[Sca-cooks] Herby things

[Johnna Holloway]

See
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/szechuan.html

It reads in part---

the Sichuan peppercorn is a member, because they could carry a canker 
that destroys citrus trees. The ban was not strictly enforced before a 
revision of the department's manual for field inspectors specified that 
the ban applied to Sichuan peppercorns (Zanthoxylum simulans) and the 
Sansho peppercorns (Zanthoxylum piperitum) used in Japanese cooking.

The canker is caused by bacteria that are harmless to humans but 
possibly contagious among members of the citrus family. It is spread by 
physical contact. There is no known chemical treatment for the disease, 
and both infected trees and those nearby must be destroyed.

"Citrus canker poses a significant threat to not only citrus in Florida, 
but citrus in California, Texas and Arizona as well," she said in the 
statement. "Therefore an across-the-board ban on citrus from specific 
countries known to have the disease is the cornerstone of our efforts to 
protect U.S. agriculture."

In early 2004, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service approved a 
treatment to kill the canker by heating the peppercorns to 140 degrees. 
But that changes their quality and character. No other treatment, 
including irradiation, kills the canker.

Hope this helps

Johnnae llyn Lewis

ysabeau wrote:

>I was told when I asked at Central Market that it is an illegal 
>import for some reason.
>
>Ysabeau
>Barony of Bryn Gwlad
>Ansteorra
>
>---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
>From: "Craig Jones" <drakey at webone.com.au>
>Reply-To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:01:43 +0930
>
>  
>
>>>I would like to get my mitts on some Sichuan peppercorns, which 
>>>      
>>>
>have
>  
>
>>>long been unavailable in the US.  Grr.
>>>      
>>>
>>Is it an illegal import or just impossible to find? It's quite 
>>    
>>
>easy to
>  
>
>>find here down under.
>>
>>Drakey.
>>
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