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    Ways to Use Mint

    Mint Spearmint1

    Mint can be used both in sweet and savory dishes. Add mint to new potatoes or to a garlic and cream cheese dip. Mix mint with chocolate cakes or bake with raisins and currants in pastry. Mints are an excellent addition to sauces, syrups, vinegar, and teas. There are more than 2,000 varieties of mint—about […] More

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    Ways to Serve Dandelion Greens

    Dandelion1

    Dandelion greens can be added to a lettuce salad to add some tang. Young bright green dandelion greens can be served raw in salads. Mature dandelions are better cooked. Spring is a prime time for tender, free-range dandelion greens. Dandelion serving suggestions Dandelion cooking suggestions Dandelions can be cooked like spinach. How to prepare dandelions […] More

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    Ways to Serve Pears

    Pears Bartlett1

    Pears are nutritious and taste great, and they are low in calories. Pears are ideal for healthy eating. There are thousands of pear varieties, each differing in size, shape, color, flavor, and shelf life. Pear flesh can be more or less juicy, soft, and fragrant according to the variety. Some varieties are harvested in summer, […] More

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    Ways to Use Sage

    Sage1

    Add a sprig of fresh sage to roast beef or vegetables to add a lemony, camphor-like flavor. Sage can come on strong and even sharp but you will still find it pleasant. Heated sage becomes more assertive. It is a good match for rich and fatty meats such as goose and pork and sausages. Ways […] More

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    Ways to Use Dill

    Dill in kitchen1

    Partnering dill with fish and seafood got its start a few thousand years ago in the Nordic countries of northern Europe. Dill—which has a flavor somewhere between celery and parsley with the peppery undertones of anise and the feint aroma of lemon—brings lingering warmth to cured and marinated salmon and herring as well as fried […] More

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    Ways to Use Cilantro and Coriander

    Cilantro leaves and coriander seeds1

    The cilantro plant and the coriander plant are the same plant. In most parts of the world, coriander is simply known as coriander. However, in the United States coriander refers to the seeds of the coriander plant, and cilantro refers to the herb leaves of the coriander plant. Why the difference? Well, it basically comes […] More

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    Ways to Use Tarragon

    Tarragon in kitchen1

    Use French tarragon fresh whole or ground with fish and shellfish, chicken, eggs, salad greens, or tomatoes. French tarragon has a spicy anise flavor with a basil note and a sweet aftertaste. Its leaves hint of pine and licorice. The flavor of French tarragon diffuses quickly in dishes so it is best used sparingly. Add […] More

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    Ways to Serve Jujube

    Jujube1

    The jujube is about the size of an olive or small date and has the texture and crisp, sprightly flavor of an apple. You can eat the jujube fresh out of hand or you can enjoy it dried—a favorite in China—or preserved in syrup—a favorite also in China and in Korea. The jujube can also […] More

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    Ways to Serve Figs

    Figs1

    Serve figs sliced and drizzled with milk or cream, perhaps add a dusting of sugar. For a blend of sweet and savory, wrap fig slices in prosciutto, also thinly sliced. Ripe figs are intensely sweet. Some say the fig is the sweetest of all fruit. That’s probably true. Figs were commonly used as a sweetener […] More

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    Ways to Serve Pawpaw

    Pawpaw1

    What would you think of a creamy, custard-like fruit that tastes like a combination of banana, mango, pineapple, melon, and berries? The pawpaw—which is a native North American tree fruit—is just such a fruit. Sounds tropical, but the pawpaw is a temperate—meaning not tropical—tree that is native to the Mississippi Valley, a swath of the […] More

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    Ways to Serve Savory

    Savory summer savory1

    Trying to cut back on salt and pepper? Try savory. There are two varieties of the herb called savory to choose from: summer savory—a fast-growing annual plant, and winter savory—a shrubby perennial. Both savories have a bit of a peppery bite. Summer savory has a flavor reminiscent of thyme, mint, and marjoram. It is more […] More