March 11, 2004

Prairie Fare: Think Green

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

In March there are many signals that Spring is close. Students go on Spring break. Newspaper sales ads feature Spring sales with smiling people in shorts and swimsuits. The snowbirds return from warmer states.

Last year my kids and I were so eager for Spring renewal that we sprinkled pots of soil with wheat kernels and watched them grow in a sunny window. Our wheat grew lush and tall, looking like a miniature lawn in need of a good mowing.

My kids thought ahead and asked when we would be making flour from our wheat. Needless to say, we didn’t bake bread using the wheat we’d grown.

I suppose we could have been more productive and planted pots of herbs. At least we’d have a product we could use in the kitchen.

Several herbs lend themselves to container gardening. Chives, parsley, basil, oregano, marjoram and mint grow well in pots and add a bit of the outdoors even when it’s snowy outside.

Using herbs in cooking does several things. Not only do herbs add flavor to food, but many people also find they can cut down on the amount of salt and fat in their recipes. Less sodium and fat used in cooking is a good move toward heart-health.

If you decide to cultivate an indoor herb garden for culinary use, consider these tips when using them:

• Use a pair of scissors to snip herbs. Chop leaves finely to expose as much of the flavor components as possible.
  
• Don’t overdo herbs in a dish. Usually one strongly flavored herb alone or paired with a more mildly flavored herb is a better bet.
  
• In recipes calling for dried herbs, substitute a larger amount of fresh herbs. The usual comparison is as follows: 2 teaspoons fresh herbs = 3/4 teaspoon dried herbs = 1/4 teaspoon powdered herbs.
  
• In “hot” dishes like soups and stews, add fresh herbs about 40 minutes from the end of cooking. Flavor can be lost with extended cooking.
  
• In “cold” dishes like salads with dressings, add herbs several hours ahead of time to allow flavors to meld.
  
• If your plants become prolific, consider preserving your herbs for later use. Drying herbs can be as easy as bunching young leaves and tender stems and hanging them upside down in a well-ventilated, dark place. Store in airtight containers and use within a year.

Add a little green vegetables and herbs to your table with this quick and tasty fat-free cabbage salad recipe in celebration of a famously “green” holiday: St. Patrick’s Day. A member of the cruciferous vegetable family that also includes broccoli and Brussels sprouts, cabbage and its cousins have been shown to help prevent certain types of cancer.

To make preparing recipes and getting your five to nine servings of produce daily a little easier, many stores carry ready-to-eat packages of coleslaw mix. While dill isn’t something you can easily “container-garden,” dill seed is readily available. Many stores also sell fresh dill.

Crisp Cabbage Salad

1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp. dill seed
1 tsp. salt
2 quarts shredded cabbage (or pre-packaged coleslaw mix)

Mix first five ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Add shredded cabbage and combine thoroughly just before serving.

Makes about 12 servings. Each serving has 30 calories, less than 1 gram of fat and 25 percent of the daily vitamin C recommendation.

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu

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