Melinda's Garden Moment Radio Tips
Melinda Myers
Nationally known gardening expert, TV/Radio host, author & columnist with over 30 years of horticulture experience and tons of gardening information to share! www.melindamyers.comMelinda's Garden Moment videos will help you create that beautiful landscape you’ve always wanted. Each week throughout the growing season, a new gardening video will be added right here, so be sure to stop back. You can also watch Melinda’s Garden Moments on your local network TV station affiliate.
Nutmeg moves to the front of the spice rack and into many of our beverages and desserts during the holiday season. Despite the name, it is not a true nut but rather the seed of an evergreen tree native to the Spice Islands of Indonesia.
Nutmeg has long been valued for its medicinal as well as culinary benefits. Roman and Greek civilization believed it was a brain tonic and Chinese medicine used it to relieve inflammation and abdominal pain.
But don’t overdo as consuming 2 tablespoons or more of nutmeg can cause nausea, dizziness, slowdown brain function and more.
The active ingredient is the nutmeg’s essential oil, Myristica, helping protect the plant from insect pests.
Mace, the spice not the self-defense spray, is the red covering over the oval brown nutmeg seed. It is often used like nutmeg or in savory dishes like curry.
A bit more information: Mace has a similar flavor that has a more pungent taste and smell. Both nutmeg and mace are often combined with allspice, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.