All About Thyme: November 2023

Finding More Greenspace in Your Life

November’s Special Days: A Potpourri of Celebrations

Herb of the Year for 2023: Ginger (Zingiber officinale). International Herb Association
Flower of the Month for November: Chrysanthemum
November is National Sweet Potato Awareness Month

Week 1. National Fig Week
November 7: It’s here! Launch day for Someone Always Nearby, the latest in my Hidden Women series
November 11: Veterans’ Day in the U.S., Remembrance Day in Canada. In the Commonwealth, Poppy Day.

Week 2. World Kindness Week
November 13: Indian Pudding Day
November 15: National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Who knows what mystery lurks at the back of that shelf?

Week 3. National Farm-City Week
November 21: Great American Smokeout. And yes, tobacco is an herb, one of the most profitable—and the deadliest.
November 22: Tomorrow is National Eat a Cranberry Day. (Who can stop with just one?)
November 23:  Yes, it is—Thanksgiving!
November 19: In England, it’s Stir Up Sunday

Week 4. National Family Week
November 30: John Mason patented the Mason jar on this day in 1858, changing our food preservation habits forever.

Mulling It Over

Image: Freepik

The first recipe for mulled wine–wine heated, sweetened, and flavored–appears in 1769, in The Experienced English Housekeeper, by Elizabeth Raffald. Her mulled wine, unlike modern recipes, is spiced only with nutmeg, includes beaten egg yolks, and is to be served in chocolate cups (fine bone china tea cups with china lids) and “dry toast cut in long narrow pieces.”

The industrious Mistress Raffald began her career as housekeeper in a large country-house, where she met her future husband, the head gardener. She went on to operate a confectioner’s shop, catering business, and a cooking school for young women. She also wrote the most popular cookbook of her day. It appeared in 13 authorized and 20-some pirated editions and was a favorite of Queen Victoria, who copied recipes from it into her diary. When Raffald sold the copyright in 1773, she was paid the equivalent of nearly a quarter of a million dollars. (This remarkable woman also made time to bear and raise 16 children, all girls!)

You might not want egg in your wine and , but mulling spices are wonderful to have in the pantry for those winter evenings when the clan gathers around the fire. This recipe is a favorite of our fictional friend China Bayles, who makes it up by the gallon and sells it at her fictional herb shop. In a jar with a pretty lid and ribbon bow, it’s a wonderful gift. The recipe makes three cups, enough to flavor twelve bottles of wine. That’ll probably see you through the holidays, don’t you think? Double the ingredients to make more for gifts.

Thyme & Seasons Mulling Spice

1 cup dried orange peel
1 cup broken cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup whole allspice berries
1/2 cup whole cloves
3 cardamom pods, slightly crushed

Mix all together and store in a closed jar. To use: mix 1/4 cup of spices to a 750-ml. bottle  of red wine (good choices: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel). In a nonreactive saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 30 minutes, or heat in your crockpot. Tasteful additions: lemon, cranberries, raisins, dried cherries. Serve with cinnamon stick stirrers. A spicy bonus: the delightful aroma that will fill your kitchen.

November’s To-Do

Check with your local librarian to make sure they’ve ordered Someone Always Nearby. And don’t forget to check the webpage, where you can download the extensive (really!) Reader’s Guide, a behind-the-fiction look at the real story. Free, too.

We all love sweet potatoes, a traditional accompaniment to the holiday turkey. But you don’t have to smother this versatile vegetable in lots of add-on calories to make it taste good. If you’re cooking light, try these oven-fried sweet potatoes. Or how about sweet potato rolls? Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene and are a good source of protein, calcium, and vitamins E and A—as well as fiber, of course. They’re an ally in the battle against such chronic health issues as heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

November 11, the end of World War I, is now the day we honor our servicemen and women. The choice of the red field poppy as a symbol of remembrance was inspired by John McCrea’s World War I poem, which begins: In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow/Between the crosses, row on row. The field poppy is not the opium poppy. Learn about these two related medicinal plants.

 November 13 is Indian Pudding Day. Here’s what you need to know about this historic dish, which dates back to Renaissance England. The post includes an interesting bit about the Hasty Pudding Club, plus an authentic recipe.

Stir-up Sunday? Find out about this traditional British celebration.

National Eat a Cranberry Day. Native Americans applied crushed cranberries to wounds and used them to treat scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. To prevent scurvy, eighteenth-century American whalers and mariners carried a large supply of cranberries on their voyages. More recently, these tart red berries have been shown to prevent urinary tract infections, reduce the risk of kidney stones, and help fight gingivitis. For a peck of great-tasting cranberry recipes, visit the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers page. My personal favorite: Cranberry Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake.

For a behind-the-scenes look at the history of Thanksgiving, read this fascinating post by journalist Aimee Levitt: How “culinary propaganda” from a women’s magazine made Thanksgiving a thing

I’ll be back on Wednesday with Episode 3 of “Fannie and the Back Fence Gang” and on Friday with Green Reads, a quick look at a wonderful new book I’m eager to share. In the meantime, I’d love to hear about a special dish that will be on your Thanksgiving table. Please share!