A Matter of Altitude

An important thing to consider in your kitchen activities, is elevation. I found this to be a tedious section in Better Homes and Gardens, so I condensed it into a simpler list for quick reference. Basically; since water boils at lower temperatures 3,000 feet above sea level or higher, moisture evaporates faster and can cause cooking food to dry out. Elevation can also effect the leavening in baked goods causing them to "fall," this explains a lot of the problems I had making biscuits when I moved to go to college! I'll have to invest in a meat thermometer so I can check the temperature for doneness since it takes longer to cook meat at higher altitude. After I moved to "the Valley" I noticed meat cooks allot faster; I love it, but now I have to be careful to not over cook dinner. Adjusting to altitude seems to be one among many of the challenges of moving.
A couple of days ago my sister sent me an e-mail about Allspice and it's origin she looked it up out of curiosity. I've heard Allspice is it's own spice, but I've also heard otherwise so I thought I'd share our findings with you. Wikipedia says, "Ground allspice is not, as some people believe, a mixture of spices. Rather, it is the dried fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant. The fruit is picked when it is green and unripe and traditionally dried in the sun. When dry, the fruits are brown and resemble large brown peppercorns. The whole fruits have a longer shelf life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use." Many spices are better freshly ground; therefore, a great appliance for a serious cook to have on hand is a spice grinder.
My husband bought me a mortar and pestle for my birthday earlier this year (a much longed for kitchen item), but I will soon be investing in a spice grinder or coffee grinder for finer textures. I am also excited to be able to produce my own nut fours, (such as almond flour) which are sometimes hard to find and an adequate grinder may be used for.
A helpful convenience, if you only want to try a spice without buying the bottle, is to buy only a measure of a spice. Several farmers markets carry an assortment of herbs and spices to measure out a desired quantity to purchase. I've found even irregular items such as chamomile flowers at a farmers market! I feel it's worth the extra effort to find and take advantage local farmers markets, they carry fresher ingredients at lower cost and it's usually grown locally so you know what your eating and cooking with. I love to experiment, find new things to try, and ask questions! I've found it's the best way to learn about food and it's potential.