Herbal Cooking to Put a Spring in Your Step

By: Jessica Dorfsmith

With a thrill of excitement, I step out into the balmy freshness of a spring morning. Birdsong fills the misty air. Sunlight reaches gentle fingers to warm the sleeping earth. A damp breeze rattles the still-bare rose bushes, then it sweeps across the soggy lawn and hits me full in the face! I shiver and turn back toward the warmth of the house, stifling a sneeze. Why is it I’m always fooled by the soft sweetness of springtime? This – more than any other season is the perfect ruse for respiratory troubles to sneak in and take me by surprise.

If you are anything like me, you’re eager to get out of doors after a long winter of being cooped up. The fresh new green everywhere, and the stronger warmth of the sun, can trick us out of the precautions we’ve taken all winter long. Seriously, who wants to bother with a woolen scarf and mittens while strolling along the muddy dirt road to check on robin nests? And when making a trip to town for herb seedlings, a sweatshirt is much more fitting than that heavy coat, even though the damp air will turn chilly before we’re safely home. And so the story goes. Not too far into the new and invigorating season of spring, we find ourselves anything but invigorated cultivating a cough and runny nose rather than enjoying robust health.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! A few precautions (like hanging on to that scarf and heavy jacket a couple of months longer!) and wisdom in the kitchen can help you spring robustly into spring!

God’s wisdom is awe-inspiring. Everything works together for our good (and the good of all His earth) if we obey His command to be faithful stewards of what He has made. Nutritious, toxin-free soil builds nutritious plants (and produces healthy animals, if they are eating healthy plants), which in turn builds health and strength in us as we partake of God’s provision. But it is up to us to learn how to be faithful stewards, from the ground up, and to learn the benefits of what He has provided for our use.

Since springtime can be notorious for respiratory and bronchial troubles, I’ve compiled a few tips for building our strength and resistance through the simple act of eating immune-boosting, cleansing, bacterial-fighting-herb-infused foods. Most culinary herbs are full of medicinal benefit – usually antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cleansing properties. Some, however, rise above the rest, simply brimming with valuable flavor and benefit. Let’s take a brief overview of several simple herbs that can be easily incorporated into cooking, each working to cleanse, tone, nourish, heal, protect, and rebuild.

Artichoke: A member of the thistle family, artichoke contains many of the cleansing benefits of milk thistle. Slightly bitter in taste, it encourages proper stimulation of the liver and gall bladder, aids in digestion, modulates blood sugar, and helps our bodies absorb nutrients. All these aspects work together to build our bodies natural defense system. Not only that, artichoke is a tasty treat! The meaty layer at the base of each durable, thorn-tipped leaf and the thick “heart” are both healthful and gourmet indeed, especially when steamed until tender and dipped into melted butter. But the large lobed leaves (not those on the part we usually eat) are even more medicinally beneficial. Mixed with dandelion leaves and added to salads, or tossed into soups, they contribute both a unique flavor and a healthful tonic.

Cayenne Pepper: This warming, circulation-stimulating herb is antiseptic and boosts the immune system, three much-needed aspects for a healthy start on spring! While aiding circulation, it also helps fight congestion, acts as a toning heart tonic, and encourages digestion. Use in soups, stews, broths, and nearly any meat dish.

Garlic: Antiseptic, antibiotic, immune-boosting, congestion-clearing, and detoxifying, garlic is also bursting with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. If you could obtain only one herb for cooking, garlic would be the most over-all healthful, strengthening, and preventative herb to use! The green, chive-like foliage is tasty and healthful, but the fat little cluster of cloves contain the most benefit. For best medicinal results, mince and add to soups or stir fries no sooner than 10 minutes before the dish is done cooking.

Turmeric: A richly golden root that is truly worth a gold medal! Modulating inflammation, it helps to ease the symptoms of seasonal illnesses, such as coughs and congestion. It is also helpful in promoting proper liver, gallbladder, digestive, and cognitive function, encouraging overall health. When used in cooking be sure to add black pepper, which increases the absorption of turmeric’s active healing ingredient, curcumin.

Each above-mentioned herb can be blended together to make a complimentary, richly nutritious, golden-hued soup. Here is my favorite combination, served with fresh chopped kale sprinkled on top, and steamed artichoke served on the side!

1 pound chopped chicken
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 large carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
Several artichoke leaves, if available
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon dried turmeric
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of ground black pepper

Fill kettle ¾ with water. Add all ingredients except garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 1 and Â½ hours. Add garlic; simmer for 15 more minutes. The result is a light, flavorful, strengthening meal that fortifies the body to begin its spring housekeeping, and jump the last seasonal-illness-hurdle before warm and wonderful summertime!

You can simplify and use chicken broth, add the herbs, simmer and use as a bracing drink before (to prevent!), during (to fight off), or after an illness (to rebuild). It keeps, refrigerated, for up to three days – and makes a delicious snack!

Now that we’ve admitted that springtime isn’t the end of seasonal colds, flues, and ailments, and now that we’ve devised a method of self-defense, we can take the time to enjoy this beautiful time of fresh newness, healthy, strong, and unafraid! Sip some nourishing broth, bundle up sufficiently, and head out into the awakening world of birdsong and budding trees. Happy springtime to you!

About the Author:
Jessica Dorfsmith is a contributing researcher and writer to the “Living Healthy” catalog. Her primary focus is the cultivation and use of herbs in practical applications. See her book “The Beauty of Herbs” in the book section on our website! natureswarehouse.net

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