Herbes de Provence 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Herbes de Provence – 100 g ($11.99), 50 g ($8.99), 25 g ($5.99)

English: Herbes de Provence, Herbs de Provence blend

General Information:
Herbes de Provence, an essential component of French and Mediterranean cooking, is a mixture of dried herbs that adds a distinctive flavor to dishes such as chicken, roasted vegetables, grilled fish, salads, tomato-based soups, and stews like ratatouille. Herbes de Provence originated in the southeastern region of France, where summertime herbs are plentiful and used in daily cooking. But it only became familiar in the 1970s, after Julia Child began teaching home chefs around the world about French cooking and when commercial varieties of the mixture began popping up in grocery stores.

Nowadays, even though fresh herbs are readily available in markets, it’s not always possible to find the ones you want -making dried herbs a must-have ingredient. And while you can purchase Herbes de Provence in most grocery stores, it’s just as easy to make your own. Plus, when you make your own you can adjust the amounts and ingredients according to personal taste. There are many herbs (and spices) that can collectively be called Herbes de Provence, but the basic recipe includes basil, fennel, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme. Other recipes variously include (or omit) crushed bay leaves, savory, chervil, sage, oregano, and mint.

Despite its ubiquity throughout Provence, lavender was not traditionally included in the mixture; it is often found in the commercial versions, however. Lavender adds aroma and has a strong-some say soapy-flavor. If you include it in your homemade Herbes de Provence, be sure to buy culinary lavender buds specifically marked for cooking and use it sparingly-lavender can easily overwhelm sweet and savory foods. Certain herbs are known to pair well with particular foods: rosemary with a lamb; tarragon with chicken, basil with tomatoes; and fennel with fish. Keep these combinations in mind when mixing your herbs. You might want to try making separate batches, each with different ratios of herbs, for use in various recipes. Just be sure to label your containers.

For an easy Provençal chicken dinner, coat a skinless chicken breast in olive oil and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and Herbes de Provence, marinate for an hour or so, then grill. Or season skin-on chicken thighs the same way, then braise with white wine, tomatoes, and halved shallots.

Ingredients

Thyme, Marjoram, Summer Savory, Rosemary, Tarragon, Basil, Fennel Seeds, Chervil, Mint, Lavender

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. SO you make once /week and just eat each other day.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.