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Belated Celebratory Action

April 29, 2023

Belated Celebratory Action

APRIL 29th, 2023

Birthday’s, both of my own and of those I care about, have always been a source of extreme joy for me since I was little. There is such significance in the celebration of a not just a birth, but the days lived thereafter. A simple day that traces back to our first breaths on this planet, a landmark for the day the essence inside us collided into the energy of all other living things and the responsibility that comes with as a human. The anniversary of all of this has always reminded me of how remarkable it is that I am here and how exciting that simple fact is. I feel confidence, gratitude and joy  during this time of year and it has always seemed to be the perfect day (month in this case) to present and launch my greatest annual achievements and ideas. Essentially thrusting them into the world so that they too can interfuse into an existence that is way beyond just me.

My birthday reminds me of my individualism as well as my connection to others here with me. I can’t help but want to share parts of me with the world on my birthday!

April 10th was my birthday, I know, I know, that is a few weeks back now! But I moved another notch on the wall, a rather big notch as I hit the special mile marker of 50 years old. In its lead up I had been dreading it. I had never cared about my age or getting older, but this one was different, I seriously did not want to be fifty, but now I am, and it actually doesn’t feel any different than 49. Proving- AGAIN- we often worry about things for nothing.

Not only was this a big birthday but the timing of it was horrible in terms of  being able to devote time to my usual annual birthday events/announcements; like when I opened Ger-Nis International and Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center on my birthday and other years when launched several small ventures like supper clubs, social clubs, and like  when I launched this blog  4 years ago on my birthday.

This year I have been insanely busy with my work for Crespo Organic Mangoes, way more so than usual and for a myriad of reasons. I’m juggling more than I ever have and as you know my new Missouri life has been filled with challenges and set backs on the culinary center gardens consuming even more of my energy and time. But serious progress and positivity has and is happening  in every aspect of my life and my work; but instead of sitting here and writing about it, announcing it to the world on the actual date, I decided to jump over to Miami and celebrate turning 50, which I did, with dear friends by my side, hot humid air swirling around my body, warm salty ocean water penetrating my soul and I even got to soak in the magic of some special mango orchards. It was a lovely trip and despite it being the first time I missed announcing something big on the day; big things happened and it is never too late to share what we are proud of with others, especially for an Aries women. So happy belated birthday to me, I celebrate myself by showing off some of the recent and new action for Herbal-Roots, the project that ignites my soul most.

As you likely know if you are reading this, I have been building Herbal-Roots in my “spare” time. I built the blog My Herbal-Roots, first, just for me. I wanted to have a place to write about my herbal passions without the need to impress or conform. I wanted a piece of my latest herbal venture to have a place where I can freely be me. Without thinking about it as a business. So I created some separation. On one side Herbal-Roots (which me and my sweet little team of freelancers have been quietly building in the background). Herbal-Roots is/will be a business that will offer herb lovers a place to learn about and enjoy all things herbs, which includes recipes, tips, tricks, tools and more. It will also be the place where my herbal salts are sold as well as useful and beautiful herbal kitchen tools and necessities. The emphasis will be on seasonality and eventually, if all goes as planned you will be able to buy seasonal subscriptions of organic fresh herbs (yes even the wild and wacky ones) directly to your door.

My Herbal-Roots on the other hand is my blog, its attached loosely to the business but 100% me. My Herbal-roots has given me incredible space to refine my writing and recipes and discover more about what’s inside of me through the simple act of blog posting. I am able to learn and grow through my blog as a cook, a writer and a photographer. Do people read these posts? Who knows, and honestly who cares, they are really for me and for anyone that wants a deepr glimpse into me.  Most of my new recipes land on the blog before anywhere else, embedded inside each blog post and we know how much people hate that in recipes.

Yes, we have heard it time and time again- people don’t want lots of text, they want recipes. And they don’t want them embedded in blogs. Food bloggers get a lot of hate for the writing part and so instead of shaming them (and me), I decided to give everyone what they want and do both. Technically I have been doing this very thing having a blog (with recipes) and a just recipe site since 2011 when I opened the Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center. That site is long gone, but I have my recipes still up, mainly just for my own archive and easy searching. Don’t just if you go to the site, its fairly basic and serves a purpose for me. It’s been hacked a number of times and I rarely spend money upgrading anything unless I have to.

Ok, so the big birthday announcement is that we have finally finished the seasonal recipe templates for Herbal-Roots and I can now start to put my recipes up on the site. The emphasis is on seasonal. I want to teach people how to naturally gravitate towards eating seasonal through the use of herbs.

The building of the recipe section of the site took a lot of time and thoughtfulness. I took into consideration all of the gripes we all have about recipe sites  – too much blog story, too many pop up ads, too many cookie cutter plug in and too many photos (making it hard to find the recipe from a phone).

