Organic Ceylon Cinnamon Powder (True) - Wild Elephant - 100g

At Wholefood Earth, we want to inspire you to discover new things for your cooking and baking by constantly expanding our offer with new ingredients and flavours. We source and purchase fresh quality herbs and spices, most of which are organic. We have brought unique and hard-to-find ingredients of the best quality to our whole foods store. Our rare herbs and spices are available to buy online and in bulk. Before you learn to cook meals with more flavour(s), you must learn how to buy the best herbs and spices and how to store them. Here's a little guide we've prepared for you. Essential herbs and spices you should have in your kitchen pantry This is just a shortlist for beginners. These herbs and spices are the most popular and often used in different cuisines and recipes. Of course, the list could have been much longer, but this is where you should start. Herbs basil parsley thyme rosemary oregano chives dill sage Spices black pepper paprika cinnamon cumin ginger turmeric chilli coriander allspice Storage tips for herbs and spices There are some ways you should keep your spices organised to keep them best for the longest and always have them at hand. Store your spices in a jar or can in a clean, dark, dry cupboard or drawer. You can also store them on a small shelf on top of your kitchen counter, where they will be easy to access. Avoid storing your spices on top of your cooker. This is where the steam goes each time you cook. Spices and herbs don't like humidity and heat. There, they may get mouldy quickly and lose all the aroma. When you open a new spice bag or jar, use a marker to note the date. This way, you will always know how old your spices are and if they're still good before you throw them away. How do you check if your seasonings are still good? Just smell them, and you will know! Quality of herbs and spices matters Remember, much cheaper herbs and spices are also of worse quality. Things are cheaper for a reason! Always buy quality and organic herbs and spices whenever possible. Non-organic cheap dry seasonings may contain some nasty ingredients you would not like to eat or even hear about! Shall we name a few? Mould, insects, rat hair, microplastics, string... etc. Buying spices in a specialist shop Supermarkets are not the best places to buy your seasonings. Dried herbs and spices on the shelves of your supermarket or grocery store may have been there for a very long time - even a few years before you buy them! And before that, they were stored in a warehouse for a long time. Although the average shelf life of ground spices is quite long (1-3 years), chances are that you're buying spices that are not very fresh and they will lack the aroma and flavour they are supposed to provide. Plus, depending on where you live supermarkets will have limited spice selection. Ethnic shops, organic shops, or wholefood shops specialise in real more natural food, and they will have the best choice of herbs and spices for cooks and food lovers. Which spices have the longest shelf life? Whole spices like peppercorns, whole chilli or whole cinnamon and nutmeg have a long shelf life, and these you will more likely find in specialist shops. If you cannot find a spices specialist in your area, consider buying them in an online store specialising in health foods, like Wholefood Earth.

Since prehistoric times, people have been using herbs and spices for seasoning to give flavour to food as well as to preserve food. In the past, herbs and spices were also used as medicine. Many of these plants have medicinal properties and can help prevent and fight diseases. Herbs and spices were so precious in the past that they were often used as currency in trade. Today, herbs and spices are essential ingredients in our daily cooking. They create the look, smell and taste of our meals. How do you distinguish herbs from spices? Often herbs and spices are considered as the same group of seasoning, but in fact, they vary from each other. They are made from different parts of plants and processed in different ways. They can be perfectly used together to create unique flavours, colours and aromas for our dishes. What are spices? The name “spice” comes from the Latin word 'species', which means something of special value, as compared to ordinary. Spices are made from bark, aromatic seeds, flowers or roots of plants. These parts have been dried and crushed. Spices are usually stronger in aroma and flavour because they are made from parts of plants rich in essential aromatic oils. One great example is Cinnamon which is a spice made from the powdered bark of trees from the type of the genus Cinnamomum. The best cinnamon is Ceylon Cinnamon, originally from Sri Lanka. The most popular spices are: paprika, chilli, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamon, cloves, nutmeg, mustard seeds. What are herbs? Herbs are typically aromatic leaves of various plants. Most of them come from relatively small herbaceous plants and bushes (plants with fleshy stems rather than woody stems). However, a few do come from woody plants. One example is the bay leaf which derives from a large tree found in the Mediterranean. Oregano is an example of a herb that comes in the form of leaves of a tiny herbaceous oregano plant. You buy herbs online in different variants: whole, chopped or dried. The most popular herbs are: oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon. What are the most popular spice mixes? Garam Masala is a mixture of ground coriander seeds, ground cumin seeds, cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cassia, red chilli, fennel and turmeric. The best option is Organic Garam Masala. Curry contains different aromatic spices usually including turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and chilli pepper. It can also include ginger, black pepper, mustard seeds, curry leaves, fennel seeds and curry leaves. Chinese Five Spice is an aromatic mixture of ground star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and szechuan peppers. Italian Herbs are made from a classic blend of Mediterranean herbs: oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary. Herbs de Provence mix contains dried Mediterranean herbs: rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, oregano, fennel seed, dried savory and organic lavender. Caribbean Seasoning is a mix of allspice, hot bonnet peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme and garlic.

