Creating Your Orginal Secret Recipe
I am sure some of us, if not all of us, have eaten out and had such an awesome experience that we made that restaurant one of our frequent visits also telling family and friends about it.
Both my family and I eat out whenever we can and there is one particular restaurant that we visit often called O Andros which is located at a place we call the fish fry where locals and tourists gather to eat and socialize.
The prices are not only good but the foods are just as great which makes this experience so good so if you ever decide on taking a trip to the Bahamas, in particular, Nassau which is the capital be sure and inquire about O Andros that is at the fish fry trust me you will love it.
O Andros foods are very delicious because of the ingredients that are added to their dishes which makes these foods outstanding and is enjoyed so much by persons who eat there.
The ingredients that are used in the many dishes are prepared to keep the customers coming back time and again to have a continuous joyous experience. Herbs are some of the ingredients that are used to give those foods that extra flavor which is so amazing.
A Nurse’s advice
Many years ago I was scheduled for a physical and learned a valuable lesson that has stuck with me all these years. The nurse that was doing the examination asked me a series of questions and I answered as best as I could. She said something to me that was a life changer and that was, “highly season foods are not good for one’s health.”
Despite how delightful it may taste, she said: “when preparing foods it is good to use less salt and add more herbs to flavor your foods” and from that day to the present, I have made this my goal. Adding more herbs do work wonders.
My secret original recipe story
A few years ago both my family and I were invited for lunch at a church member’s house. This occasion would be what we called a pot-luck meaning everyone that was invited had the responsibility of bringing a dish.
What I decided to do was some baked chicken while adding my mixture of herbs, it was just an experiment that turned out to be a knock-out. The recipe I tried was really amazing and the chicken was so delicious that brother Paul who had invited us, contacted me a few days later bought a whole chicken and asked me to prepare it for him just as I did for that function we attended a few days earlier.
Can you imagine this world without herbs, I know I can’t. Besides, it’s these flavors that give your foods that WOW, what other benefits do herbs have.
Herb benefits
1. Many herbs are used as an insect repellent and will keep insects at bay. Planting herbs such as garlic, basils, rosemary, etc… among other garden plants will send insects packing.
2. Herbs are loaded with vitamins that can do our bodies a lot of good.
3. Herbs can bring natural healing with their many healing properties.
Mixing it up for that special blend
Before we proceed any further I would like for you to consider starting a herb garden if you have not as yet. Don’t have space any no problem you can still grow herbs by growing a container garden or growing herbs indoors.
Ok here we go
While it’s good to support our local supermarket by giving them our business it is also good to feed ourselves by growing our own foods and saving a few $$$$$ in the process. This is a win-win position for all of us.
Just imagine harvesting fresh herbs grown with your hands from your garden. This is something to get excited about don’t you think, I think so.
Herbs can be added to those favorite dishes fresh or dry, I have tried both ways to create some scrumptious meals. Fresh herbs are more potent than dry herbs but will give you that full flavor, while dry herbs even though mild will flavor your foods non-the-less.
Some of my favorite herbs to dry
- Thyme
- Basil
- Chives
- Rosemary
- Lemon balm
- Oregano
- Tarragon
Methods of drying herbs
Herbs should be harvested before the flowers are produced. Pick herbs in the early morning hours when plants are dry. While harvesting herbs discard any leaves that are damaged.
1. Oven drying
The leaves of rosemary, thyme, basils, etc… should be removed from the stalks. next place herb leaves on a baking tray with cookie sheets which will provide adequate spacing. Turn the oven knob to the lowest Temperature. After half an hour, turn leaves over for another 30 minutes. Allow leaves to cool before removing them from the oven.
2. Hanging to dry
Tie a few stalks in small bunches in the upside-down position. Wrap leaves in tin paper bags to catch fallen leaves. After ten days leaves should be dry. Never wrap leaves in plastic because the moisture from plastic will cause mold to develop.
3. Rack Drying
Rack drying herbs involve using strips of cheesecloths or string to tie a few stalks of herbs in a small bunch then hanging them in the upside-down position on racks. Racks for herb drying comes in many styles and colors.
Mixing it up to create that WOW experience
Combining dry herbs, for example, mixing basil and rosemary together makes a good combination that will flavor your meats. How about combining lemon balm and thyme.
Remember there are no rules to this game, just go for it, let those creative juices flow and you will be well on your way to creating your secret original recipe.
How to store dry herbs
1. Place herbs in an airtight glass jar.
2. Store herbs in a cool place.
3. Keep them stored in a dry place.
Herbs are best when they are fresh and dry
Fresh herbs
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Dill
- Tarragon
- Mint
- Garlic
Dry herbs
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Sage
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Marjoram
The final word
Drying herbs are really simple, all it takes is some know-how and you will be well on your way to creating your very own original secret recipe that will give your dishes that BANG as family and friends are blown away by the many flavors that your foods have.
So give it a try, what do you have to lose. Adding herbs to flavor your foods are really great. Let’s join the millions that are taking advantage of this method by taking our food experience to the next level.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Thanks for the ideas and inspiration! I just happen to have a big stack of old plant pots sitting empty. Time to put them to use! 🙂
Norman, here I am again, commenting on one of your interesting articles.
Herbs, I love and have grown them for years. I leave a couple of each type of plant to go to seed and then dry them and save for the next year.
Funnily enough the saved ones take ages to sprout. The left over ones on the plants seed very quickly – usually in the lawn so it takes ages to separate them for placing back in the garden Such fun but so enjoyable.
We use a lot of them in salad dressings and sauces. I was on Maui once and we had a salad with the absolutely best dressing I have ever tasted. Lots of herbs. I begged but they wouldn’t give me the recipe! Understandable I know.
A suggestion about storing dried herbs is to use dark glass bottles. This helps a lot with the storing in a dark place as some people don’t really have one.
I have another herb growing. It is Mexican Tarragon. Not a true tarragon but considered a great alternative. I don’t like the Russian one and the French one is a bit too delicate for me.
Well if this, my second comment on your site, is any indication I will see you again.
Very interesting article.
Cioa
Helen
Hello Helen so nice to hear from you again and thanks for responding. You have a lot of knowledge when it comes to herbs. It is so good to see that you are taking advantage of herbs and growing them yourself. Thanks so much for sharing and for that bit of advice. Wishing you all the best of good health and success. Have a good day.
Aww,
I love home gardening! I used to plant succulents but recently my husband is particularly interested in planting something you can eat, haha!
Currently, he’s planting chives but I bet he’s going to expand his collection once I have shown him this article.
And all the techniques to process and store the herbs! So interesting!
Just wondering, how long can we store these herbs?
Hello so good to hear from you. It is good to see that both you and your husband are involved in gardening because this can be so rewarding in so many ways. Dried herbs can be stored anywhere from 1-3 years. So happy that I could help. All the best to you and have a good day.