This Valentine’s day I was making a Mulled Jasmine Tea blend that called for coarsely crushed cinnamon. My lovely Valentine was kind enough to bring some to me, but when I received it I was puzzled. This supposed cinnamon was not the rich, cherry-wood colored brown I was expecting. It was a decidedly dull brown, and it was not cleanly cut in the least bit, and it splintered every time I cut it. I sniffed it to make sure it was not a mislabeled package, but to my surprise it did have the cinnamon scent. Still feeling deceived, I dramatically googled “true cinnamon” and slammed my enter key.

As I read on, guilt filled my soul to find that my suspected impostor cinnamon was actually the “true cinnamon,” and the lovely, fiery spice that I have grown so attached to is called Cassia.

Cassia Cinnomomum, also known as “Indonesian cinnamon,” is often mistaken for true cinnamon, or more rather, has become the true cinnamon, here in the U.S. Bottles of reddish-brown powder line up spice shelves in grocery stores, plainly labeled as “cinnamon,” as a means of generalizing spices so that the common shoppers will not confuse it with something completely different than being an alternative to the well-known spice cooks and bakers have all grown to love.

I am not at all out-casting Cassia Cinnomomum or Ceylon (true) Cinnamon, in fact I am promoting them both for their subtle differences. Cassia cinnamon, I would say is spicier and more pungent than true cinnamon, as stated previously it is also reddish, where as true cinnamon is more tan. Cassia is also more compact and cleaner cut in “stick” form, while Ceylon is brittle and splintery. So the spicy, sweet, and warm flavor of Cassia?—Or, the delicate, complex, flavor of Ceylon? I guess it depends on what you’re cooking. Very recently I have dubbed true cinnamon to be the spice of main courses and sauces, but am still using cassia cinnamon for sweets, like pastries and creamy beverages (hot chocolate and coffee).

Scientific name: Cassia Aromaticum
Common names: Indonesian Cinnamon, Cinnamon, Cassia

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/spice-entry.php?term=Cassia
http://www.alchemy-works.com/herb_cassia.html
*I know it’s a .com source, but I really do love the alchemy works site.
It is an inspiration for my blog.

I figured I’d start off with a familiar plant. In my town, this invasive, yet elegant weed takes over almost every vacant dirt patch for at least six months each year. It is the African Wood Sorrel, and the very first plant I’ve researched and identified without the help of a garden book. Commonly mistaken as a clover plant, this particular Wood Sorrel has long stems with small clusters of bright (almost neon) yellow flowers, and distinctive black speckles on their leaves. They are safe to eat in small quantities— I took the liberty to chew on a few peeled stems and would say the taste is similar to green grapes and lemon juice.

Scientific name: Oxalis pes-caprae
Common names: Sour grass, wood sorrel

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/flora/
http://www.wildfoodforagers.org/woodsorrel.htm