we're doing more cooking from scratch and things from the garden so I need to know what herbs and spices you use the most AND what you use them for!!! also, do you grow them yourselves, buy in bulk, or what. thanks!!!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), August 30, 2001

Answers

Salt, pepper, garlic, basil, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, curry Don't grow any at this time, except garlic, but have done: mint, basil, chives.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), August 30, 2001.

Salt,pepper,oregano,rosemary bay leaves,Garlic(fresh, salt,minced,dried cloves). I use oregano in anything Italian,(do grow), rosemary..just tried in bread..WONDERFUL..a friend supplies,bay leaves in some soups and I put several leaves on the top of all my grains to ward off weevils etc,. Garlic is used in every dish possible..we love it..I do grow fresh but not enough buy most. I buy large quantites of these and other spices and mixes at Sam's Whlsle.

-- Sandi (msjazt@aol.com), August 30, 2001.

Salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, cinnamom, rosemary, seasoned salt, nutmeg, basil and paprika, but of course there is never too such a thing as too much garlic!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), August 30, 2001.

garlic,, red pepper, cayenne pepper,, catnip,, oregano, black pepper. In that order of most use

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), August 30, 2001.

This is not in any particular order of priority. 1. garlic; grew for the first time this year; goes in almost every dinner 2, 3, 4. basil, oregano, thyme; will try growing indoors over winter; Italian dishes and chicken 5. cinnamon; buy in bulk; anything apple, also cookies and other baked treats 6. mint; trying to grow, got from neighbors; use mostly fresh for tea, have also dried it for hot tea in winter 7. dill; will grow next year, buy in bulk now; pickles 8, 9. salt and pepper; buy in large containers at grocery store; use in everything that is not normally sweet. If you're watching your salt intake, do NOT cut back on salt in bread. Salt checks the yeast and keeps the bread from rising too much too fast. I accidently forgot the salt once, and the tops of the loaves rose to close to the upper heating element and were about to catch fire while the rest of the bread was still doughy. 10, 11, 12. ginger, cloves, nutmeg; buy in bulk; used in all sorts of desserts, cookies, pies, cakes.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), August 30, 2001.

Black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, cumin, garlic (poweder, fresh), majoram, mustard seeds, onion powder, ginger and rosemary (leaves, powder). We use a lot of spices/herbs in cooking, especially on vegetables and soups. We only grow mint right now and get our garlic from a friend but we purchase our many of our spices from a small store that sells them bulk by the ounce.

-- Trisha-MN (tank@linkup.net), August 30, 2001.

My number one has got to be cinnamon. We use it in pancakes, zuccini cakes, squash bread, pumpkin anything, and baked squash recipes. Also use some nutmeg(also good in pumpkin, and a little dash is tasty in some chicken dishes). Basil for tomato dishes or fried squash(just a little). And of course, salt and pepper. Garlic is nice to have. Could probably live without most everything else.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), August 30, 2001.

#1 has to be garlic. We grow our own. Put garlic in everything. I also grow thyme, chives, winter and summer savory, terragon, oregano, basil, celantro, sage and marjorum. I gather and dry all the herbs that I grow. Then I strip the leaves and grind and mix all the herbs. I put them in a jar and use them on everything. Garlic toast, homemade bread, roast beef, spigetti sauce. I use mustard and celerly seed when making pickles. I use cinnimon and nutmeg and cardimon with fruit deserts. When cooking Tex-Mex I use cummin, chilli powder and chipotle chilies. Almost every recipe has a herb or spice. If not, I throw it in anyway. Roast beef with winter savory is WONDERFUL. That is what we had for dinner tonight.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), August 30, 2001.

Rubbed sage,ground thyme and fennel seeds for my home made sausage...

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), August 30, 2001.

Hmmm. I notice the answers are coming from women.

I'm a man. I don't have any spices. True, believe it or not. What do you think of that?

-- Rick#7 (rick7@postmark.net), August 30, 2001.

Garlic-gets used for almost anything savory (not sweet)
Basil- for anything Italian, Greek, Mediterranean flavored
Pepper- as for garlic
Oregano- lentil soup and as for basil
Curry- to spice up lentils and yellow split peas, and for curried dishes
Dill- as for basil and oregano, also adds a lot to many potato dishes and cream soups
ginger- great in ramen noodle soup(if you like that sort of thing), it adds a whole other dimension. Used fresh mainly in asian dishes, sometimes dried for baked goods such as gingersnaps.
bay leaves- for lentil soup, chicken adobo and in conjunction with basil and oregano
cayenne pepper- great for ramen noodle soup or soups drunk when you have a cold. Good for anything spicy and for jazzing up cream soups
Rosemary- for chicken dumplings (amazingly good!) and good with goat or lamb meat
Cinnamon- baked goods and apple dishes, sometimes I'll use a little bit in a curry recipe, not very much.
Also sesame seeds and oil- the seeds for bread and the oil for asian dishes, on rice, and in ramen noodle soup.

We buy most of our spices in bulk, they are a lot cheaper that way.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), August 30, 2001.

Real men get spices from McDonalds and Burger King, those little packets of salt and pepper.......lol just kidding.

have a great day and smile

gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), August 30, 2001.

I don't think I have 10 but I'd be lost without black pepper. I use curry, cumin, cayenne, salt, cinnamon, garlic, mustard, ginger, oregano, chili powder, and some mixed spice stuff i use to make japanese curry stew that I could probably eat every day if I didn't have to cook it.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), August 31, 2001.

Let me see... powdered garlic, oregano, chili powder, cumin, sage, dried parsley, cinnamon, thyme, ginger, celery seed.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 31, 2001.

well, i couldn't possibly go without cinnamon. also, there are cloves, allspice, nutmeg (i'm a real "autumn" person), black pepper, thyme, basil, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley. i make alot of things from scratch, but i do not grow any of these things...YET!! We are just starting out and haven't gotten off to well. but things are looking up (sorta). P.S. you cant forget the sauces you shold have...worchestshire sauce, soy sauce, honey, mustard, and your fav bbq sauce!! Good luck and God Bless!

-- kathy p (katiegirl176@hotmail.com), September 01, 2001.