Trust your nose when choosing spices and herbs While spices don't spoil Richmond also recom- can't take it out/'" Rich- curry powder, dill, garlic, By STACEY SMITH or "go bad/" Richmond said mends buying smaller quan- mond said. ginger, rosemary, sage or TOWN MEETING EDITOR spices do Jose their flavor tities of spices, so they are She also offered some ad- thyme. ALDEN — Trusting your over time. purchased more frequently vice to cooks trying to ex- For lamb, the pamphlet nose could save a special "They slowly lose their to ensure freshness. pand their repertoire: Don't recommends curry powder, holiday dish from outdated potency and flavor. Very Using spices is something use a new spice the first dill, garlic, mint, oregano, or poor quality seasonings, few spices go had," she she learned from her father, time without a recipe and rosemary or thyme. Rich- according to Alden Mill said. Geno Moglovkin, Rich- determine what flavors you mond also recommends a House owner Colleen Spices/ which generally mond said. like best. blend of seasonings called <t Richmond. last two to five years, will Moglovkin, a culinary "The first couple of times herbes de provence for "I think 98 percent of it deteriorate more quickly if chef, started the Mill find a recipe. Learn what lamb. (seasoning recipes) is by stored near heat, Richmond House in 1984, selling his flavors you like/" she said. Veal can be seasoned smell. Trust your nose," said. signature Miracle Blend, a The Mill House offers a with bay leaf, coriander, Richmond said. It seems natural to store blend of garlic, pepper, pamphlet listing spices and dill, garlic, oregano, rose- Smelling herbs and sea- spices near the stove at kosher salt and spices that herbs that go well with var- mary, sage or thyme. sonings can help determine home/ she said/ but a cup- can be used in almost any ious foods. Richmond also has this if they are high quality or if board away from the stove dish. For beef/ the pamphlet advice for making soups they are old, she said. and the oven is a better Richmond said it was suggests allspice/ basil/ bay and stews, "You should Higher quality seasonings storage place. Moglovkin who taught her leaf/ chili powder, cumin/ never, ever use a bouillon can really help make a reci- The heat from cooking how to determine quality of curry powder, garlic/ ginger, cube. Buy a base." pe special, while poor qual- will affect spices stored in spices and the quantity to marjoram, oregano or Stacey Smith can be ity seasonings can ruin a rec- nearby cupboards and de- use. thyme. reached at ssmith@michi- ipe by making it taste bitter, stroy their flavor/ diminish- "I can give you Geno's Good spices for pork in- gannewspapers.com or by she said. ing the life of the spice/ she rule of thumb: 'You can al- clude caraway seeds, chili calling 231-264-9711. said. ways add more, but you powder/ coriander/ cumin/ Dreaming of a green Christmas heart is still set on a fresh cut tree, make wrap gifts in reusable gift bags or give gifts By JEFF BERGREN sure you dispose of it properly, such as that need little or no packaging, such as CITIZEN-JOURNAL EDITOR recyclteg |t instead of se_nd|ng the tree to,a concert tickets or gift certificates. For all the holiday cheer and good feel- landfill. A community waste department Other green gift ideas include buying ings of the season, there is also the other may also collect the trees for mulching. locally to support the local economy as side of the coin during Christmas. Many Buying trees that are locally grown can well as avoiding the carbon emissions consumers get caught up in the chaos of also cut down on transportation costs. caused by shipping. shopping, buying huge amounts of gifts The biggest expense, for a consumer "An afternoon of horseback riding, a for loved ones while planning feasts for and the planet alike, is all the shiny new massage or pedicure, a session in a pot- relatives on the big day. gifts. Gifts such as electronics are very tery studio or tickets to a concert or play The holidays can often result in a huge popular but some are more environmen- are all environmentally-friendly gift ideas," amount of waste, both in the gifts bought tally friendly than others. First, if you are Carchrae said. "Many gifts given each and the amount of food thrown away. With buying electronics to replace items in Christmas end up buried in the back of the ever increasing knowledge on global your home, dispose of old electronic the closet by January, and eventually warming, many consumers have decided to components and batteries responsibly. make their way to the landfill, but an ex- "green" their lifestyle for the holiday. Though "Wherever possible, purchase gifts perience will last forever