You can make your own file powder for gumbo.

I can't believe the difference between the store bought variety and the homemade variety.

My wife said that the Filé smells like fruit loops, and as you can see, it is army green.

The smell of Filé is very woodsy, and you can detect some bay leaf in it, it's color is tan.I saw one recently that contained a number of herbs.There are some good ones and some bad ones.For example, here is a picture of a store and my homemade, it is in the background.

The white man and the black man were not the only ones who had a way of making Gumbo long before they arrived.filé is a new invention.The leaves of the tree are gathered, dried, and ground to a powder.Only a small amount of the powder will make a whole pot of Gumbo spicy and pleasant.After the pot is removed from the fire, the filé must be added.It becomes stringy and unpalatable if it is allowed to boil.It will be as thick as mud if Okra and filé are used together in a Gumbo.When fresh okra was not available, the Creoles in New Orleans only used filé in the wintertime.The guests can take as much as they want from the big bowl at the table.

Most Creole soups and stews contain dried bay leaves supplied by the Indians.The old French Market had a lot of Choctaws who would sit in the shade of the arcade and sell their wares.

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet one of the last Indian fil 233 makers.He was over eighty-five years old, and he was very proud, wise and independent.The land he owned on the banks of the bayou was very valuable.He kept his land in a primitive state despite the fact that rich people had built up estates all around him.He told us a lot about the good old days in the early part of the century.He would cross the lake to New Orleans and sell his wares at the New Basin Canal market.He was going to sell out in one day and buy himself a beer and sail home.

Nick gave me a sample jar of his homemade gumbo, and I made a pot of gumbo with part of it.I overdid it because I didn't know how strong it was.The stirring spoon was upright in the gumbo.I saved the rest of it as a souvenir of one of the best Indians I ever knew.

If you eat gumbo, remember the almost vanished Choctaws of Lacombe.In New Orleans and the Cajun country, homemade filé of a commercial grade can be found at any grocery store.You can make it yourself if you can't find an Indian source.While you are at it, pound up a few bay leaves.

The French Market, which used to be home to the Filé, is now a tourist trap that sells a million varieties of hot sauce.If you want to see the history of the old French Market, it is a must stop.

I buy my gumbo from the store.My dad makes it for me.It is perfect because he grinds it himself.He is the one who dries the leaves.The filé from a store may have a bay leaf in it, but it is much weaker.It is always fresh and strong in mine.Daddy gives it to me in little bottles.

I used an electric coffee grinder when I removed the leaves from the stems.

I used a metal coned coffee filter to pass the powder through.The mesh was too fine, but it worked to remove the twigs and tough pieces.

I noticed a container of Tony Chachere's file powder at the store and picked it up.It is the real deal, just like my homemade.Highly recommended!

Links to all of the recipes featured on this site can be found in my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes.

Good show, Danno.There are things that cannot be forgotten.I can see Danno setting up his stand at the French Market.We need more of that.

Go past slidell over the state line into mississippi and you can find a good sassafras tree.There is not a lot of real file on tables at some of the local restauarants.They should ask if miss muriel made the file.Tell them to sell or give to you.miss muriel is the one who told me where to pick leaves.If you treat it right, it will stay fresh for a long time.You will never eat that brown stuff again.

I love the thickness of okra and the sassafras trees.A true gumbo recipe is what I want.I am making a roux with chicken, italian sausage, shrimp, tomatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and butter.Is sassafras toxic in any way?We had several varieties of "laurel" that we could buy, and also it was called "mauntain ivy", which is the same thing.

You could buy a pure file.It's just a root.That is not a file.The file is not brown.They sell that shit to people who don't know what they're buying.

Sometimes it is about learning how to make something.File is not a root but a dried leaves.

Thank you for the information.I intend to make the most insane gumbo for a special lady.Your website was a great help.

There is a plastic bag in the basement that my mom found about 12 years ago, it is clean, no mold, and a little weak, but is it safe?

Pick the leaves.In August, my grandfather would harvest the last full moon.There are nutients in the leaves.At Thanksgiving, I hang the branches to dry in an old shed and we clean out the twigs and leaves by hand.We use a strainer and a spice mill to remove the pieces.The best Fil we can get is the fine powder.No one expects to make a lot of money on this, but we do it for tradition and enjoy making it.If a tree is not near, replant it in a new location before the budding begins.Some younger plants can be found near the older ones.

It's great to hear all this talk, some people will love it. You want some real file, then harvest it on the full moon of august.

Before you eat the roots, read the article on them.They are not FDA approved.

Is there a place in Boston?I can get any Gumbo file in that area.My father was from that area.There is a person named Gerry Fontenot.

Sassafras is growing in Massachusetts.You can take a walk in a state park.Look at the encyclopedia for a picture to identify leaves.The trees in the North only grow about 10 feet tall.The trunks are usually twisted or gnarly.

The leaves are not harmful.The tea is made from the root bark.The root contains a substance that has been shown to cause cancer in mice.There is a drug called "Ecstasy".Synthetic safrole is used to make the drug.

I ran out of a supply I brought back from New Orleans.I'm trying to find a source.I am pretty sure that what I bought was the real one because of its color and the fact that it was bought on a Plantation tour.I will not be able to make gumbo until I have enough.The okra we get is not my cup of tea, so can anyone help??

Three trees were found when I was tearing down a fence.I made a file.This is the best I have had.

I have a lot of leaves in my yard.You can make your own if you send me an address.

