By Beth Schreibman Gehring
From as early as I can remember, I have been completely smitten by the beauty and versatility of roses. As I have mentioned before, my father was a passionate gardener who loved heirloom roses. Being a trained biologist, he knew the value of gardening organically, and he promoted the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi in the late 70s to strengthen the roots of his garden plants. Instead of using fungicides and pesticides, he planted fragrant herbs among the roses, knowing that many common rose pests would be deterred by the essential oils that they released. He would always tell me, “Remember Beth Ann, feed the roots first and forget about the flowers, because if you feed the roots, the flowers will always be healthy and beautiful.” This is a piece of advice I have followed to this day with real success.
Like many artists for centuries before him, my father used his roses as inspiration for his paintings, and my mother always arranged beautiful vases full of them all around the house. Because my father grew them organically, she used their petals liberally to decorate her serving platters, trifles, and cakes. She taught me that beyond their stunning beauty, roses have a vast array of uses that make them a valuable addition to any stillroom, and I am continually amazed by their versatility. From their use in cookery and perfumery, to their health benefits and sheer beauty, roses are a versatile and beloved plant that has left an indelible mark on our history and culture. In so many of our homes, they are a beloved decorative element in our gardens and floral arrangements.
With their wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, roses are a flower that can be used in any setting, from a romantic wedding to a simple bouquet on a kitchen table. My mother always said, “If you have a rose blooming in your garden and a bottle of good wine, have a party!” and over the years, I’ve found that she was right. A mature ‘Zepherine Drouhin’ rose in full bloom is the ultimate icebreaker, with a beckoning fragrance that is noticed long before you ever see the bush. She’s an ageless beauty with huge Barbie-pink blooms. Then, there’s the classic ‘Rosamundi’, a bicolored beauty that is another true love of mine. With huge fuchsia and white blooms and a fruit forward fragrance, I’ve discovered that my guests fall madly in love with her, because most have never seen a two-toned rose. A bouquet of ‘Rosamundi’ mixed with bleeding hearts, sage, and two-toned ivy is utterly heart stopping in its beauty.
Heirloom roses are not only renowned for their beauty but also for their flavor and fragrance. Roses are a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. The best roses for culinary use are those that are highly fragrant and have a sweet flavor, and no category fits that better than the Historic or Heirloom roses. These are the tried and true, many of them centuries old. I’ve always found these easy to grow, they’re hardy, and in my experience, thrive with a bit of benign neglect. They don’t need to be fussed over to produce beautiful and blowsy blooms—just fed well and occasionally pruned. I’ve even grown them in containers on balconies of apartments I’ve lived in and been very successful at it.
There are many classes of roses, each with its unique taste and scent. One of the most popular roses for flavor and fragrance are the beautiful Damask roses. They possess a strong aroma and a sweet, spicy taste, making them ideal for use in cooking, perfumery, and body care products. Damask roses have been used for centuries in the production of rose water, rose oil, and various other rose-based products. Damask roses are also used in the preparation of Turkish delight, rosewater, and pistachio nougat, and other sweet treats. My Aunt Pat used to flavor the Marzipan that she made us every Christmas with the rosewater that she would bring back from her travels. It made that already delicious treat even more magical.
Another class of rose that is renowned for its flavor and fragrance is the Bourbon roses. This rose was supposedly first grown on the island of Bourbon (now Reunion) in the Indian Ocean in the early 19th century. They are a popular choice for gardeners due to their hardiness and resistance to disease. Bourbon roses are also known for their velvety petals, rich colors, and large blooms, making them a popular choice in floral arrangements. They have a strong, sweet scent that is often used in the production of perfumes, rose water, and other rose-based products.
Every rose lover has their ultimate favorite, and mine is undoubtedly the Apothecary’s Rose (Rosa gallica officinalis). The Apothecary’s Rose is an incredibly beautiful rose with a uniquely spicy fragrance and deep pink blooms, making it a popular ornamental plant in addition to its many uses.
The Apothecary’s Rose is a historic rose cultivar with a rich history and numerous medicinal properties. This rose variety has been grown for centuries, with its origins dating back to ancient Persia. It was brought to Europe during the Crusades and quickly became popular among apothecaries and herbalists for its medicinal properties. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was widely grown in monastery gardens and used for various medicinal purposes, including treating digestive issues, skin irritations, and fever. I have found the Apothecary’s Rose to be easy to grow, and every year my two bushes reward me with an abundance of fragrant petals that I use specifically to make delicious jams and syrups.
