Heirloom Oregano: A Culinary Herb in a League All its Own


A fast growing herb, oregano serves many purposes beyond the kitchen counter

Related to mint (but nowhere near as sweet), oregano is a popular herb found throughout Italian, Greek, and Mexican cuisines. Whereas Greek oregano is very strong and slightly bitter with a clove-like afterbite, Mexican oregano is almost all bitter, and can be almost tongue numbing. Oregano is great with anything involving tomatoes, and goes very well with savory dishes like eggs and roasted meats.

How to Grow:
Because it loves warm climate and direct sunlight, you want to plant your oregano only when you are sure the last frost has passed. It only takes a week-and-a-half to germinate, with the leaves ready for harvest after six. Since compost and manure have a tendency to adversely affect the final flavor of the leaves, it is best to plant the seeds (or transplants) fifteen inches apart in loose, moist soil and cover with mulch to combat weeds. Because it is drought tolerant, as long as you water it periodically, the plant will take care of itself.

Non-Culinary Uses:
Oregano can be used as a border for many gardens and walkways. It is a perennial and will
grow back each year. Many people enjoy its aromatic fragrance. Due to its high levels of an antiseptic called carvacrol (also responsible for its ‘pizza-like’ flavor), oregano acts as a bacterial inhibitor and an effective first-aid treatment for insect, spider, and even snake bites.

Culinary Uses:
Oregano is often used in many soups and pasta sauces. However, oregano is most widely recognized as the “special herb” which turns bland pizza sauce into real pizza sauce. You can make your own pizza sauce following the simple recipe below.

Ingredients Needed:
1 32 oz can of plain crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can of tomato paste
½ teaspoon of dried crushed oregano (Either True Greek or Sweet Marjoram will work well).
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup water

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

Author Credits: Elizabeth Trementozzi Krause publishes her own Italian cooking website,
www.simpleitaliancooking.com where she features more Italian recipes. She enjoys spending her time cooking and drinking espresso with friends and family. She and her husband love eating pizza with a dish of pasta on the side along with a nice green salad. She offers a newsletter each week featuring new recipes and tips.

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Non- GMO Labeling is a Hit with Consumers

GMO Labeling Fight


This is an interesting report from the Nielsen company- the same company doing the familiar Nielsen Ratings.

The consumer interest in Non-GMO labeled foods is skyrocketing. In 2009, this micro market segment was worth $60.2 Million and grew at 67% over 2008, making it the #1 healthy eating trend in store brands for 2009. Store brands are like Topco Full Circle and Safeway “O” Organics. Store brands like these now make up almost 40% of products with no preservative claims, 25% of all organic product sales, and nearly one-fifth of all products with “natural” claims in food/drug/mass merchandise retailers. Whole Foods Market, one of the largest U.S. natural foods retailers, have started the process to certify that all of their store brands are GMO free.

What is even more interesting is the early adoption of the Non-GMO labeling by store brands, which are taking the lead in offering healthy products instead of trailing the major brands as they used to do. Consumer sentiment against genetically modified foods (GM or GMO) is growing- despite all of the marketing and press support by genetic engineering companies like Monsanto- and market brands are reflecting that. With GMOs being linked to organ damage, crop failures, increased water usage, soil contamination and worse, consumers are becoming aware of the dangers of these products. Another major winner is the “No high fructose corns syrup” label worth $13 Million and growing at 28% over 2008. That gives it a #10 rank.

These dollar amounts are big numbers to most of us consumers, but are small potatoes to the large national brands, such as Lays and Kraft. What makes them take notice is the growth percentage. They will be watching the growth in several of these segments to see if there is consistent, sustained growth that makes it financially feasible or even necessary for them to switch suppliers from conventional to non-GMO. If there is enough movement in the market towards GMO free products, they will switch, as they will not stand by and watch a large market share evaporate.

This happened in the recent past with RBGH or RBST, the bovine growth hormone developed, not suprisingly, by Monsanto to increase the milk output from cows. It created many other problems, such as increased infections in the milk and disease in the cows. The FDA stated RBGH did not alter the milk, and sued several dairies that labeled their milk RBGH free. Enough consumers found out the truth and started requesting RBGH free milk. Not long afterwards, the major players saw the movement in the market and made the switch to RBGH free suppliers. Surprisingly, this didn’t take a majority of consumers, only 5-7% of Americans, as they represent several hundred millions of dollars to the major national brands. This is money they will not lose when they can make a switch in suppliers and keep their customers happy.