I wanted clean and simple recipe posts and I wanted to develop and ad free space in terms of the way conventional advertising is done on recipe sites these days. I wanted my advertising space to be more about what helped make these recipes; farmers, products, fruits, vegetables, brands, people, places, kitchen tools etc. There are a lot of ways to make money in this world, we do not need to make money on every single aspect of what we do.  Recipes today should be simple to find, quick to use formats as much as they need to be well written and actually work, something conventional web advertising frankly has ruined for all of us.

I opted not to use recipe plug ins as I have had nothing but difficulties in other sites I have built and managed. My secret weapon programmer and I realized  a while back, we didn’t need to use recipe plug ins- they are all too cookie cutter for me anyhow and I think they make sites look less beautiful than they otherwise would be. Technically I cant even figure out what they really do or why people think they are useful. Hiring good programmers is a way better option in my opinion.

I think the end result of what my team has created in terms of the recipes for Herbal-Roots hits all the right buttons: Easy to find ( we are in the process of programming a rather complicated search mechanism), easy to read on a phone, easy to print or share, just the right amount of prose and they are pretty to look at!

There is no paid advertising on the recipes and there never will be, but we give shoutouts to the things that make the recipes better as I mentioned earlier. My recipes have always been and always will be free. I have plenty to make money off of but if my goal is to get more people to use fresh herbs in their cooking than I need to help them do that.

This is a work in progress that takes a lot of my own personal time and money not to mention whilst working the more than full time mango gig. There are more things coming soon; the search mechanism for searching recipes, the e-commerce part of the site, where I will be selling the herbal salts is in final programming stages now as well and soon maybe we will even a home page. Eventually I promise you will be able to look up information about how to use Zuta Levana, make my sausage pasta recipe, order a box of seasonal herbs to your home and buy a mortar and pestle. And if you know me, you know I do what I say I am going to do.

Things take the time they take, the journey they say is where the fun is at! I want you all, on my birthday (month) to see the progress- the art!

Welcome to the seasons.

Spring.     |     Summer.     |     Fall.     |     Winter.     |     All Seasons.

Blog Posts

Belated Celebratory Action

April 29, 2023
April 29, 2023
Herbal Roots - Main Site
ABOUT ME
About Me

Noted herb expert, culinary educator and recipe developer. Small business consultant traveling the globe in search of food and cultural knowledge, while working with small, local, organic, sustainable, and fairtrade farmers.

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One of my favorite restaurants ever @audreynashville 

Lucky us!
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Are you addicted to #mangoes and live in #Nashville ?

You’re in luck @crespoorganic is back. We’re not only sampling out four different varietals plus dried mangoes, but we’re giving the kids temporary tattoos.  Sometimes on the face. Obviously, if the parents say yes.🥭 #mango joy is real and that’s why #SummerMangoMania exists 

Come get #muchosmangoes @turniptruckmarket  today we’re at the East store, tomorrow west- mangoes on sale at all of them!
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For some of us this #nashville experience of @frankiesnashville takes us back to the early days of @frankiesspuntino - and for anyone in Brooklyn back then- those were truly glorious days, when all of us were stamping our passions into this life. Now full circle I help Lexa understand how important stamping your passion is. Good food - and good food people - make us expand.

Truly missing those early days with @frankcastronovo  and @frankfalcinelli 

You guys did good!
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#nashville gals @lexa.pierson
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It’s hard to enjoy anything while the entire world goes to shit but my lightly fermented herb and fruit sparkling waters and the pool on a 90 degree day makes me feel like I’ve woke the lottery of life. 

Remember to not take life for granted yours or someone else’s.
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Fruit Herb Tartlets
Stone Ground Danko Rye @grapewoodfarm crust thanks @jessica.a.botta 

Apricot Lavender Thyme
Cherry Rosemary
Raspberry Lemon Verbena
Strawberry Chamomile 
Blackberry Lavender
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Lightly fermented fruit and herb sodas in the works thanks to the #healdsburg #farmersmarketfinds 

Raspberry Lemon Verbena & Chamomile 
Boysenberry (@mediumfarm ) Lavender Carrot flower 
Passion Fruit, Mulberry Purple Sage, White Sage & Cinnamon Basil

In about 4 days these syrups are going to be AMAZING!
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Super summer centric herbal dinner. 

Roasted Sea Bass with Lemon & Herbs and my Palestinian Green Shatta Salt

Whole Lemon Green Olive Sala Verde (spring onions, basil, Flowering Lavender Thyme,  Turkistan Oregano, Italian Parsley, Chive Blossoms, Basil and @frankies457foods Olive Oil 

Also the first Summer Basil-Verbena Succotash  in the works…..
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If you have never tried the deliciousness of a zucchini and herb omelette, it’s now moving into that season-zucchini season!

Just grate some zucchini, sauté it in a pan - I added mint, parsley and slivers of green chili. Add beaten egg over it (like an omelette) the zucchini I and the egg become one and then you can stuff it, roll it, flip it etc. I  stuffed mine with smoked cheddar and wild arugula!
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Spring 2025 collection now officially #SOLDOUT 

But I have a stash of the good stuff - and I’m using it all the time, tonight a mulberry smoky mustard sage rosemary thyme rub with the jasmine salt - over boney pork chops (used my Jordanian BBQ Zarb Salt- delish. 

All my weird little varieties of herbs in the containers are happy and giving me lots of what makes me happy. Some times all it takes is an herb leaf….
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Shop.Herbal-Roots.com
Limited supplies of all herb salts left. 
Discount code: ILoveNissa gets you some money off! #FreeShipping -link in story 

Turkish OttomanMint “Kofta” Salt

My favorite city in the world is Istanbul—electric, pulsing with the history and vibrations of countless cultural uprisings: Anatolians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Ottomans. This salt—despite its opulence—reminds us that uprisers must eat. And no one does herbs and spice more luxuriously than the Turkish people. For them, it was never about wealth. Herbs and spices meant survival, flavor, healing. Foraged in famine, layered in stews, passed through mothers hands. A cuisine of power built from the ground up. This herbaceous salt is a modern take on all flavors past: spicy, potent, sharp, grassy, green. Bright sumac—the poor man’s spice— overflows. Parsley, mint, cilantro, oregano—forward and grounded—speckled with citrusy woods: lemon thyme, bay, tangy sorrel. Ottoman spices swirl like smoke, evoking the Grand
Bazaar that feeds everyone. Based on centuries-old blends, modernized for the herbal kitchen— this is total opulence for the commoner. It suits the sultans, but it belongs to the people. Much like Istanbul’s Nicole, my favorite restaurant in the world. This is your kebab salt. Your lamb, black lentil, tomato salad, smoked octopus salt. This is how anything becomes Ottoman. While yesterday was long ago, it was always about tomorrow.
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Those citrus blossoms from @mediumfarm ; I’ve been air drying them and now I’m going to grind them up into a heavenly fairy dust powder. Part I’m going to mix with epson salt for my bath and the other part use around the kitchen in my general magic. 

I love when my ideas work - the smell is intact and potent!!
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True story: I once bought an old oud at a flea market in Jerusalem and brought it back to the U.S. for a then-lover. It smelled like the perfume of the Middle East. I loved how intoxicating that smell was. He loved it—and me—for the sultry gesture.

That story—and so many others—are reflected in this season’s herbal salts: My Arab Spring, The Awakening Collection.

This collection is rooted in my Middle Eastern origin story—beginning in Israel when I was 29 - then stretching into my 50’s into Jordan, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, and Cyprus. It’s built from those travels, many of them deeply intertwined with herb work and herb people—who handed me the generosity of their wisdom, the herbaceous and life-kind—especially their fire. My boldness has been peppered by my time in the Middle East 

The wisdom and strength of the Middle Eastern people—their resilience—is like spring itself. This collection celebrates that power, that need to rise up, to revolt, to speak out. Like spring, they burst forth from the dirt—because awakening has only one direction: up…… forward. 

These salts are deeply personal—fiery, fresh, and rooted in history, religion, politics, economics, trade annd commerce and above all openness of perspective and protectiveness of my own creativity and vision 

This is My Arab Spring—the flavor of resilience and revolt. Taste it now.

www.Shop.Herbal-Roots.com

Limited as always. 

See story for more details. 

This is my first work sans my helper Inca. He is deeply missed and yet visibly present in this collection. Don’t worry I didn’t put his ashes in.  Lol.
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Im addicted to making a cocktail cube on every collection. Super limited because these are intricate to make.
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#Jasmine if you’re lucky enough like most Northern Californians, to have this thriving in your yard or on a hiking path- USE IT!

I love using it in sweet and savory forms. I usually air dry the flowers and the flower beds (those have extra potent flavor) by laying flat in a large bowl where these is good air circulation. It takes about a week. I sometimes finish them in the oven 200 degrees on a cookie sheet for about 10 min. 

One of my favorite things is make is jasmine sugar - I love adding cardamom and mahlab to mine. I use this for baking, cocktails, mint tea and so on. Using this one for a rhubarb and blueberry coffee cake.
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The lavender rhubarb jam (that’s in one of the salts) turned into a little gin thing. Chamomile for a sweet nose tickle.
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