Many of us took this year’s Working From Home stint to reflect on what we really want and need in our homes. Many started DIY projects. Others moved to a house with a garden. And everyone was suddenly really conscious about what they had in their pantries, cupboards and freezers. The mass-hoarding that happened at the start of the first lockdown was difficult to navigate, but thankfully there are a lot of ways to store emergency food supplies that would have prevented any worry. Here we’ll give you a list of nutritious foods that are easy to store for a long time. Grains and Flours Storing Grains is easy. Grains like bulgur, brown rice, spelt and barley keep well for months in an airtight container and are a great base for most meals. They are also great additives to vegan or gluten-free diets as many grains do not contain gluten but do contain a whole host of other nutrients to enrich a diet with. Flours, made from grains or things like almonds or soy, also keep really well in a pantry. In a clean, airtight container, they will last for several months. Flour is great to have in stock at all times; those times you crave some late-night pancakes? With flour in your house, you can whip some up in minutes! (Dried) Fruit We all need plenty of fruit in our diets. It contains many healthy vitamins and minerals and fibres. One of the notorious disadvantages of fruit is how quickly fruit goes off, and it is generally not seen as a food great for storage. How wrong we all were. There are so many varieties of dried fruit nowadays, that you never again need to worry about not having fruit in your pantry. Why not stock up on some delicious dried banana chips or goji berries? They are great toppings for oatmeal, yoghurt, and desserts, contain tons of vitamins, and last for ages in your storage cupboard! Another option is to can your fruits. It is a relatively easy process that requires a pot for boiling water, a jar (repurposed sauce jars are great), and an acidic component such as vinegar. Once the fruit is canned, it lasts months. Herbs and Spices Having a good spice rack is like having a good boiler; they are sure to improve your life for years to come. A broad selection of spices in your kitchen allows for experimental cooking, discovering new recipes, or just upgrading your current meals. As spices are dried plants, they will last for ages when stored right. Any airtight container will do just fine. And the added bonus is that herbs and spices can make even the plainest food extraordinary. Oils and Vinegar Oils such as olive oil and coconut oil are great to use for cooking and other health and beauty uses, and last for a year or longer when stored right. Generally, oil should be stored in a closed container, and kept in a cool, dry place. This is why they make a great pantry food to stock up on when you can. Vinegar or apple cider vinegar is also great for storing for long periods of time. They also should be kept in a dark, dry place. The great thing about vinegars is that they can be used to prolong the life of other foods such as fruits (see the Fruit section) or vegetables, are great for cleaning and can be used for dressings and sauces. Beans Dried beans or canned beans are both great to add to your pantry. Canned or dried they have a long shelf life at room temperature, they are a great source of protein, contain a lot of other essential nutrients, and are very filling when put in a meal. When you have dried beans, just make sure to store them in a cool, dry place, as getting them wet will shorten their shelf-life. As an added benefit, dried beans are also incredibly cheap, and super versatile. Seeds Seeds are a pantry staple. Seeds can be kept for months in a dry and dark place, preferably in an airtight container. They are great little boosts of nutrients and make great toppings for desserts, smoothie bowls, or oatmeal. Pumpkin seeds are also a great nibble on their own. If you are thinking of using all of that lovely flour you now keep in storage for some home-made bread-baking, why not use sesame seeds or poppy seeds to give your bread some extra texture and flavour? Why Should You Start Storing Foods? It is oftentimes not only time-consuming to go to the grocery store, but it can also get quite expensive. Oftentimes, buying in bulk works out much cheaper than buying little amounts every time. If you have a healthy pantry with a nice variety of products, you will always have a base for a meal on hand. You could also start your meal-prepping journey at the same time as building a food-storage. Meal prepping often works out much cheaper per meal than cooking every evening and is much less time-consuming, leaving you with more time to enjoy the little things in life. If you feel inspired by our blogs, why not sign up to our newsletter here? We will soon announce our brand-new recipe blog with loads of healthy, wholesome recipes to help you use some of the products in these blogs.