Holiday Spices Part 2

As I said in my post on Holiday Spices part 1, there are some spices that, when I smell them, they remind me of Christmas. I picked six spices: Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Allspice, and Peppermint. I did Nutmeg and Cinnamon in part 1, which you check out here.

Cloves:

• The clove tree grows its leaves in pairs, the leaves dark green, and their smell is pretty aromatic.
• Cloves got their name from the Latin word “clavus”, which in English means nail, which is due to the shape that cloves have.
• In Indonesia, they mix cloves with tobacco when making kretek cigarettes.
• A clove tree can live up to 400 years in the wild.
• Nutrition-wise it has vitamins A, K, B1, B2, B6, C and minerals such as potassium, manganese, iron and selenium.

Ginger:

• A ginger tree can be up to the length of 4 feet
• Unlike popular opinion, ginger grows from an underground stem.
• It has typically been harvested between 10 to 12 months before it is sold.
• It is produced in Southeast Asia.
• Some health benefits are: helps with muscle pain, keeping blood sugars stable and improves gut health.

Allspice:

• Other names for allspice are Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento.
• It originates from the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America.
• Allspice comes from the plant of Pimenta dioica when its fruit dries.
• Allspice is a single spice with hints of Nutmeg, Cloves and Cinnamon.
• Some of allspice health takeouts are rich in antioxidants, aids with circulation and digestion.

Peppermint

• Native to Europe and the Middle East.
• It is named after Menthe, a Greek mythical character.
• There are over 30 types of mint.
• Mint goes as far back as 1000 BC
• Health things mint is excellent for clearing your sinus, aids sunburn and keeps the mouth clean and fresh.

I don’t say it too often, but it was a struggle writing this post for some unknown reason. You know what is happening to me. I get excited to talk about a topic, but nothing is coming when it comes to putting it on paper.

Alex