in someone's not necessarily as easy as traditional shop- made from recycled materials or from re- memory." ping and dining methods, it's an option tailers that support eco-friendly business- There are other ways to be green dur- many look into at this time of year. es," S. Elliott, of Green/Simple Living, an ing the holidays, like cutting back on With that in mind, the Environmental online resource said. "Consider making In addition, Chou said not to throw using recycled or salvaged materials. Gift Christmas lighting or switching to energy Protection Agency along with other insti- an eco-aware donation on a gift recip- away the electronics that have been re- bags can be made by using scrap pieces efficient LED lights. You can also use tutions have come up with green tips for ient's behalf this year. Teaching someone placed. There are many outlets to reuse of colorful cotton cloth," Michelle Carch- energy conservation practices while in the Christmas and what you can do for the the value of giving is a great gift in itself." or recycle your old gadgets. rae, of Green/Simple Living said. "In- kitchen by monitoring the use of the oven planet while celebrating with your family. The EPA also said there are some elec- Another strain on the environment is stead of buying a brand new book or or making sure the refrigerator door stays One of the biggest holiday traditions is tronic purchases that are more environ- the use of paper for Christmas cards CD, see if you can find one in good con- closed. taking the kids out and picking up the per- mentally friendly than others. and wrapping paper. The EPA suggest- dition at a second-hand bookstore. For Food is another area to reduce waste. fect Christmas tree. This can be the first "Before you buy a new computer, ask ed sending an e-mail as an electronic those looking for gifts for kids, you can "Don't buy more food than you can step towards going green by picking out a yourself if the performance you're looking card or creating your own from scrap "make great sock puppets. Get creative, eat. Use leftover vegetables to make soup potted tree that you can plant after the for can be gained by upgrading your cur- paper that can have an even more per- going green means you're saving useful after the holiday," Elliot said. "If you have holidays instead of cutting a tree down, rent computer, perhaps by upgrading sonal touch than the standard card. If materials from the landfill and avoiding the extra food, share it by donating it to a according to Felicia Chou, a Communi- your hard drive or RAM," Chou said. "If you decide to buy from the store, look environmental impact of buying some- local charity or soup kitchen." cations Specialist in the EPA's Office of you do decide to by a new computer, for cards containing a high percentage thing brand new." Jeff Bergren can be reached at jber- Solid Waste and Emergency Response. make sure you buy one that is Energy Star- of recycled content. For wrapping paper, the EPA suggest- [email protected] or by By doing this you save a tree while re- qualified, which can save both energy "Instead of buying something brand- ed saving what you can of the wrapping calling 231-582-6761. ducing greenhouse gas emissions. If your and money." new, try making gifts and wrapping by paper each year to reuse. You can also Volunteers help through hard times For the past nine years, they have hosted Also, if organizations did not recognize By JOSH PERTTUNEN and put together a free Thanksgiving dinner specific obstacles presented during the LEADER EDITOR for the community. In this time, the Gays time period from Thanksgiving to Christ- KALKASKA — The whole of the Unit- have seen people who benefited from the mas, some difficulties would seem even Recipe ed States has fallen upon tough economic meal come back in following years —when more insurmountable. times, but no state has been hit harder than their situation' had improved — to make Opportunities for men and women to Michigan. sure others had the same opportunities. give back to the community are numerous Along with Rhode Island, Michigan "Volunteering gives more of a sense of throughout the year, but the holiday season drawing checks in with the highest unemployment community between people," Sharon said. presents unique challenges. Parents often rate in the country, at 9.3 percent. Close to "It is a spirit of working together. We don't concern themselves with providing All our readers that submitted recipes for this section 20 percent of Michigan's population re- want anyone to feel alone, especially on presents to their children, in addition to bal- were entered into a random drawing for a $25 gift cer- ceives some form of public assistance — the holidays.