Monsanto is worried, of course. When, not if, the major national brands make the switch, Monsanto will find itself with many highly expensive bio-engineered products that no one wants. They are already in trouble in Europe, as they have lost several recent lawsuits they filed to force their way into European markets and agriculture. The nations of the European Union and more importantly- it’s people- have rejected genetic engineering of food almost out of hand.

What this means for you and I is great news. Safe, wholesome and sustainable food is at the core of our needs, next to clean air and water. With people starting to actively request GMO free labeling on their foods, safer foods are closer and easier to get for everyone.

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Herb and Vegetable Roasted Chicken with Buttermilk Biscuits


This is a great dinner for family or friends, and it doesn’t have to be Sunday. A whole roast chicken makes for an impressive tableside presentation followed by a delicious meal and the tender, tasty leftovers can be used for several other dishes, if there are any left!

For faster, more even roasting, cut the backbone out of the chicken with poultry shears or heavy duty kitchen shears. This allows the bird to lay flat in the roasting pan. Keep the backs in a freezer ziplock until you have several, then make chicken stock with the giblets, diced onions and celery, aromatic herbs such as savory, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and a bay leaf in a couple quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a minimum of two hours, longer is better.

Pair this with some fresh homemade biscuits and you’ve got a proven winner! We found a great restaurant in the little town of Boulder, Utah called Hell’s Backbone Grill that makes the absolutely best biscuits that we’ve ever tasted! They are easy and quick to make and are positively addictive. We always make a double batch if we want any for the next couple of days. You can use the hot oven for both roasting the chicken and baking the biscuits.

Make sure to include plenty of vegetables, as they roast up well and balance out the rich roasted chicken flavors.

Herb and Vegetable Roasted Chicken

3-4 Lb chicken

1 lemon, halved

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 Tbsp butter, softened

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 small red onions, halved

8 small potatoes, halved

4-6 medium carrots

4 medium parsnips, peeled

Extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 450F. Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a large roasting pan or skillet. Cast iron is best.  Squeeze lemon juice to cover chicken then put lemon halves, rosemary, thyme and 4 cloves of garlic into cavity. Rub chicken with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange remaining vegetables around chicken and brush with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper.

When oven is hot, roast for 15-20 minutes, then bast chicken with pan juices. Reduce heat to 375F and continue to roast for about 45 minutes more, basting every 15-20 minutes until skin is crisp and golden. Remove from oven, cover with lid or foil for 10-15 minutes (while biscuits are cooking) and let rest before carving. When removing chicken, reheat oven to 450F. By the time you are ready to bake the biscuits, the oven will be at temperature.

Black Powder Buttermilk Biscuits

This is our all time favorite biscuit recipe! You must have two things to be successful here- a hot oven and cold dough. These are made and bake quickly, so get everything ready before you start.

3 Tbs cornmeal

2 1/2 Cups flour

1 1/2 Tsp salt

1/2 Tsp baking soda

1 Tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp course black pepper

1 Tsp sugar

1 stick (1/4 Lb) butter- cold- cut into 1/2″ chunks

1 Cup buttermilk or substitute 1 cup milk with 2 tsp lemon juice

Adjust rack to middle position of oven, lightly oil cookie sheet or use a nonstick spray. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp over surface.

It’s best to use a food processor for the next two steps, then lightly knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer. It makes for better biscuits!

Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pepper and sugar in food processor bowl, pulse 5-7 times with cutting blade to mix. Next, add butter chunks and run until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This can be done with 2 knives and some patience. Transfer to stand mixer bowl.

Using low speed, fold mixture in while slowly pouring buttermilk over top. Mix well until dough is sticky and moistened through, with no dry patches. Turn dough onto lightly floured worktop, using floured hands to prevent dough from sticking. Using knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half and stack one piece on top of the other. Flatten with rolling pin, but don’t over do it. Repeat cut, flatten and stack for 3 more times. Add small amounts of flour necessary to keep everything from sticking. Dough will be very moist- as it should be.

Transfer dough to cookie sheet. Roll to about 1 inch thick, then cut into squares about 2×2″. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp cornmeal. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

Serve with the roasted chicken and enjoy!

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