Cinnamon

 

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I love desserts baked with cinnamon. Whenever I prepare them myself, a little extra of the spice gets added—sometimes nearly twice what the recipe suggests. For instance, when making pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin, extra spices enhance the flavor—in my opinion.

A couple of years ago, I ran out of cinnamon in the middle of baking. My husband made an emergency trip to the grocery store for me.

[image error]Fearing that he’d bring home a two-ounce bottle, I said, “Buy a large bottle of cinnamon. I go through a lot of it.”

He bought their largest bottle—18.3 ounces! That was a little more than I anticipated. It took over two years to empty the bottle.

The cinnamon tree’s inner bark is the source of the brown spice that can be purchased as sticks or ground cinnamon. It’s one of our oldest spices and is mentioned in Exodus, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Revelation.

Besides use as a spice, history shows that cinnamon has also been used medicinally. It’s an anti-inflammatory. It’s an antioxidant. Blood sugar levels rise in a diabetic after meals and a high carb food seasoned with this spice reduces this. And the aroma boosts brain activity.

These are just a few of the health benefits of cinnamon. Who knew something that enhances the flavor of foods could be so good for you!

Unfortunately, some sources say that ground cinnamon only keeps for about six months so the smaller bottle would have been better. When in doubt, smell it because fresh cinnamon has a sweet aroma.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Cinnamon, ground,” The World’s Healthiest Foods, 2020/05/27 .