Redlands, 12 Jan, 13:47, sunny, clear and beautiful.

Salt. No, not the video that was just recently released featuring the worst excuse of plot, action and void of any actual acting capabilities.  The salt we are talking about here is the mineral universally used by all mankind to enhance the flavor of food. Salt, the one product that is a mirror into an specific areas geography, its environment,  its technological  practices, its traditions – perhaps even the people themselves.

And why would a local grower of edible plant starters even be talking about salt? Very good question and no, it is not as random as it may appear.

There are many parts to this answer, the primary reason being we grow edibles out of a passion for eating fresh, seasonal and local food. As we prepare these foods, we love to enhance their inherent flavors and thus we grow and use a large variety of herbs as seasoning. Along with the herbs, we use salt.

The second reason we are having a chat about salt is because it is one area in the education and evolution  of  sustainability that in my opinion is being overlooked. So far, the conversation about sustainability has been more focused on the growing of food  as it relates to environmental health, economic profitability, and its impact on society. As US Davis puts it, ” [sustainability pertains to ]meet[ing] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance”.

Around here are are quite passionate about making decisions and taking actions that put value on that of our personal health and that of our environment. This is evident in the fact that as a grower, we do not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. It is why we grow in biodegradable pots and why we only grow  heirloom  annual herb and vegetable plants.  So why the discussion about salt?

Last fall  at the RIPE! Fall Garden to Table Festival we debuted a gourmet salt blend featuring our very own naturally grown herbs. The goal was simple – muse the herbs we grow and enjoy in our home cuisine with  local citrus[fruits/berries] and high quality, sustainably crafted salts in order to make blends that accentuate seasonal produce. Being that we were moving into fall, we choose herbs that work well when roasting meats or vegetables – herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, winter savory, a hint of lavender [floral works well here] and a dash of dried local citrus.  

Sales of these salts were unprecedented! More blends were requested and the quest to explore salt varieties to compliment these herbal blends began.

As it would happen, I  ran into a gentleman at the Olive Avenue Market who was purchasing our herb salts but had stopped in looking for Sel de Mer. A great conversation ensued and he recommended the recently released book, Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral “, by Mark Bitterman. In this book, Bitterman  paints a brilliant picture of our collective history with this universal mineral, its use in modern industry, its artisanship [how it is created] and how individual salt[s] impact local economies. 

After reading the book [if one really reads an salt history book/encyclopedia] I began to look at salt another way .I began to ask how was the salt produced? How was it harvested? What steps were being taken  to protect the land, the culture and the natural resources from which this salt came? And  was my purchasing of this product contributing positively or negatively to the local economy?

Going back to salt we used as the base in the gourmet herbed salt on the shelves at Olive Avenue Market,  it is called  Sel Gris  – which is more commonly known as grey salt . Make no mistake, this salt is in no way local, it comes all the way from Guerande France.  So why in the world did we choose this specific salt?

We chose it salt because it is an excellent all around cooking salt- making it the perfect base to add our own local, naturally grown herbs to – no matter the herb blend. It showcases our lemon herb blend [our Meyer lemons, Greek & Italian Oregano, heirloom garlic chives] just as well as it does our bay laurel [look for this new addition at farmers markets in summer - 1 gallon size] and black peppercorn creation.  The salt is rich in minerals and because it is processed naturally by solar evaporation, many of these trace minerals and enzymes are preserved.

Perhaps the most important reason we love [and use] Sel Gris de Guerande is because it is sustainable. Salt has been produced in this geographic area for thousands of years. It is harvested by hand, preserving time honored tradition and craftsmanship. The locals of this area have taken great strides to adhere to sound agricultural, cultural and environmental standards.  For their efforts, they preserve their cultural heritage, their land and their local economy and we get not only a superb product but also the peace of mind knowing we are a part of their communities sustainability.

And what of California sea salt or the standard sea salt we all know and have used? Why not use this instead – it is surely more local? Bitterman has something interesting to say about this and we agree.  He points out that”most salts that call themselves sea salts are actually industrial salts made from seawater…vast evaporators [that] collect water from any available source regardless of purity of water..[and that] 90% of this product goes deicing, chemical process and other industrial markets”. His last word on this salt – “go shopping elsewhere”.  [Salted, Mark Bitterman 2010, pg 190]

Strange how somehow it all does tie together. For the most part, those of us who grow our own food, shop locally, strive to adhere to sustainable practices, prepare our own food – a common thread is our desire for wholesome goodness.  And this is what we are striving for in the herb salt blends we are creating. Clean, pure ingredients that enhance the goodness of fresh, seasonal foods.

One last word [for now] on salts. For those of us who have a difficult time choosing between sweet and salty – great news! We don’t have to. Salt brings out sweetness in foods. Have you tried salt crusted caramels? Salted chocolates? Do you see where we are going with this? Yep, in honor of the day in February we have chosen to express our love for others [otherwise known as Valentines day] we have crafted a special blend. Using pink salts mined in Utah as a base, we have blended shavings of 71% dark cacao with just a hint of our naturally grown French lavender – delicious as a finishing touch on a homemade chocolate lava dessert dressed with fresh whipped cream or a homemade sugar cookie shaped as a heart. Even the packaging is extra special – a round glass bottle with a cork top.

Look for all of our salt blends at Olive Avenue Market – Redlands, CA.

Enjoy the day!