I’m often asked for what I believe to be the best way to capture a rose scent and flavor for cooking. For me, the easiest way to do this is by infusing them into granulated sugar. It is important to use unsprayed and organic roses. Simply mix several handfuls of fresh and fragrant rose petals into a jar of sugar, and let them sit in a cool, dark place for a few days. When you next open the jar, you will be amazed by the scent. The sugar will have taken on the flavor and fragrance of the roses, making it perfect for use in baking or as a sweetener in drinks. You can also make candied rose petals by painting each petal on both sides with an egg white wash or simple syrup and then sprinkling each petal liberally with finely granulated sugar. Lay each petal on a piece of parchment paper and allow them to dry. These can be stored in an airtight jar and used to decorate all kinds of wonderful recipes.
For a more elaborate recipe, try making a simple rose syrup. To do this, simmer two cups of honey and three cups of water in a pot until the honey dissolves. Add several cups of fresh rose petals, several cinnamon sticks, and a vanilla bean, and simmer for a few more minutes. Take it from the heat, and let it cool for several hours. Strain the mixture, and store the syrup in a jar in the refrigerator. You can use rose syrup to make rose lemonade or add it to cocktails or plain seltzer for a floral twist. This syrup is also delicious stirred into a custard or rice pudding!
Another way to use rose petals in cooking is by drying and storing them. Spread the petals out on a baking sheet, and let them air dry for a few days. Once dry, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Dried rose petals can be used to make rose tea or as a garnish for cakes and other desserts.
You can also use roses to make your own potpourri at home. Mix dried rose petals, and if you have them, whole dried roses/buds with other fragrant herbs like lavender, mint, or chamomile. I often add cracked cinnamon, star anise, and cloves, as well as some hemlock cones for interest. The last thing that I add is my favorite blend of essential oils. Use rose essential oil mixed with a bit of lemon, orange, oak moss, and pine. Stir it all together and let it age for a couple of weeks in a cool, dark place. When you’re ready, place the mixture in some decorative bowls, and enjoy the lovely scent.
In addition to their delicious flavor and fragrance, roses also have many health benefits. Rose hip tea is a popular herbal tea that is made from the fruit of the rose plant. It has a light, floral flavor and can be enjoyed hot or cold and is believed to have a calming effect on the body and mind, making it a popular choice for reducing stress and promoting relaxation. I generally harvest my rose hips in the fall after the first frost. They’ll be ugly and wrinkled at that time, but that’s when they are ready to use! Rose hips are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, making them a great immune-boosting drink. Steep cracked, dried rose hips in hot water for 10-15 minutes. You can also add whole cloves, dried ginger, and orange slices. I personally love to blend my own rose petal teas using tulsi (holy basil), cinnamon, clove, spearmint, and lemon balm as a base.
Finally, rose baths and other soaks are a great way to relax and relieve stress. Add fresh or dried rose petals, several drops of rose essential oil, and powdered milk to a warm bath for a luxurious soak. You can also make a rose foot soak by adding rose petals and Epsom salt to a basin of warm water. Rose essential oil is extracted from the petals of the rose through steam distillation and is widely used in aromatherapy for its relaxing and calming properties. It is believed to promote emotional well-being, reduce stress, and improve mood. I add rose essential oil to carrier oils like jojoba or sweet almond oil to create a luxurious massage oil or you can add it to a diffuser to create a relaxing atmosphere in your home or office. Additionally, rose water, a by-product of the steam distillation process, is a popular facial toner and can be used to hydrate and refresh the skin.
Any of these uses are a great way to unwind after a long day and enjoy the lovely scent of your beautiful roses. Or, like my father, you can save your watering and garden work for the twilight hours, bringing a cocktail into your garden along with your hose and trowel!
Whether you’re a gardener, herbalist, cook, or simply a lover of beautiful flowers, there’s no denying the allure of a glorious rose garden, and if you have one, I hope that you’ll let me know in the comments which are your favorite roses to grow and why.
Wishing all of you the most wonderfully fragrant spring!
Medicinal Disclaimer: It is the policy of The Herb Society of America, Inc. not to advise or recommend herbs for medicinal or health use. The information in this presentation is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any particular medical or health treatment. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatments.
