Last week, I attended the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic’s Annual Conference (formerly known as the American Dietetic Association). I enjoy going to the conference because I learn about some of the most up-to-date nutrition research and trends, and I also get to sample new food products that are on the market. Over the next few weeks, I will try to pass along some of the interesting information I learned and review the good and the bad of some of the products that I had the opportunity to try.
Today, I’ll start with my favorite food product lines that I sampled at the show…Gourmet Garden Herbs. In my opinion, this company had a great idea and came up with a great product. I love to cook with fresh herbs and seasonings. I think it is one of the best ways to add a ton of wonderful flavors to food without needing a lot of added fat or sodium. However, there are always two problems I come across. First, it often requires a trip to the store to pick up the fresh herbs/spices even if I have all the other ingredients for a recipe in my pantry. Second, many recipes will only call for a few Tablespoons to ½ cup of an herb, and in the store herbs are usually only sold in larger bunches. Unless you do a good job of strategizing other meals that will use the same herb that week, the rest will end up in the trash (and I hate to waste good food!).
Gourmet Garden Herbs take fresh herbs and spices and then washes, chops and seals them in squeezable tubes that can be refrigerated or frozen. You can squeeze out as much as you need for a recipe and then store the rest, and they last for up to 3 months in the refrigerator and 6 months in the freezer. I think it’s a very affordable way to use spices and herbs without worrying about the waste, and you also have them available anytime a recipe calls for fresh herbs without having to make that trip to the store. I also like that they do not use artificial colors or flavors in their products. They are sold beside the fresh herbs in the grocery store…to learn more about their products, get recipes or see where they are sold, you can check out their website at www.GourmetGarden.com.
