Comments on: Homemade Filé Powder http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/ Celebrating the Food and Drink of New Orleans Louisiana! Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:44:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Phil http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-88951 Phil Sat, 17 May 2008 03:57:40 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-88951 I HAVE A TON OF SASAFRASS TREES ON MY PROPERTY AND I'M GONNA TRY THIS AT MY EARLIEST CHANCE!!! I HAVE A TON OF SASAFRASS TREES ON MY PROPERTY AND I’M GONNA TRY THIS AT MY EARLIEST CHANCE!!!

]]> By: Jon http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-87776 Jon Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:21:21 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-87776 Gerry, Sassafras grows in Mass. take a walk in a state park and grind your own. Look at wikipedia for a picture to identify leaves, you can't mistake it. Up here in the North the trees only grow about 10 feet max, more like a shrub. The 3" diameter trunks are usually twisted or gnarly. The leaves are not toxic or carcinogenic. The root bark is used to make sassafras tea. The root contains safrole which has been shown to cause cancer in the livers of mice. Safrole is also a precursor to the illicit drug "Ecstasy". They don't collect sassafras to make the drug..they use synthetic safrole. Gerry,

Sassafras grows in Mass. take a walk in a state park and grind your own. Look at wikipedia for a picture to identify leaves, you can’t mistake it. Up here in the North the trees only grow about 10 feet max, more like a shrub. The 3″ diameter trunks are usually twisted or gnarly.

The leaves are not toxic or carcinogenic. The root bark is used to make sassafras tea. The root contains safrole which has been shown to cause cancer in the livers of mice. Safrole is also a precursor to the illicit drug “Ecstasy”. They don’t collect sassafras to make the drug..they use synthetic safrole.

]]> By: gerald fontenot http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-83555 gerald fontenot Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:44:46 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-83555 Is there any place in the Boston,Ma. area that I can get any Gumbo file. My father was from Villi Platt area. Gerry Fontenot Is there any place in the Boston,Ma. area that I can get any Gumbo file. My father was from Villi Platt area.
Gerry Fontenot

]]> By: audrey johnson http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-83201 audrey johnson Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:34:55 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-83201 do you sell your file....I sure need some!! do you sell your file….I sure need some!!

]]> By: Joe http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-64162 Joe Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:44:36 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-64162 Before you go chowing on the roots, check out the wikipedia article on them. Jest say they're no FDA approved! Before you go chowing on the roots, check out the wikipedia article on them. Jest say they’re no FDA approved!

]]> By: michel colman http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-63740 michel colman Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:10:57 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-63740 it`s great to hear all this file` talk,this is somthing some folks will love to hear.via: tony cachere... you want some real file` then you harvest it on the full moon of august....... it`s great to hear all this file` talk,this is somthing some folks will love to hear.via: tony cachere…
you want some real file` then you harvest it on the full moon of august…….

]]> By: Gene http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-63493 Gene Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:15:08 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-63493 Pick the leaves befor the firstcold snap. My grandfather always harvested his leaved the last full moon in August. The nutients are still in the leaves. I hang the branches to dry in an old shed, and at Thanksgiving, when we all get together in Louisiana, we clean out the twigs, crumble the leaves by hand, picking out the leaf stems. Then we use a spice mill to grind them, and a strainer to remove the pieces. All that is left is the fine powder, and the best Filé we can get. No one really expects to get rich on this, but we do it for tradition, and really enjoy the making as much as the eating of it. If a tree is not near, replant it before spring in the new location, before the budding begins, while it is still dormant. Usually you can find a few younger plants near the older, as the roots run, and offshoots develop. Pick the leaves befor the firstcold snap. My grandfather always harvested his leaved the last full moon in August. The nutients are still in the leaves. I hang the branches to dry in an old shed, and at Thanksgiving, when we all get together in Louisiana, we clean out the twigs, crumble the leaves by hand, picking out the leaf stems. Then we use a spice mill to grind them, and a strainer to remove the pieces. All that is left is the fine powder, and the best Filé we can get. No one really expects to get rich on this, but we do it for tradition, and really enjoy the making as much as the eating of it.
If a tree is not near, replant it before spring in the new location, before the budding begins, while it is still dormant. Usually you can find a few younger plants near the older, as the roots run, and offshoots develop.

]]> By: dennis http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-59870 dennis Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:07:39 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-59870 question,,my mom came across a plastic bag in basement containing some sassafras roots she dug about 12 years ago,they are clean,no mold, smell good though a little weak .i geuss its good ,and safe, is there a chance of it being unsafe to make tea from it? question,,my mom came across a plastic bag in basement containing some sassafras roots she dug about 12 years ago,they are clean,no mold, smell good though a little weak .i geuss its good ,and safe, is there a chance of it being unsafe to make tea from it?

]]> By: Julian http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-43076 Julian Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:01:00 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-43076 Thank you for this information. I fully intend to make the most insane gumbo using nice sassafras file for a very special lady. Your blog was a big help. Thank you for this information. I fully intend to make the most insane gumbo using nice sassafras file for a very special lady. Your blog was a big help.

]]> By: Danno http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-40734 Danno Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:41:44 +0000 http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/#comment-40734 Adam - sometimes it's about learning how to make something yourself. By the way, File is dried Sassafras leaves, not root. Adam - sometimes it’s about learning how to make something yourself. By the way, File is dried Sassafras leaves, not root.

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