The new monthly Spice Club is a partnership between the Lee County Main Library, Family and Consumer Sciences Program at NC Cooperative Extension Lee County and the Lee County Extension Master Food Volunteers. This club is intended for young adults and adults who are wanting to elevate both their spice knowledge and the usage of spices within culinary nutrition.
Each session highlights a different spice, exploring its culinary uses, cultural significance and health benefits. The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and Extension Master Food Volunteers will also demonstrate a recipe featuring the month’s spice, and participants will leave with take-home spice samples to continue experimenting in their own kitchens.
The club meets on the second Thursday of every month from 6-7 p.m. at the Lee County Main Library. It is encouraged that patrons check the library’s Facebook page for meeting room locations, which may vary from month to month.
Here is a glimpse of what the group learned at the first Spice Club meeting:
What’s the difference between herbs and spices? While herbs typically come from the leafy parts of plants, spices are derived from other parts such as seeds, bark, roots or dried fruits. Though often used in small amounts, spices play an important role in healthy eating.
According to many leading health organizations like the American Heart Association, spices can make nutritious foods more appealing, reduce the need for excess salt, sugar and fat, and contain naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols that have antioxidant properties. Around the world, spices help define cuisines, making healthy meals both culturally meaningful and enjoyable!
The club’s first meeting drew 22 library patrons eager to learn about saffron, often considered the world’s most exquisite and expensive spice.
Participants learned that saffron comes from the stigma of a flower, with each flower producing only three delicate strands. It can take around 75,000 flowers to create just one gram of dried saffron. In many saffron-producing regions, including Greece, Iran, and Spain, the stigmas are still harvested by hand using methods that have changed little over centuries.
Attendees also discovered saffron’s culinary versatility, particularly in savory rice dishes such as paella. To celebrate Mediterranean Diet Month, a simple and delicious recipe was demonstrated using a saffron infused broth. Check out the recipe below:
