Patsy Bell Hobson is a garden writer and a travel writer. For her, it's a great day when she can combine the two things she enjoys most: gardening and traveling. Visit her personal blog at http://patsybell.blogspot.com/ and read her travel writings at http://www.examiner.com/x-1948-Ozarks-Travel-Examiner. 

Chili herbs and spices are easy to grow in the heat of my full-sun zone 6 garden. However, it is the impending snowstorm that has gotten me to start thinking about chili. As you page through the seed catalogs this winter, consider growing a salsa garden or a chili garden. Peppers are colorful enough to plant in a full-sun flower bed—not for the flowers, which are usually small, white and unremarkable. The foliage can be lush and the color variety of the peppers ranges as wide as the heat levels.

Nutrients in peppers depend on the variety and maturity. Both sweet and hot peppers are high in vitamins A and C. If you make your own chili seasoning, you will get many levels of taste and a lot less salt.

Chili con carne ingredients change according to the region and the cook.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons 

Start with ancho chili peppers, the key ingredient in chili seasonings. These rich and flavorful peppers have very little heat. I buy whole, dried peppers and crush them in a plastic bag for pepper flakes. The best way to crush any kind of dried pepper is to place them inside of a heavy plastic zipper bag. Then, smash the dried peppers.

Use gloves when working with peppers. Even the slightly hot peppers can burn. I can't say this enough: WEAR GLOVES. If you don't have gloves, put your hands in plastic produce bags or plastic zipper bags.

Capsicums are what make spicy dishes hot. Add chipotle, cayenne and/or jalapeno to the ancho in chili to give it spice and heat. Start with just a little hot pepper. It's easy to add more heat later.

  
Left: Dried poblanos (Capsicum annuum) are used in chili.
Right: Fresh and versitile, poblanos are used to make chili rellenos.
Photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons 

If you want to grow your own chili peppers, look for poblano pepper seeds or plants. Green anchos are stuffed and used to make chili rellenos. These triangular peppers are the dried version of the poblano chile—the most common dried pepper in Mexico.

To make your own chili powder, start with ground ancho chili pepper. Add cumin and Mexican oregano. Then, add onion and garlic. I use fresh onion and garlic because it is readily available, but you can use garlic and onion powder. Finally, add hot peppers to taste.

Here is a salt-free chili seasoning mix. This is a guide. Add more or less of any ingredient to make this your own special chili powder. With the rich flavors of your own chili powder, you won't miss the salt.

Chili Seasoning Mix

• 3 tablespoons ground ancho
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, dried
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Some chili recipes include tumeric, dried mustard, thyme, cinnamon or paprika. So don't be shy—chili is an easy dish to experiment with and learn about the depth and flavor of herbs and spices. Original Texas-style chili contains no beans or tomatoes, so be creative.

We will talk about other traditional Mexican herbs and seasoning to plant in a salsa or chili garden. Be on the lookout as those catalogs come rolling in.

Resources

How to grow peppers:

• AgriLife Extension 
• University of Illinois Extension 

Pepper seeds and plants:

• The Cook's Garden
• Renee's Garden Seed

Chili spices:

• Penzeys Spices 

A while back I was at my friend’s house trying a recipe for buttered chicken that her sister-in law had recommended. I love cooking with friends because the food always turns out better than when I cook it alone. Before we began our gourmet adventure she pulled out a compact, circular tin. Inside it had seven identical, smaller containers each with a different spice. 

I was intrigued by this cute little container and asked her where she got it. As she dished out some salt with a miniature spoon, she explained that her mother had given it to her when she moved into her own apartment. Then she told me what each of them held: curry powder, red chili powder, chaat masala, jira or cumin seed, haldi or turmeric, salt and pepper. It’s called a masala dabba, and while you’ll find one in practically every kitchen in India, its contents are rarely the same.

Photo by escribirconlacabeza/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/escribirconlacabeza/

My friend’s story remindeMad me of the red, plastic spice rack my mom and I got at a garage sale when I moved in to my first apartment. My mom was sure that I needed one. I was skeptical at first, but now I really appreciate it. She helped me fill up the containers with thyme, basil, tarragon, coriander, cumin, ginger and turmeric.

(What is the difference between an herb and a spice?)

Over the years I’ve added a few more spices to my collection as my taste in food has changed. Not all of my spices get used, however, there are a few that I’ve never even opened and probably contain more dust particles then spices by now.

Photo by heydrienne/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/heydrienne/

It’s interesting what the spices we use say not just about our taste, but about our lives as well. Personally, I feel my mother’s love every time I spin the turntable on my spice rack or freshen up the herbs in the container. And even though my cooking rarely turns out as good as I would like, at least it’s always made with love.

What spices were you given when you first moved out on your own, or what spices can’t you live without now? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Desiree Bell is inspired by botanicals and natural materials. She is a vegetarian who has a certificate in herbal studies and a certificate from Australasian College of Health Sciences in Aromatherapy. When she isn't in her suburban garden, hiking or crafting, she is teaching pre-k with an emphasis on nature and gardening. For more ideas on Simple Living With Nature you can visit her blogs at www.beyondagarden.blogspot.com and www.kidsnaturespot.blogspot.com.

The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of an herb is a seed-producing annual, biennial or perennial that does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing season. They are plants or plant parts that are valued for their medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities.

The Herb Society of America says an herb is “any plant that may be used for pleasure, fragrance, or physic.” Historically, most plants categorized as herbs make it on the basis of some medicinal concoction derived from the root, leaf, bark, flower, or fruit. There are very early records of herb cultivation and use of them in Egypt, China, India, Arabia, Persia, and Greece.

Spices originated from the Asian tropics, the Americas, the Mediterranean countries and Europe. There was a time when spices were so precious they were locked in special boxes. Oxford’s Dictionary says spices can be any various aromatic, vegetable product used to season or flavor foods; a small portion, quantity, or admixture; something that gives zest or relish; a pungent or fragrant odor like perfume.

Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening  (Rodale Books, 2009) gives readers the following rules of thumb for telling spices and herbs apart:

• "Leaves, both fresh and dried, are normally called herbs, while seeds, roots, fruits, flowers or bark are spices.

• Herbs more frequently grow in temperate regions, while spices come from the tropics.

• Herbs are green and often have more subtle tastes; spices tend to be shades of brown, black or red, with dramatic pungent flavor."

An example of these differences is the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum). Its fresh or dried leaves are referred to as Chinese parsley or the herb cilantro. The brown seed from the same plant is known as the spice coriander.

Photo by bricolage.108/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bricolage108/

Jeanne Rose writes in her book, Herbal Guide for Food (North Atlantic Books, 1989), “that any plant used for aromatic, culinary, medicinal or cosmetic purpose is an herb. This naturally takes into account any plant, tree, shrub, weed, flower, fungus, etc. In cooking, the word when used in the ingredients of recipes usually means the top of the plant as apposed to its root. There is such a thing as fennel herb, fennel seed, and fennel root.

Photo by the queen of subtle/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_subtle/

She states that, “spices are the dried parts of very aromatic plants that usually make their home in the tropics. Spices are usually hard parts of plants such as pieces of bark (cinnamon), roots (ginger), flower buds (cloves), or berries (pepper).”

I moved out of my parents’ house within the last year, which means that I have been forced to cook for myself. The most difficult thing about this experience is finding a wide variety of recipes to keep me from getting bored of my food. Of course I can always add salt, pepper or hot sauces, but those get old. Even using my favorite herbs like ginger or cilantro seems to blend in with my boring cycle of meals.

 Luckily, ladies and gentlemen, there is some good news for bored cooks like me! I have recently discovered that premixing different herbs and spices together can create new and exciting tastes for any of the meals during my weekly routines. I enjoy mixing ginger with parsley, lemon, and a little bit of salt. I can use this combination to spice up plenty of my meals and, as an added health bonus, premixing has seemed to decrease my salt intake.

Photo by Whirling Phoenix/ Courtesy  Flickr www.flickr.com/kelloggphotography

Here are some great herb mixes with the help of Glenbrook Farms:

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

• 2 tablespoon of ground chili pepper (mild, hot or wildfire hot)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1. Mix together

Five Spice Powder

• 1 1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground Fennel seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

1. Mix together

African Curry Powder
• 4 ounces coriander seeds
• 4 ounces turmeric
• 1/2 ounce cayenne
• 1 ounce ginger
• 1 ounce mustard seeds
• 2 ounces fenugreek seeds
• 2 1/2 ounces cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1. Ground all ingredients and mix together.

When I am homesick there is nothing that takes me back to my Spanish roots than garlic, saffron and parsley. For me, it's as easy as sautéing shrimp in olive oil with lots of minced garlic and parsley. We have a spicy recipe for a very similar Spanish dish, Gambas Pil Pil, or Spicy Sizzling Prawns, in our current issue, along with six others.

Having grown up in Spain a lot of people ask me about my cooking skills. The truth is that my mother, who is American, almost always fixed American-style meals like roasted chicken with mashed potatoes or meatloaf, so my Spanish cooking is fairly limited.

But Spanish home-cooked meals are not very hard to make, the flavors come mostly from the herbs and spices, not from the techniques.

Saffron is one of my favorite spices, probably because it is so intrinsically Spanish, and I try to always have it on hand, even though it is expensive - each strand is picked by hand. The yellow rice from Paella, the famous Spanish rice dish, is flavored and colored with saffron.

Photo by mjlaflaca/Courtesy flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjlaflaca/

There are many other ways to use the spice, such as in Saffron Chicken, which probably has thousands of versions. Mine may be the simplest:

I place a couple of strands in a pan with olive oil and minced garlic, and then pan fry chicken breasts over it. The chicken turns a golden color that reminds me of the sunsets by the Mediterranean. Served over white rice with chopped parsley I feel I am sitting at my friend’s mom’s table.

The scents and flavors of food have a way to bring so many memories out of the depths of my brain. What are some of the flavors that take you to another place and time?