If you’ve ever noticed your kitchen feels warmer not just from the stove, but from the spirit of the season — you’re not alone.December has a way of turning ordinary meals into soul-stirring feasts. From the aromas drifting through the house to the laughter echoing off the walls, this is the time of year when cooking more isn’t just a choice — it’s a tradition that feeds the heart. At Flourish Spices & African Food, we see it every year: families planning menus that go beyond ingredients and measurements, creating dishes that carry purpose, connection, and nostalgia. And with just a day to Christmas, that feeling is stronger than ever. Why We Cook More 1. Food Becomes the Heartbeat of...
It’s December at last — that magical stretch of the year when kitchens fill with laughter, plates overflow, and the air carries the rich scent of spices and celebration. Whether you’re cooking for family, hosting friends, or just craving something warm and festive, the right spice rack can transform any meal from good to unforgettable. At Flourish Spices and African Food, we believe every home should be ready for festive feasts. That’s why we’ve pulled together this guide — ten essential spices (and spice blends) every kitchen needs now, plus a little invitation at the end to help you stock up and cook like a pro this season. 1. Calabash Nutmeg (Ehuru) Calabash nutmeg — also called “ehuru” — is...
It was October 23rd, a seemingly ordinary day. But in the kitchens and food labs of history, something quietly remarkable was happening. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a bustling workshop in early 19th-century France. Candles flicker, wooden barrels line the walls, and a determined inventor kneels over a strange bowl, sealing jars of food in glass containers. That inventor: Nicolas Appert, the pioneer of food canning. Born in 1749–1752, Appert would eventually publish his findings after 14 years of trial, error and persistence and play a crucial role in how we preserve food today. Meanwhile, across the ocean and closer to what we might call comfort dessert territory, another food story was unfolding. Because yes, on this...
How my grandmother’s cupboard taught me to cook smarter, not harder — and how you can too. There are two kinds of kitchens: the experimental, recipe-card kind, where everything looks neat and measured, and the lived-in, memory-laced kitchens where hacks and instincts run the show. I grew up in the second kind. My grandmother didn’t measure so much as “feel,” and when things went sideways, she had a dozen ways to rescue a dish. Over the years, I've collated a long list of those little shortcuts: 37 practical kitchen tips that have saved dinners, preserved staples, and kept families fed. I’ve grouped them here the way my grandmother used to: preservation, prep, rescue, frying & oil, beans & grains, and...
Growing up in Nigeria, the flavors and foods of West Africa were an integral part of Ola Elkanah's life. However, when she first moved to Salem, she found it nearly impossible to access the ingredients she needed to cook authentic African meals.Things like palm oil, fufu flour and other staples were largely absent from grocery stores in the area. Any time Ola wanted to make classics from her childhood like jollof rice or egusi soup, she would need to make a trek down to Portland to hunt for what she needed.It was out of frustration with these long food finds that Ola had the idea to start sourcing African ingredients herself. In 2010, she launched Flourish Spices with the goal...