FDA warnings about chemical contents with a grain of salt must be taken by people.They tend to favor the medical community over traditional practices.The safronole used in the experiment is pure.Rats are given enough sacchrine to equal humans eating 2000 trees.Jay, its all about money.

The FDA warnings about safrole have nothing to do with cancer or the use of MDMA.This isn't an unommon practice for you.The ban on pseudoephedrine was done to stop the production of meth.Even though those two compounds are safe if taken in moderation, they were banned.The year before that, Tylenol killed more people.Many natural compounds are used in the production of illegal compounds, which is bad for the US Government.The amount of safrole pumped into those rats was equivalent to a human eating the roots of a tress.Uncle Sam could have been honest instead of using the cancer card.

I think thatlaurel is bay leaves.The bay leaves are called "hojas de laurel" in Spanish.

I was interested in your comments about Nick.Nick was a brother to Will, Amedee, Tucker, Prosper and others.The stories about Nick persist despite the fact that none of them were Indians.Is it from LaCombe to New Orleans?There are daily trips to New Orleans.Are you serious?The comments about the file are correct.

Hannah, thank you for your comment.The book Creole Gumbo & All that Jazz by HowardMitcham contains information about Nick Ducree.

I think it's possible that the author assumed that Nick was an Indian because he was selling File.

There must be some truth to the story.He doesn't give a lot of information on what part of the lake he was crossing from and he never says that he traveled from Lacombe.Do you know the location of the market on the New Basin Canal?Any ideas?He says it once a month.

Imagine if the details of a story were accidentally changed over the years.Your comment was appreciated!

I have never dried plants or herbs, but I thought they should hang upright.You mention hanging limbs to dry.Is hanging them down or up important?

Can you tell me if there are any indians in the city?I am from the west coast and have Indian heritage.

Thank you for the great pictures.I received some Sassafras leaves and I have to dry them in the oven because my dehydrator broke.I will be grinding my own file for the first time.Hopefully, we will have our own crop to harvest in a couple of years.Thanks again!

The real deal is picked on the full moon of August.I have been doing that for a long time.

My father was born in Alabama and my maternal grandmother was in New Orleans.The family moved to California when my father was four years old.Our Christmas turkey always ended up in a gumbo, made the day after, because we grew up with our Southern traditional cooking.My mother was given the secret to a good gumbo by my grandmother.The file was the most important part of the gumbo.There was no gumbo in our house.Locating the file is getting more and more difficult, so it is great to know how to make your own.Thanks.

I am in Alabama, I have never seen a sassafras tree, so I would be happy to pay for one if any of you have small ones around it.

If any of you have trees that are small enough to help me get a tree, I would be happy to send a few of the roots.

The sasafrass was dried in a dhydrator.Will this work the same as hanging outside?We have had a lot of rain and I don't think it will dry out here.I have a lot of trees on my property.I want to pass on the lost arts to my children.

I have seen a lot of potential file/sassafras trees at state park campsites, but didn't know the value of gumbo.Thanks for the advice!

Is there any sassafras trees in Texas?I would love to make my own gumbo file.

Did you find any of those?It is common in central al.I can help you find 205-755-0666.

I have never heard of a file.I will research it.Maybe that is why I live in VA.Information was helpful.

The trees grow like weeds and can reach 50 feet or more.They grow in the shade of other trees.As the tree reaches for sunlight, it's not uncommon to see a bare 40 foot trunk with leaves only at the top.

For the first time in my life, I looked up what is in Filee because I am from the Bayou Country where they speak Cajun French.When I was a child, my Grand Father used to grow fresh Okra in his garden, but in Gumbo with Filee, it was like snot when boiled.I live in the California desert near Joshua Tree and I would like to thank you again for finding a tree.There are people that would appreciate the real deal and may be able to sell it out here.I believe the stuff they take out of the safrole was supposed to be bad for you, but now I think they use it to make more money and protect the public.The Filee in the store has no leaves or Sassafras in it.The oil from Camphor in China does not sound good, and the essential oil of the real Sasafras can be used to make a weird drug called MDMA.Is the Government trying to protect us or is the big pharmas taking it?If not seperated, some of the things in Camphor can cause epileptic fits, so you tell me what's going on with that.I will call it a conspiracy.

We have green and red bark varieties.The red bark variety has the best tea roots.Is there a difference when it comes to leaves?

I want to know how to make tea and root beer from trees.My husband is a scientist.I'm interested in tea and root beer recipes.Thanks from Houma, Louisiana.

Several roots (including some green stems) from sassafras saplings, about 30-40 inches worth of 1/3-inch thick roots, are enough to fill one cup when you chop them into 1/2-inch pieces.

Remove any dirt from the roots.The roots should be cut into pieces.If you have a pair of shears you can cut the roots.You should have mostly roots if you have a few green stems.You need to cut up as much as you can.Put the roots in a pot with some water.Add the cloves, anise seeds, allspice berries, and cinnamon stick.Bring to a boil, reduce the amount of water, and then cook for 25 minutes.For 5 minutes, add the molasses.Remove heat.

It is possible to strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with a paper towel.Remove the pot.The liquid should be returned to the pot.The sugar has dissolved when you add it.Cool off from the heat.

1/3 cup of syrup to 1/3 cups of soda water is enough to make a root beer.Add more soda water if you want it to be stronger.

There is only a window and a wall in my SW Missouri office.I didn't know what it was until the spring.Waiting for autumn to remove it because it is too close to the building.The File recipe makes me want to transplant it and keep it for a long time.Thanks for the recipe!The tree will be in my cabinet.