Photo Credits: 1) Harvest Day of Roses at the Western Reserve Herb Society Gardens; 2) Rosa ‘Zepherine Drouhin’; 3) Rosa ‘Rosamundi’; 4) Rosa ‘Leda (Damask rose); 5) Rosa gallica officinalis (Apothecary’s Rose); 6) Drying rose flowers; 7) Dried rose flowers; 8) Rose hip; 9) Dried rose petals. All photos courtesy of the author.
Beth Schreibman Gehring is a lover of all things green, delicious, growing, beautiful, magical, and fragrant. She’s also a lifestyle blogger, storyteller, and occasional wedding and party planner who uses an ever-changing seasonal palette of love, life, and food to help her readers and clients fall madly in love with their lives! Beth lives and works with Jim, her husband of 40 years, and is owned by 17 full sets of vintage dishes, hundreds of books, two cats, one dog, a horse, a swarm of wild honeybees, a garden full of herbs, fruit, vegetables, and old rambling roses, too many bottles of vintage perfume and very soon, a flock of heirloom chickens! She is the author of Stirring the Senses: How to Fall Madly in Love with Your Life and Make Everyday a Day for Candles & Wine (available on Amazon) and is currently working on a new book, Roses for Beauty, Flavor, and Fragrance. Join her in her gardens at https://bethschreibmangehring.substack.com/, or contact her at beth.gehring@stirringthesenses.com.
I love being able to step out into the garden and snip fresh herbs whenever I need them. Yesterday, I was making ham and bean stew in the crockpot. I was inspired to add thyme so I cut off a few sprigs from the thyme growing in the front of the house. I looked around and snipped even more herbs: cutting celery, oregano, sage, and rosemary. Except for the cutting celery, these are perennial herbs that should be in everyone’s garden. They can be tucked in the ornamental bed just like any other perennial plant. In the spring, you can purchase the small plants from a nursery or you can ask a friend for a cutting or division. Once you have them in your garden, you can enjoy them year-round and nothing will bother them, not even deer.
Botanically speaking, the cutting celery is a biennial. It puts its energy into foliage the first year and then into flowering and setting seed the next year. In my Zone 7 garden, I can harvest the foliage any time so it acts like a perennial. I am sure it is because the seed drops, germinates, and produces new plants each year. I always grow it in one place, under the dappled shade of a tree and where a tiny stream runs through after it rains. This gives the celery enough moisture. The plant is smaller with thinner stems than store-bought stalk celery (it is the center plant in the bowl in the photo). The taste is like stalk celery but with a peppery, pungent bite. It can be used fresh in a salad, in sandwiches, or sautéed with onions and carrots, which is what I did for the bean stew.
Thyme is a perennial shrub with very small leaves (in upper left quadrant in the bowl). It is only about six inches tall, making it a good groundcover. Because the thin wiry stems root easily, it is a great plant to have in order to cut and root stems in the spring to place in containers with summer annuals for the “spiller” effect. Culinary thyme remains green and above ground all winter long. It can be harvested and used in the kitchen any time of the year. There are variegated forms of thyme as well as flavored thymes such as coconut, lemon, and spicy orange. Thyme prefers full sun and well-drained soil. The leaves can be used fresh or dried.
Oregano is an herbaceous perennial (in bottom part of bowl). It grows back every spring, reaches about a foot tall, flowers, and then dies back in the fall. Usually though with our mild winters, there are green leaves at the base year-round. In the early spring I cut back the dead flower stalks and remove the debris so fresh new growth can push through. Mine is in full sun and well-drained soil. Oregano is a great plant to have in the garden for the culinary use as well as the flowers. The flowers are small but attract beneficial insects and pollinators. Oregano leaves can be used fresh or dried and we use them for the bean stew, pizza, pasta sauce, poultry rub, and stuffing.
Sage is a woody shrub, about one to two feet tall. There are many types of sage but if you want to make sure you are purchasing culinary sage, look for 
I have the ‘Arp’ rosemary plant in full sun, on the southern side of the house in well drained soil. It grows so well I trim it back every year to keep it in proportion to the rest of the front garden. Rosemary blooms in the cool months and the purple/blue flowers are edible. The leaves are so flavorful you do not need many of them and they can be used fresh or dried. This plant is easy to propagate by stem cuttings or layering. Rosemary is versatile because the stems or branches can be used as well as the foliage and flowers. Line a platter with branches and then put a roast on top or use them as stirrers in drinks. The leaves can be used in pasta sauce, yeast breads like focaccia, roasted potatoes, poultry rub, and rosemary butter for vegetables (the cuttings are on the right side of the bowl).
