Posts Tagged bulk herbs

The Benefits of Using Organic Spices

With the high environmental, social and economic costs of corporate agriculture, more and more people are realizing that choosing organic is good not only for their health, but for the world in general – and that includes organic spices. Bulk organic herbs can be used in both the kitchen as well as to stock the medicine cabinet. Organic bulk herbs are an excellent way to add flavor to food, but have many other uses as well.

Spice History

The use of dried herbs in the preparation of food goes back a long way in history. Perhaps the earliest bulk herbs to be traded as commodities were cloves, cinnamon and pepper, all of which have been used in the Middle East for over 3,000 years. In the Old Testament, the collection of ancient Hebrew wedding songs known as the Song of Solomon contains passages in which the bridegroom compares his bride with various spices, indicating that such dried herbs were available – if not common.

Another noteworthy botanical among organic spices that has been used since ancient times is horseradish, which has been used in the Passover Seder since at least 1500 BCE; the powerful, sinus-blasting wasabi variety has been a stable of Japanese cuisine since the days of the shoguns.

In Europe, the earliest mention of spices is found in the 1st Century writings of Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, who refers to cloves. During medieval times, such bulk herbs were literally worth their weight in gold. Contrary to popular belief, organic spices were not used by medieval chefs to disguise the taste of rotten meat. Because of their extravagant cost, using precious bulk herbs in such a fashion would have been seen as tremendously wasteful. However, many dried herbs that were used as spice could also be used to preserve meat and fish in the days before refrigeration.

New World Spices

When European explorers discovered the Americas, they also discovered a plethora of new organic spices that had hitherto been unknown. The best-known of these are of the chili pepper family, which was used by native peoples of Mexico and Mesoamerica for centuries. Chili peppers have found their way into cuisines from Africa and the Mediterranean to east Asia and Japan.

Organic Spices Today

Organic Spices in the form of bulk organic herbs are no longer ruinously expensive as they were as little as 500 years ago. The main reason is that organic bulk herbs that in olden days might have been found in only one or two places in the world are now grown virtually all over the world.

That said, you can expect to pay somewhat more for bulk organic herbs, mainly because they such are grown locally by small, independent farmers in relatively small quantities, and thus are less abundant. When you consider the flavor and health benefits of organic bulk herbs however, organic spices are still a bargain.

What Are “Certified Organic Herbs”?

Bulk organic herbs are more economical to purchase than buying them in small bottled quantities – and more environmentally friendly to boot! By purchasing your herbs in bulk quantities, you can take advantage of large volume discounts, whether you are a retailer or a consumer of the end product. By purchasing bulk organic herbs in large amounts, you not only save, but ensure that what you need is there whether it’s for customer demand or cooking at home.

What Are “Certified Organic Herbs” ?

As consumer awareness increases about food – how it is grown, how far it travels, etc. – the demand for organic bulk herbs and certified organic spices also rises. Meanwhile, as the cost for many standard food items increases to the same level of locally-grown bulk organic herbs, the price of such organic foodstuffs becomes more competitive. But what exactly does “certified” mean?

Certified organic spices and bulk organic herbs are those raised in an ecologically sustainable way, without the kinds of chemical fertilizers or pesticides that can leach into the plant’s leaves, roots, stems, flowers or bark, and leave a toxic residue. In addition, farmers who raise organic bulk herbs avoid the potentially destructive practice of monoculture. For instance, large-scale corporate agricultural operations may focus on the cultivation of only one or two products – for example, limiting a particular region to the production of only one or two Chinese herbs, such as a few varieties of ginseng. This practice causes plants to be less resistant to diseases as well as drain the soil of nutrients.

Farmers who raise bulk organic herbs focus on a healthy diversity of crops. This means a smaller supply (one of the reason that organic bulk herbs have been traditionally more expensive than non-organics), but it also means a healthier crop that is of superior quality. In the U.S. organic certification is handled on the state level by local governmental, non-profit and private agencies that have USDA approval. Since 2002, under the National Organic Program, produce such as bulk bath herbs and certified organic spices can only be labeled as such by adhering to specific requirements.

Herbs and Spices for Every Occasion

Chinese herbs are the basis of medication used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which Western medical science is starting to examine seriously. Of course, many women (and even men) appreciate a good soak in bulk bath herbs, and some of these even have therapeutic properties. Between this and the traditional kitchen uses of bulk herbs, it’s easy to see the wisdom in stocking up and keeping a good supply on hand.

Buy bulk organic herbs for the savings, and to insure that you have them on hand when you need them.