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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2007 21:55:59 GMT -5
I've got some small sassafras trees growing in my yard and was wondering if it was as easy as drying the leaves and grinding them up?
/Via
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2007 13:12:29 GMT -5
What the heck are you talking about?  Is this a regional thing? Are you talking about tea or something? ~Lannie |
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Post by Kathy on Sept 9, 2007 13:22:56 GMT -5
What the heck are you talking about? Is this a regional thing? Are you talking about tea or something? ~Lannie File' is powdered sassafras used for making File' gumbo, it's another option instead of using okra as the thickener and it has a distinct flavor. It's a Cajun/Creole thing!  I'm 1/2 Choctaw so this is something I'm familiar with; it's in my genes!! And if I eat enough gumbo it will show in my jeans!!  Via, yes you can make your own File'.Here's the link with an explaination of what File' is, info & pics to doing it yourself.  generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/prof/Recipes/File-Sassafras/file.html |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2007 13:29:13 GMT -5
Oh! Gumbo, OK. I'm a "Northerner" so I don't know nuthin' 'bout no gumbo!  |
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Post by Kathy on Sept 9, 2007 13:34:56 GMT -5
Oh! Gumbo, OK. I'm a "Northerner" so I don't know nuthin' 'bout no gumbo! You can buy the powder in all the grocery stores here. It's not a specialty item like it was in WI.  I tell you, it's a whole different world down here!  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2007 18:18:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the link, Kathy! I was watching Alton the other night and he was eating his way through Louisiana. He stopped at the house of a guy who sells filé to local restaurants but he said there was some secret to doing it that he wouldn't share with Alton. I thought maybe it was mixed with something else rather than being straight sassafras. I might give it a try - the directions you linked to said to harvest in the fall before the leaves turn, so I think I'm just in time.  /Via |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2007 18:19:58 GMT -5
Oh! Gumbo, OK. I'm a "Northerner" so I don't know nuthin' 'bout no gumbo! You should give it a try! It's gooooood stuff!! /Via |
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Post by Kathy on Sept 9, 2007 22:33:18 GMT -5
Via, the file' powder in the stores has thyme in it but I've read some authentic recipes that say not to use the kind that's not pure.  |
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Post by Kathy on Sept 9, 2007 22:37:05 GMT -5
File' 101 All About Filé Powder by Sandra Bowens "It's a sin to eat gumbo without filé." Zatarain's To those outside of Louisiana, the subject of gumbo may seem a bit mysterious. Unusual words like okra and crawfish get tossed around casually. Topics such as the color of a roux or which brand of tasso to use can cause the sparks of a great debate to fly. Most everyone within the Bayou State will agree, however, there is no voodoo to a great gumbo, just a little magic powder from the sassafras leaf. The sassafras tree, sassafras albidum, is native to the Eastern United States and is still found widely along the Gulf Coast. It may grow to 20 or 30 feet with distinctive leaves that take on three different mitten-like shapes. A tea is sometimes brewed from the roots. Both the bark and the roots were long used to flavor root beer, giving it that familiar taste and aroma. Now we know that the roots and bark contain the carcinogen safrole so usage has declined. Some folks insist that if it didn't hurt their ancestors it won't hurt them. Distilled essential oils are still used cosmetically. Lucky for us, the leaves do not contain safrole so we can use them safely. Filé powder, sometimes called gumbo filé, (say fee-lay) will thicken a gumbo and add a distinctive kick of flavor. It is a simple ingredient made from ground sassafras leaves. That's all, nothing more. Although it is closely associated with Creole cooking, the Choctaw Indians were using filé powder when the Cajuns arrived in Louisiana from Acadia in the 1600's. With an earthy taste that is similar to thyme combined with savory, ground sassafras will lend a unique flavor to stews, sauces and other hearty dishes. It also serves as a thickening agent but should only be stirred in at the end of cooking. If allowed to boil, filé powder will cause a liquid to become stringy and unappetizing. One trick I learned when living in Louisiana is to pass the bottle of filé powder at the table with the Tabasco. This way, folks can add as much or as little as they like. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2007 9:38:23 GMT -5
My aunt is from Port Arthur and makes the best gumbo in the world! She gave me the recipe one time and I can't for the life of me find it  Maybe I should look between the pages of my canning book /Via |
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Post by bbird on Sept 10, 2007 11:10:34 GMT -5
I'm like Lannie, and had no idea if you were wanting to know how to make a file on your computer or what. Call me crazy but isn't sassafras what they put in root beer? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2007 11:44:55 GMT -5
Well, bbird, it sure wouldn't have been the first time I posted in the wrong section I think they use something different now but yes, sassafras is what they used to use. Next time we get together for a virtual pig pickin', I'll bring gumbo so you can taste what you're missing out on /Via |
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Post by Kathy on Sept 10, 2007 12:28:01 GMT -5
Then there's sarsaparilla which tastes much like root beer too! All these roots, herbs and leaves to keep straight.  |
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Post by bbird on Sept 10, 2007 15:07:43 GMT -5
Lol, Oh no, I'll pass on the gumbo. This summer I went to my bro's and interrupted a get together. They have a neighbor that made gumbo, and near burnt my tongue off! That's what I was thinking about..sarsaparilla! There is a hard candy here that tastes like rootbeer and I believe that is the name of it. It also goes by hor-hound, I believe. Hmm, maybe they are two different things, who knows since I don't eat them but I know the kids have. |
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Post by Kathy on Sept 10, 2007 15:40:10 GMT -5
They are two different things Deb, sarsaparilla & horehound.
I remember my father bringing home horehound candy when I was a kid.
It has some medicinal value too but I can't remember what it is-something with the chest I think.
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare), a European herb that is naturalized throughout southern California. The flowers occur in dense, glomerate heads in the leaf axils. Like many other members of the mint family (Lamiaceae), the stems are square in cross section. Hooked spines on the persistent calyces readily cling to clothing and disperse the enclosed seeds (nutlets). Horehound candy (right) is made from a boiled infusion of fresh leaves plus a lot of sugar.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2007 18:00:00 GMT -5
the enclosed seeds (nutlets) I dunno about your sources, Kathy...'nutlets' sounds like a pretend word /Via |
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Post by nan on Sept 20, 2007 14:49:04 GMT -5
Oh VM..."nutlets" are what your kids are called if you are a little goofy!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2007 19:05:59 GMT -5
Oh VM..."nutlets" are what your kids are called if you are a little goofy! /Via |
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