Peggy Riccio is the owner of 
Chives, 
Due to the sulfur compounds in chives, they have been used as insect repellent in gardens throughout history. It is particularly effective against Japanese beetles. Despite their sulfur smell, chive flowers attract bees and other pollinators to the garden. In a study conducted by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative’s Agriland Project in 2014, chives were named as one of the ten highest sugar producing plant species for pollinators (Memmott, 2014). It also has been found that the juice in chive leaves is effective in combating some fungal infections and mildew, giving another great benefit to having it growing in the rose garden since roses are susceptible to fungal pathogens. 
Chives are also a good addition to rock gardens, with their roots keeping dirt from washing out from between the rocks. They would be a nice addition to fairy gardens with their green spiky stalks and purple flowers. Chives can be grown indoors on a sunny window sill for convenient use in cooking. When harvesting chives, it is recommended to cut the stalks just above the soil line to promote new growth of stems and bulbs. Stems should be cut several times during the growing season. 
Chives have been used as a medicinal plant for 5,000 years. It is said that Marco Polo brought chives to the west from his travels to China where they’d been used as a medicinal and culinary plant for 2,000 years. The Romans used them to treat sunburn and sore throat, as a diuretic, and to reduce blood pressure. Pliny the Elder, in his book 
Today, according to researchers, chives and other members of its family are being looked at for their usefulness in medicine. According to Varinder Singh et al., “
Anise or aniseed, 
The seeds that anise produces are actually the fruit of the plant. It is these fruits that can be used either whole or ground to add a licorice flavor to food. The leaves of the plant can also be used for tea, sprinkled on salads, or as flavoring in soups and stews. Anise is the flavoring used in many licorice candies, and is also used in pastries such as pfefferneusse, springerle, and pizzelle cookies. The flavor goes well with eggs, fruit, cheese, and vegetables. It is also used in a number of alcoholic drinks such as pastis, anisette, raki, and ouzo. Most cuisines have used anise as a flavoring for a very long time.
Anise has a long history of use in traditional medicines. It has been used to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions, migraines, skin infections, mental distress, and hormonal issues, although there is not enough human clinical evidence to support the effectiveness of these uses today (Singletary, 2022). The Egyptians wrote about using anise nearly 4,000 years ago as a diuretic, as a treatment for digestive issues, and for relieving toothache pain. Greek and Roman writers including Pliny the Elder and Hippocrates wrote about the use of anise as a treatment for coughs and as a breath freshener. Even the mathematician Pythagoras weighed in on the benefits of anise saying that it could cure epilepsy! Today, the essential oil is used in cough preparations, as well as gum and oral health products (Singletary, 2022).
Anise was not only used as medicine and as flavoring, it was also used to lure animals into traps. In the 16
Cumin, 
Cumin is an annual herb in the parsley family (Apiaceae). The seed that it produces is also called cumin. It requires a long, warm growing season of 120-150 days to produce the seed. In cooler climates seeds can be started indoors and then transplanted into the garden, although they may not transplant well. Cumin needs full sun and fertile, well-draining soil. Root rot can be a problem if the soil does not drain well. The plant reaches a height of about one foot tall and has feathery looking leaves and pink or white flowers. The seeds are small and boat-shaped with ridges and are very fragrant. They look similar to caraway seeds. Cumin is available as a whole seed or as a powder. Fresh leaves of the plant can be chopped and tossed into salads.
Cumin seeds have been discovered in 4,000-year-old excavations in Syria and Egypt. Cumin was used in the mummification process of Egyptian pharaohs. References to cumin are found in the Bible, both the New and Old Testaments. During Roman times, it was associated with being frugal with money. Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161-180 AD, had the nickname Marcus Cuminus because his subjects thought he was reluctant to spend money. In the Middle Ages, cumin was baked into bread, and it was thought that eating this bread would keep a lover faithful. Soldiers carried it in their pockets for good luck and people fed it to chickens thinking that it kept them from wandering away (Great American Spice Company, 2020). The Hindus considered cumin to be a symbol of fidelity. Cumin was used to pay rent in 13
There were medicinal uses for cumin in early history. Early Egyptians used it to treat digestive and chest issues and for reducing pain. Fourth and fifth century BC Greek medical texts show that cumin was used for women’s reproductive problems and to treat hysteria. Medicinal use of cumin was popular throughout the Middle Ages. Today, cumin is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a stimulant for digestion and is prescribed for colic and dyspepsia. It is also still used in Egyptian and Chinese herbal medicine.
