Have you been craving Pumpkin Spice everything and ordering chai instead of coffee at the local coffee shop lately?

Crisp fall air, crunchy leaves under foot, and the smell of warm cinnamon are quintessential early winter, for me.

The more I learned about these yummy and warming winter spices, the more I have come to appreciate and enjoy them.

Therefore, I am excited to kick off a blog series called Winter Spice and Everything Nice.

In this series I will share about the common spices found in Pumpkin Spice Blends and Chai Blends.

I will cover cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, star anise, and fennel.

I will include recipes and info on the medicinal properties, folklore, history, growth, and harvest of each plant.

At the end of this blog there is a recipe for one of my favorite fall beverages, Mulled Cider. It includes a yummy blend of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and star anise.

We will explore and get to know these common kitchen spices in new ways.

We will have a new found appreciation and connection to these plants.

We will discover how to work with them in fun and tasty ways.

We will come too see many similarities between these spices, in their medicinal properties and herbal energetics.

We will see them individually, as plants unto themselves, instead of only a member of a favorite spice blend or baked treat recipe.

We will understand why humans have loved these spices throughout our history, as we come to fully appreciate them today.

Pumpkin spice usually consists of a blend of:

Cinnamon
Ginger
Clove
Allspice
Nutmeg

Chai usually consists of a blend of:

Cinnamon
Ginger
Clove
Cardamom
Star Anise or Fennel

They are both very well known seasonings for food and beverages alike. Pumpkin spice blend is more commonly found in baked goods, though it is also in beer and coffee specialty beverages.

Chai spice blend in a hot milk beverage ("chai" is the same word as "tea"), though it can be found in curries and baked goods, as well.

The three spices that are in both blends are:

Cinnamon
Ginger
Clove

These are also herbs that are commonly used medicinally.

I am so excited to share about all of these fantastic plants.

Let's take a deep dive into Winter Spice and Everything Nice! Each week I will highlight one of the warming winter spices.

I hope that you find this series interesting, exciting, and inspiring.

'Tis the season to dive into warming, soothing, and restoring spices.

Next week we will start with Cinnamon and it's relative, Cassia. I can't wait!!

Mulled Cider Recipe

Mulled cider can have many variations. This is a simple base recipe. You can get fancy from here by adding fruit, citrus, rosemary, bay, or spicy ginger or peppers.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon of cider

2-3 cinnamon sticks
8-16 whole cloves
2-4 whole star anise
4-8 whole cardamom pods, crushed

soup pot

Directions:

1. Put the cider and spices in the soup pot. If you like less flavor, add the low amount of spices. If you like a lot of flavor, add the middle or high end of the spice amounts.

2. Bring them up to a slow simmer and simmer for 20-40 minutes.

3. Ladle the hot cider into mugs or strain into a pitcher or jar to save for later. Store in the fridge.

4. Enjoy hot or cold.