Tea of the Week: Pecan Pie

Last weeks post just totally got away from me, sorry about that! By the time I realized I was late, it was too late. This weeks tea is perfect for Thanksgiving, it's Pecan Pie a flavored black tea. It's 20% off this week. To win a 4 ounce bag please comment and let me know what is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition.

How do you pronounce Pecan? Pee-can or pay-cahn? If you live in Louisiana, Texas or any of the Southern States the debate can get red hot as both sides of the verbal divide try to claim the nut as their own. But really, there’s no need to argue, there are enough of the nuts to go round! The annual Pecan crop of the United States is usually between 300 – 400 million pounds. Like we said, there are enough to go around. Still, if you are going to argue about them, perhaps we should refer to you as a Pecan, a term that in parts of Louisiana has come to replace the word “nut”, as in crazy person. Ok, but what of Pecan tarts? Well if you’re Canadian, or have ever been to Canada, you may have tried the butter tart, a small round pastry found in every coffee shop from Vancouver to St. John’s. They’re great eh! It’s believed that the recipe found it’s way back into Canada via the Cajuns, French Canadians who long ago settled in and around New Orleans. The Cajuns are believed to have been the first people to concoct the deliciously nutty and buttery Pecan tart by using local nuts and adapting a traditional French tart recipe. We decided to further adapt the wonderful sweet, buttery and nutty flavor of the Pecan Tart and have blended what is slowly becoming one of our office favorites. Brew a pot and taste the sweetness of the Deep South, er, the Great White North. Delicious eh!

The start of the Holiday season, is anyone ever ready for it? I know some years I'm more ready than others and I can see this is going to be a bad year for me. But you have to love all the craziness! This year Thanksgiving will be a little different, my grandson will be going to his other grandparents house. They don't see him often and since his mom is still in jail we decided to let him go. So what will hubby and I do? We are going out to eat with our lovely neighbors! I won't be cooking but if you are, Candie has a wonderful Pecan Pie recipe on her blog you might want to look at. We wish everyone a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tea of the Week: Black Current

Congrats to last weeks winner of 4 ounces of Holiday Winter tea polwanacracker! Please email your snail mail address to me at denise@culinaryteas.com. This weeks tea is Black Current and don't forget it's 20% off.

Black Currant is also known as Cassis. It is both a propagated and wild grown berry which some claim originated in France. Cassis is a very popular beverage throughout Europe, known for being aromatic in smell and in taste. This particular aspect of Black Currant is very evident on this tea. Black Currant gained notoriety in 1712 for its beneficial properties, which were published by the Abbot Bailly inferring that Black Currant was indeed an aphrodisiac and should be consumed with great care.

Black currants were once popular in the United States, but became extremely rare in the 20th century after currant farming was banned in the early 1900s when blackcurrants, as a vector of white pine blister rust, were considered a threat to the U.S. logging industry. The federal ban on growing currants was shifted to individual states' jurisdiction in 1966, and was lifted in New York State in 2003 through the efforts of horticulturist Greg Quinn. As a result, currant growing is making a comeback in New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Oregon. However, several statewide bans still exist including Maine,Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Since the federal ban ceased currant production anywhere in the U.S., the fruit is not well-known and has yet to reach the popularity that it had in 19th century United States or that it currently has in Europe. Since blackcurrants are a strong source of antioxidants and vitamins, awareness and popularity are once again growing, with a number of consumer products entering the market.

My supplier notes the bulk teabags are selling like hotcakes this year! I wanted to let you know the Cream Earl Grey, Elderberry and Wild Blackberry bulk teabags are back in stock. Also I've added Caramel Cream Rooibos and Chai Rooibos back to the website, they are from a different vendor but just as good as I had before.

Things are going great here at Culinary Teas! I'm starting to stock up on teas for the Holiday season and looking at new products to add. Speaking of that, check out the new Electric Travel Mug we added today. It has a USB and DC adapter great for the car and work! I know I'm grabbing one for my desk...now just to pick a color!

On the home front, leaves and more leaves! We've been raking all week, the trees are finally bare. Hubby says we will be winterizing and putting everything away this coming weekend. I actually had ice on my windshield this morning, I must remember to start the car and warm her up! Have a great week!!!