Downers Grub: Spicing Up Our Downtown

Your taste buds didn't want me to tell you this, but... they've been a little bored lately. Now, don't feel bad; it's not you, it's your spices. See, tires and hair aren't the only things that go flat, you know. You've got to keep things fresh and exciting. You know, SPICY.

Spices (and their leafy counterparts, the herbs) are vital to food. Once, they were used to keep food fresh longer (or at least TASTE that way.) In modern, refrigerated times, they provide identity, soul, and personality to food.

Spices are the difference between gnawing away at a dreary boneless, skinless chicken breast in mindless servitude to your Weight Watchers points, or having chicken vindaloo, chicken paprikash, green chicken chili, chicken piccata, chicken pad thai, chicken parisienne... you get the picture.

But my dear Downers Grub lady, you may be saying, I already have spices! I got them 12 years ago at my wedding shower in that nifty spice rack on my counter! It's shiny and it spins! I've barely touched the turmeric!

I'm sorry to break this to you, but you need to throw them all away. I mean, keep the bottles and the shiny spinny thing. The herbs and spices inside all have to go. And don't think you can replace them just anywhere, because exchanging old spices with old spices will not do you any good.

You need to go to a spice merchant, and we are getting one of those in our very own downtown. Conveniently named The Spice Merchant, it will open in September at 5225 Main Street. Every food authority around advises getting your spices at a place like this; the website Simple Bites does a good job explaining why. Spices need to be fresh, not sitting on a shelf for a year or more. Spices should not "contain foreign matter." (Shudder.) Spice merchants help you avoid both of those issues, and I am thrilled beyond belief that one is coming to our town.

As a bonus, your friendly neighborhood spice merchants are fellow Downers Grovians Carla Cash and her husband, Matt. She hopes to teach people about how to use herbs and spices to help develop flavors, and not to confuse "spice" with "heat."

“Adding spices doesn’t mean ‘hot’," Cash explains. “It can, but it doesn't have to. Sprinkling a spice blend on your vegetables such as our Herbs de Provence (which is hand mixed from thyme, marjoram, parsley,tarragon, lavender, celery seed, and bay leaves) before baking changes your ordinary vegetables into a delicacy." 

Cash and her husband had been searching for a business that would fit with their interests and family lifestyle since they married. Nearly eight years ago, the couple walked into a Spice Merchants store in Saugatuck, MI, on a summer vacation, then returned often in the following years. They were drawn in by first the smells, then the quaintness of the store. Ultimately, they were won over by the incredible products offered. “We were struck by how easy spices are to use! With most of the blends you just add a little oil, cook as usual, and voila'! You have a restaurant-tasting dinner without the calories or price tag! Plus, the possibilities are endless!”

In addition to more than one hundred different kinds of spice blends, the store will stock more than one hundred single spices, loose leaf teas, hot sauces, baking spices, specialty sea salts, and many hard good such as grinders, spice racks and tea infusers. “I’m especially proud of our salt-free line, and our gluten-free meals, with no additives, preservatives, or MSG,” Cash emphasizes.

Here is a perfect late-summer recipe from Carla and Matt, The Spice Merchants.

Indian Summer Squash on the Grill

Ingredients:

• olive oil and a small pat of butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• minced garlic
• several whole yellow summer squashes, cut into coins
• 1 large can stewed tomatoes
• Spice Merchants Tandoori Seasoning

Preparation:

1. Put olive oil and butter in a large foil pan and place on grill.

2. Add onions and garlic, and saute over medium heat.

3. Add squash and stir occasionally.

4. Add some Tandoori seasoning to opened can of stewed tomatoes and mix well. Taste and add more seasoning if desired.

5. Pour tomato mixture into foil pan and mix completely.

6. Continue to cook until squash is done.

This is a great and delicious way to use up abundant squash that grows rapidly during the summer months!

Tandoori is a traditional Indian blend associated with Tandoori-oven cooking. Hand mixed from chilies, pepper, paprika, cayenne, sea salt, cumin, turmeric, onion, and spices.