar–This
light vinegar gets its flavor from the four fine herbs of classic French cooking.
It gives a nice flavor to sautéed or steamed vegetables, and makes a nice salad dressing.¼ C. Parsley
¼ C. French Tarragon
¼ C. Chives
¼ C. Chervil
2 C. Champagne Vinegar |
| Lemon Herbal Vinegar–Use
this tart vinegar to give a zip to vegetables, in a refreshing salad dressing, or in a
chicken marinade. ¼ C. Lemon Thyme
¼ C. Lemon Grass
¼ C. Lemon Balm
¼ C. Lemon Verbena
1 T. Lemon Peel
2 C. White Wine Vinegar |
Provençal Vinegar–The
flavors of Herbes de Provence are excellent for marinating pork and lamb, and a
light touch pairs well with seafood. ¼ C. Thyme
¼ C. Basil
¼ C. Summer Savory
¼ C. Sage
2 T. Rosemary
2 T. Lavender Blooms
6 Fresh Bay Leaves |
| Salad Herbal Vinegar–Use this tart vinegar
alone as a light, fat-free salad dressing, or combine it with some olive
oil, salt and
pepper to make a mellower dressing. It also make a great red meat marinade. ¼ C. Thyme
¼ C. Greek Oregano
¼ C. Marjoram
¼ C. Chive Blossom (or Chives if not in bloom)
½ C. White Wine Vinegar
½ C. Red Wine Vinegar |
Use your imagination to create
your own herbal vinegars. And don’t be afraid to add spices to the vinegars.
We’ve added peppercorns, cardamom, whole allspice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and
crushed red pepper. You can use dill, caraway and celery seeds. And blooms make delightful
vinegars and a beautiful presentation in the bottles. We’ve used sweet violet,
lavender, nasturtium, society garlic, dill, chive, and Spanish tarragon blooms. Keep
experimenting! Your personal creativity is where the fun begins in making herbal vinegars. |
Additional combinations we’ve used:
For Pork: Sage, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Pepper Corns
For Fish: Dill, Tarragon, Lemon Thyme, Parsley, Lemon Peel
For a beautiful rose colored vinegar: Opal Basil, Chive Blooms
For a spicy vinegar: Cilantro, Savory, Marjoram, Thyme, Crushed Red Pepper
Classic Tarragon Vinegar: French tarragon in champagne vinegar.Recipes
for Using Herbal Vinegars
Once you have a nice collection of herbal vinegars in your pantry, you can begin to
incorporate them into your everyday cooking. We use herbal vinegars often for salad
dressing. Sometimes we use the vinegar alone, or we may add it to some light olive oil and
add a few other fresh herbs or spices, and salt and pepper. The acidity in herbal vinegars
make them excellent for deglazing a pan after sautéing meat. The vinegar releases all the
browned pan deposits of meat adhering to the pan, and we then add some chicken or veal
stock and other seasonings, and reduce it into a fine pan sauce. After sautéing zucchini
or other vegetables in a pan, a little dash of herbal vinegar is all the seasoning you
need. And vinegar is excellent for tenderizing meat, so we use it in marinades. For
chicken, we make marinades with herbal vinegar, white wine, white pepper, and Dijon
mustard or lemon juice. For red meat, we use herbal vinegar, water, red wine, soy sauce,
and black pepper. To either of these marinades, you can add capers, cayenne pepper, ground
allspice, fresh ginger–anything your palate desires. You can start using your herbal
vinegars with the recipes below, or get creative on your own.
Green Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
Adapted from our Lingle’s Herbs cookbook "Easy
Recipes for Using Fresh Herbs" by John Lingle.
Sometimes a meal calls for a simple green salad. We like to take some
olive oil and herbal vinegar and spice it up with fresh herbs. The combinations are
endless, so experiment. And the beautiful, edible purple flowers of sweet violet make a
delightful addition.
Serves 4
1 head of lettuce (iceberg, romaine, red leaf, etc.)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Fines Herbes herbal vinegar
½ teaspoon each: oregano, basil, tarragon, thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sugar
- Wash and tear lettuce into small pieces.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a jar, seal tightly and shake well.
Refrigerate for one hour.
- Portion lettuce to serving plates, pour herb dressing over lettuce.
Serve.
Tarragon Shrimp
Adapted from our Lingle’s Herbs cookbook "Easy
Recipes for Using Fresh Herbs" by John Lingle.
Adapted from our Lingle’s Herbs cookbook "Easy
Recipes for Using Fresh Herbs" by John Lingle.
These elegant shrimp make for a perfect appetizer to a special dinner,
or a fine light lunch. Here, the tastes of French tarragon, mustard and shallots meld to
make a sumptuous dish. It is said that Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon for her
excessive use of tarragon. Apparently, she never served him this delicious recipe!
Serves 4
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Provençal herbal vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt and white pepper
1 pound cooked shrimp, (41-50 per pound)
2 tablespoons tarragon, chopped
- In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, shallots,
lemon juice, salt, pepper and mix well.
- Add the shrimp and tarragon, mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Place
shrimp over a bed of chilled sorrel. Serve.
