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Put together Your Spices for Maximum Freshness and Flavor. Assuming you're similar to most cooks, your flavor bureau is a mixed bag. You're putting away the flavors you utilize most at the front, while flavors you didn't realize you needed to hang out the way toward the back. A few flavors have most likely been perched on the rack for a really long time.

In Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory, you can wander around the "Sugar From the Sun Garden". This garden is specifically dedicated to plants that bear different fruit, plants that are herbs and spices, or plants that are consumed. It was extremely cool to see things such as cinnamon, coffee, and cacao being grown in their natural habitat.

I thought I would go over herbs and spices one more time for a couple of reasons. One is that I've been getting comments about the spices/choices I use. The thing is, I make these videos based on what we have in our home and most likely what you have. I don't use special spices or herbs all the time. I use what's handy like many do. Second I wanted to separate certain spices and herbs that I don't use all the time. In the following video, I will cover spices and herbs that aren't always in the home but maybe should be.

There’s nothing like fresh herbs from the garden to make your meals taste better and give them that added flavorful oomph. But you don’t have to wait for warmer weather to have fresh herbs all year round. You don’t need soil, and you don’t need lots of space. All you really need to grow herbs hydroponically is water, a few glass containers, and light.

Many people found comfort in their kitchen during the uncertainty of the initial pandemic lockdown. They rediscovered the pleasure of cooking. Banana bread and sourdough starters were two popular dishes. Later in the season, people were making pickles and there was a shortage of sealers, the jars used in canning.