One of the enchanting things about working in the National Herb Garden is the myriad people I meet from around the world. Ne’er a week goes by that I don’t see or get to speak with someone personally from another country. I’m often brazen enough to confront people directly and, figuratively speaking, “pat them down” for herbal information from their homeland!
Papaya is a small tree, relatively speaking, growing to about 30 feet tall. Interestingly, it only lives for five to ten years, which is pretty short in tree years. It has deeply lobed leaves reminiscent of fig leaves (Ficus carica), hence the obvious relationship with fig’s specific epithet. Generally, Carica is dioecious, meaning the male and female flowers are on separate trees, and the tree will start bearing fruit in one year to 18 months from seed. The resulting fruit can be anywhere from three to 20 inches long and can weigh in at a hefty 20 – 25 lbs! The fruit’s skin turns from green to yellow when ripe, and the flesh is a lovely tropical yellow to orange and is filled with hundreds of wrinkly black seeds (Britannica, 2022). While most people consume just the papaya flesh or juice, there’s no need to throw those seeds away; they have a strong, pepper-like flavor and can be used as a spice in various culinary preparations.
The juice can be found in numerous commercial brands, particularly those from Latin and South America. In fact, papaya is native to Central and South America, not Southeast Asia, which may seem odd given this article is about Thai herbs. Let’s just say that papaya is well-traveled (unlike me). It has a long history of being moved from one country to another, then to another, each time being propagated, and then shipped off again to yet another tropical part of the world. The Spanish chronicler, Oviedo, first described Carica papaya in 1526 A.D. In the early 1600s, Spanish explorers to the New World carried the seed to Panama and the Dominican Republic. From the Caribbean, Spanish and Portuguese sailors carried the seeds to Southeast Asia and India, to Australia and even to Italy. Between 1800 – 1820, papaya was sent on to Hawaii, and by 1900, papaya had come all the way back to the New World, landing in Florida. In all of these locations, it was introduced as a plantation, or agricultural, crop (TFNetwork, 2016). “Papaya has become an important agricultural export for developing countries, where export revenues of the fruit provide a livelihood for thousands of people, especially in Asia and Latin America” (Evans and Ballen, 2018).
Today, Mexico has moved into first place as the number one exporter of papaya, with virtually all of its exports going to the United States, which “ranks as the largest importer of papayas globally” (FAO, 2021). Who knew?! So, I guess it isn’t that surprising that it was here in the United States–not Thailand–that I met Dao who shared with me about one of the most popular tropical plants in her home country, as well as mine.
According to Dao, the green (unripe) fruit is used as a vegetable to make papaya salad, and it can also be fried with meat. If boiled with meat, it makes the meat softer and more moist. The leaves, she explained, are eaten in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, where they are cut and fried or eaten raw. Medicinally, papaya is considered by many Thai as an old-fashioned remedy good for the body, diabetes, and cancer. The leaf juice was/is used to treat intestinal cancer, and the ripe fruit is good for relieving constipation (personal communication).
Both the papaya leaves and the fruit’s skin produce a latex substance from which a digestive enzyme called papain can be obtained. Papain is similar to the human digestive enzyme pepsin, and thus, is an effective plant-based meat tenderizer, “useful in digesting or coagulating, clotting, and converting proteins into smaller parts” (Tyler et al., 1988). (Bromelain, an enzyme from pineapples, is used similarly.) Hence, the Thai method of mixing papaya with meat effectively tenderizes the meat during the cooking process. (Note: If one has a latex allergy, caution should be used.)
Such uses transcend “old-fashioned” methods by including modern applications as well. Papain is used in some contact lens cleaning solutions (Tyler et al., 1988), as well as in the production of products like chewing gum, shampoo and soap, beer, in drug and anti-bacterial preparations for some digestive ailments, and in wound care. Papaya extracts are also effective in the textile industry for “degumming silk and softening of wool” (TFNetwork, 2016). In 2021, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center also noted on their website that “papaya leaves and their extracts are sold as dietary supplements to improve the immune system and increase platelet counts….A few clinical studies found benefits of papaya leaf extract in treating dengue fever and in increasing platelet counts,” though they suggested that more studies were needed.
