spread on a plain eracKer. • Beware when purchasing

spread on a plain eracKer.

• Beware when purchasing herbal salt blends. Many are merely herbs added to salt. Read the ingredients carefully or just blend your own combinations.

• Dried herbs should be stored in plastic bags, boxes or tins rather than cardboard containers. Keep the containers out of the direct sunlight (because that will bleach their color and reduce their strength) and don’t place them too near the stove (to avoid the high humidity).

Herb Blends To Replace Salt

(These can be placed in shakers and used instead of salt).

Saltless surprise: 2 teaspoons garlic powder and 1 teaspoon each of basil, oregano and powdered lemon rind (or dehydrated lemon juice). Put ingredients into a blender and mix well. Store in glass container, label well, and add rice to prevent caking.

Pungent salt substitute: 3 teaspoons basil, 2 teaspoons each of savory (summer savory is best), celery seed, ground cumin seed, sage and marjoram, and 1 teaspoon lemon thyme. Mix well, then powder with a mortar and pestle.

Spicy saltless seasoning: 1 teaspoon each of cloves, pepper and coriander seed (crushed), 2 teaspoons paprika, and 1 tablespoon rosemary. Mix ingredients in a blender. Store in airtight container.

What Goes With What

Soups: bay, chervil, French tarragon, marjoram, parsley, savory, rosemary

Poultry: garlic, oregano, rosemary, savory, sage

Beef: bay, chives, cloves, cumin, garlic, hot pepper, marjoram, rosemary, savory

Lamb: garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme (make little slits in lamb to be roasted and insert herbs)

Pork: coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, hot pepper, pepper sage, savory, thyme

Cheese: basil, chervil, chives, curry, dill, fennel, garlic chives, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme

Fish: chervil, dill, fennel, French tarragon, garlic, parsley, thyme

Fruit: anise, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, ginger, lemon verbena, mint, rose geranium, sweet