Herbed Tri Tip
Adapted from our Lingle’s Herbs cookbook "Easy
Recipes for Using Fresh Herbs" by John Lingle.
Adapted from our Lingle’s Herbs cookbook "Easy
Recipes for Using Fresh Herbs" by John Lingle.
The aromatic herbs of the Mediterranean come alive in this delicious tri
tip roast. I often
double this recipe when entertaining a large group.
Serves 4
2 pound tri tip roast
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup water
¼ cup red wine
2 tablespoons Bouquet Garni herbal vinegar
2 tablespoons oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons marjoram, chopped
¼ cup Welsh onion or green onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
- Place the meat in a shallow glass dish.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour
over the meat and coat thoroughly.
- Marinate meat for 1 to 2 hours, turning occasionally.
- Over medium-high heat, grill the meat, turning occasionally Cook 18-20
minutes for rare, 26-28 minutes for medium. The meat will continue to cook after it is
removed from the grill, so let it stand a few minutes before carving.
OR place on a rack in a roasting pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven. Thermometer should
read 140 degrees for rare, 155 degrees for medium, and 170 degrees for well.
- Carve into slices and serve.
Now, use your imagination and create some herbal vinegars of your own! |
Thanksgiving Recipes
Few foods benefit more from the addition of fresh herbs than poultry.
And no day of the year benefits more from poultry than Thanksgiving. These two recipes
have become mainstays in the Lingle family, and are among our most requested recipes. We
take great joy in sharing them with you and your family.Fresh
Poultry Seasoning
Rather than shaking some store-bought green power from a jar this year, make your own
fresh poultry seasoning. It's simple, and you can make it a day ahead. Cover it and store
in the refrigerator. Use it season your dressing or stuffing. It not only tastes better,
but makes for a much nicer presentation. And you can use it to season the turkey soup a
few days later.
3 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- Mix all ingredients together well.
Herb Turkey Stock
Browning the turkey parts and mirepoix in a sauté pan and then deglazing the pan
makes for a dark, rich stock. Use the stock to moisten the dressing or stuffing, and to
make the turkey gravy. Make it a day ahead.
2 quarts chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Turkey neck, heart, giblets and gizzards (Do not use the liver.)
2 medium white onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 3-inch sprig rosemary
6 sage leaves
3 3-inch sprigs marjoram
3 3-inch sprigs thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, smashed
- In a large stock pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer.
- In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt half the butter and
oil.
- Add the turkey neck, heart, giblets and gizzards, brown well on all
sides. Add to stock.
- Add remaining butter and oil to the pan. Add the onion, celery and
carrots, sauté until onions become translucent, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add
to stock
- Add white wine to sauté pan. Deglaze the pan by rubbing pan with a
wooden spoon until all browned pan deposits are incorporated into wine. Add wine to stock.
- Add remaining ingredients to stock and cover. Simmer over low heat for 2
1/2 to 3 hours. Strain stock through very fine sieve. Let cool to room temperature, cover
and refrigerate overnight.
Answers to Herb Quiz
1) This is a trick question. Allspice is the fruit of the tropical
evergreen tree allspice (Pimenta dioica). It is believed that Christopher
Columbus brought the tree back to Europe after finding it in the new world (South
America). Because the berries taste like a combination of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg,
English botanist John Ray named the plant "Allspice".
2) Frankincense is an aromatic gum resin from trees of Boswellia thurifera,
which grow in Somalia and in the southern Arabian peninsula. It was used in the ancient
world for religious and medicinal purposes; today, it is an ingredient of incense,
fumigants, and perfumes. Frankincense is obtained by making a deep incision in the trunk
of the tree, which exudes a milky juice that on exposure to air hardens into semi-opaque
lumps. From ancient times through the Middle Ages, frankincense was a principal Arabian
trading commodity.
Myrrh is an aromatic, bitter-tasting gum resin obtained principally
from a small thorny tree, Commiphora myrrha, native to Anatolia and northeast
Africa. Myrrh was highly prized in the ancient and medieval world as an ingredient of
perfume, incense, cosmetics, and medicines. The Egyptians used it in embalming, filling
body cavities with powdered myrrh; and, along with frankincense and gold, it was a gift of
the Magi to the infant Jesus.
3) The carob (Ceratonia siliqua). Long ago man learned that there was a
uniformity of weight among similar seeds and grains, and so these came to be adopted as
standards of weight. The carat, used by modern jewelers as a unit for weighing precious
stones, was derived from the carob seed. The carob is an eastern Mediterranean tree of the
pea family, and the source of carob or locust bean gum, which is used as a stabilizer,
thickener, and emulsifier in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paints, and textile sizing
and finishes. The carob tree is sometimes known as locust bean or St. John's bread, from a
theory that the "locusts" that John the Baptist ate in the wilderness were
really carob pods.
Copyright © 1999 by Lingle’s Herbs. |
Lingle's Herbs
2055 N. Lomina Ave., Long Beach, CA 90815 Phone: (800) 708-0633 Fax: (562)
598-3376
info@linglesherbs.com www.linglesherbs.com |