In my small world, papaya has always been “that fruit” (or juice) that I’ve never actually tried and for no particular reason. Fortunately for me, I learned something new that day–that papaya is not just a one-trick pony as I had previously thought; there are plenty of ways this plant is useful to humans, especially for people like Dao from Thailand. Having the opportunity to speak with people like her who have such personal relationships with many of the herbs we grow in the National Herb Garden never gets old!
Ginger, 
Ginger is a very old spice. The Indians and the Chinese used ginger as a medicine over 5000 years ago to treat a variety of ailments (Bode, 2011). It was also used to flavor foods long before history was even recorded. The Greeks and the Romans introduced ginger to Europe and the Mediterranean area by way of the Arab traders. It became an important spice in Europe until the fall of the Roman Empire. When the Arabs re-established trade routes after the fall, ginger found its way back into European apothecaries and kitchens. It is said that one pound of ginger cost the same as one sheep in the 13th and 14
Today, growing culinary ginger is not limited to the hot, humid areas of Southeast Asia and India as it was long ago. Anyone living in southern growing areas (USDA Hardiness Zones 8 – 12) can grow it as a perennial. In colder areas, it can be grown in pots and brought indoors for the winter or grown in the ground, but dug up before frost and potted up for overwintering indoors in a cool location. It prefers a rich, moist soil, good drainage, and shade in the south, but full sun in the north. If starting plants from store-bought ginger rhizomes, the rhizome should be first soaked in water to remove any growth retardant that may have been used. Each rhizome can be cut into sections with at least two eyes and planted in soil. Harvest the rhizomes when the leaves begin to fade. 
using ginger in some form: fresh, ground, crystallized, pickled, preserved, or dried. 
Unfortunately for ginger, there is a dark side to its history. 
Vanilla, Vanilla planifolia, is The Herb Society’s Herb of the Month for December. It is the perfect month to feature vanilla, since its flavor will be a fragrant ingredient in many of the desserts that are served during the holidays. But where to begin a discussion of this historic spice, which is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron?
from those seed pods. The vanilla orchid grows in the tropical climates of places like Mexico, Réunion, Tahiti, and Madagascar. Today, 80% of vanilla comes from the island nations of Madagascar and nearby Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Vanilla grown in Madagascar is the most desirable and is often called “Bourbon Vanilla” (Oon, 2020). However, the vanilla vine, which grows to about 300 feet, was first grown in Mexico. At first, Mexico was the only place where vanilla grew, because it needed the Melepona bee to pollinate the flower in order to produce the seed pod. Hernán Cortéz is credited with discovering vanilla during his exploration of Central America in the 16th century, where the Aztecs combined vanilla with cocoa to create their famous drink, xocolatl. The plant was eventually brought to Europe and other tropical climates, but the plants could never produce the vanilla bean, because the Melepona bee pollinator was not present to pollinate the flowers. That is, until one day in 1841, a young boy on the Réunion island in the Indian Ocean discovered how to manually pollinate the vanilla orchid. Soon, growing pod-producing vanilla vines was possible in other tropical countries.
But the process of producing the vanilla was—and still is—a laborious one. It takes three years for a vanilla plant to bloom. Each vanilla flower opens for only one day, and hand-pollination has to be done during a very short window of time. (
In 2022, the price of Madagascar vanilla was between $178 and $206 per pound (Salina Wamucii, 2022) after being only $20 per pound five years before. After two devastating cyclones, which destroyed much of the vanilla crop growing in Madagascar in 2017, prices have soared. The expensive and scarce vanilla has forced farmers to imprint a code on each of their growing vanilla beans in order to deter thieves. Companies that import large quantities of vanilla have banded together to help farmers deal with the environmental problems that are affecting their vanilla vines. They decided that helping the farmers is easier than changing formulations based on a new vanilla product and changing the labels needed for a new product.
