Gumbo | Forageporage's Blog

If you like New Orleans style File’ Gumbo, you’re going to enjoy homemade File’ Powder. It’s fun, easy, quick, soooooo delightfully fragrant and wonderfully tasty! File’ is a key seasoning and thickening ingredient in Cajun and Creole cooking. Its characteristic woodsy flavor is reminiscent of root beer; the olive-green powder is made from dried, pulverized leaves of the Sassafras albidum, tree, which can be found throughout much of the Eastern U.S.

Sassafras means green twig; hence the name. I love to snap off a young (meristem) twig, to chew, while I gather leaves. It makes a grand, natural, organic, delicious, free toothbrush and breath freshener.

Sassafras flowers bloom in April; while the leaves are still tiny.

Mature trees grow between 10 and 50 feet, turn reddish to brown, and become grooved.

The leaves can be gathered throughout the Spring and most of the Summer months; until they begin to turn.

Sassafras’ toothless leaves grow up to about 9 inches long, in 4 different shapes, an oval, a 3 lobed, and a left or right hand mitten; usually, all on the same tree!

Remember to rinse them well in cold water; and remove any hitch hikers. I like to cut up the leaves before I dry them. It gives me an additional chance to look them over and it hastens the drying time.

When the leaves are dry, I crush them with my fingers (my favorite, fragrant step in the process!) and store the seasoning in a glass jar. It’s just that easy!

Or you can go to the store and buy, who knows how old, from who knows where, File’ Powder, for around $5 an ounce.

The first week, or so, I cover the jar with a piece of cheesecloth to allow air-flow and keep out dust. I may be over cautious, but, I’ve never had anything turn moldy!

Sprinkled sparingly, just before serving, File’ Powder turns plain soup into a savory delight and makes a wonderful gift for your favorite, adventurous gourmet chefs.