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2006-06-14

Ken's Kosher Kitchen: Herbs and Spices

Insect Patrol: I've been buying herbs and spices for my kitchen. Slowly. Spices tend to be expensive, at least when you buy them from the Supermarket. Added to that, I have to find certified kosher spices. I hadn't thought of this. I mean, what could herbs and spices have wrong with them? The short answer, as far as I know, is "bugs." If you're trying to keep kosher, you're not supposed to eat non-kosher insects. Yep, theoretically at least, there are kosher bugs. And what's the deal with honey, a substance that comes from the inside of bee, which can not only be kosher but is traditionally eaten on yom t'ruah (rosh ha-shanah)? Anyway, bugs are a big deal. When a rabbi is inspecting seemingly innocuous kernels of corn for canning, he is not looking for stray pork rinds so much as infestations of creeping things. If you grew up in the sweet corn belt like I did, you'll have to admit that the good rabbi's job might not be as easy at it sounds. Anyway, I'm reading that there are assorted procedures for inspecting garden veggies and de-infesting the infested. To be honest, this news was most disconcerting to this gardener. For now, while I contemplate changes in my veggie hygiene, I'm buying spice bottles with Circle U on them. Schueller House.

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