The demand for vanilla flavoring far exceeds the supply. Vanilla contains between 250-500 different flavor and fragrance components. The most prominent is vanillin, which scientists learned how to create in the laboratory in the late 19th century. Vanillin can be made from petrochemicals, from wood pulp, and from eugenol, which is a component of clove oil. This synthetic or imitation vanilla is much cheaper than the real vanilla extract made from the vanilla beans. It is most likely the one used in vanilla-flavored food products that we are familiar with. “The vast bulk, 99 percent of vanilla-flavored products on the market, from vanilla flavored vodka to vanilla wafers and vanilla pudding, don’t actually contain vanilla” (Rupp, 2014). For consumers, who are increasingly demanding natural products, vanilla made from petrochemicals or wood chips is a difficult choice to make.
So, which vanilla product should you use this holiday season—the cheaper imitation vanilla or the real, but expensive, vanilla extract? Some say that if you are baking something that requires a temperature over 300 degrees, you can just as well substitute the imitation for the real thing. But if you are making puddings, custards, or vanilla ice cream, you should use the real thing—vanilla extract.
The powder, when combined with water, makes a jelly. The jelly is traditionally formulated with seaweed to give it a pleasant brine flavor. It is gray when seaweed is used in preparation but is white when prepared without. In Japan, the finished jelly product is called 
The medicinal properties of konjac come from the glucomannan in the flour, as it is a source of good carbs for gut microbiota while not being available for uptake by humans (Spritzler, 2018). Feeding gut microbiota gives konjac prebiotic properties (Spritzler, 2018). The lack of bioavailability of the glucomannan is another reason konjac is popular in keto diets (Spritzler, 2018). The glucomannan also relieves constipation and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (Fern, 2010; Spritzler, 2018). The mechanism that allows glucomannan to work as such a good source of dietary fiber is that it has a high rate of water absorption by weight, which allows for a higher water content in bowel movements (Devaraj, 2019). The prebiotic properties are due to the preference of healthy bacteria native to the gut for glucomannan over other available sugars (Devaraj, 2019). 
The cranberry, 
Flowers bloom in May and June on the stolons and terminal ends of the vine. Because the flower pollen is too heavy to be carried by the wind, pollination is dependent on native bees and honey bees. Fruit matures after about 80 days, and harvesting begins at the end of September and extends into October. To harvest the berries, the growing area is flooded. Then, the plants are “beaten” with specialized equipment causing the berries, which have four small air pockets in them, to float to the top. (These air pockets also make fresh cranberries bouncy.) The floating berries are corralled into one area and then harvested using conveyor belts. This “wet harvesting” method is used for berries that become cranberry juice and sauce. 
About 5% of berries are “dry harvested” and packed for use as fresh fruit. Dry harvesting is done by mechanized “combing” of the fruit from the vines (Cranberry Institute, n.d.).
The Pilgrims named the berry “crane berry,” because the unopened flower resembled the head, neck, and bill of a crane. The name was later shortened to cranberry. Some also called it “bear berry” because bears liked to eat the berries.
Elizabeth Lee, in New Jersey, made and sold the first cranberry sauce in 1917. Due to the success of her sauce, Bog Sweet Cranberry Sauce, she partnered with two other growers and formed the company Ocean Spray in 1930.
Recent research shows that cranberries can be healthy in other ways. Some research suggests that they can prevent bacterial infections that cause ulcers in the stomach. They also may help slow the buildup of dental plaque. Cranberries have two dozen antioxidant compounds, which help protect cells from damage that can lead to serious diseases such as cancer and heart disease (WebMD, 2020). Cranberries also contain salicylic acid, which can help reduce swelling and prevent blood clots from forming. 
Cranberries are a popular accompaniment at holiday meals. A meal of roasted turkey is not complete without the sweet tanginess of cranberry sauce. About 20% of cranberries are consumed at Thanksgiving. It is interesting to note that cranberries are more tart than lemons and also contain less sugar than lemons (Alfaro, 2021). Adding a quarter teaspoon of baking soda can help reduce the tartness of cranberries and, therefore, reduce the need for extra sugar. 
cranberries are used to make sauces and jellies. When cooking fresh cranberries, they should only be cooked until the skins begin to pop. Chopped fresh cranberries make a colorful addition to salads. They can be a zingy substitute for cherries or pomegranates as well. Fresh cranberries can be frozen and kept in the freezer for up to a year. Frozen cranberries do not have to be unthawed before using. The Cosmopolitan drink is made with cranberry juice. White cranberry juice is made with cranberries that have not yet ripened.
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