Make your own spices and spice mixes!

[cheepo]

heres how to make it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFAOXimDKJY

she also has another video on it that is a bit more detailed...

but when dehydrating..any meaty stuff...i found you have to whatch the greese content and pat as you go...

 

[ninny]

Thanks everyone! I am going to start making my as it runs out. Chicken bouillon any ideas on that one?

Powdered or oxo cube chicken bouillon is actually mostly yeast extract and msg, nothing real in there, far better to just make your own chicken broth and freeze or can it

Ditto

That is major . I love the powder stuff. I drink it as a broth all the time. So i'm guessing that may be the cause of my mystery headaches.

 

[cheepo]

normally...i store almost everything in jars...
but...i saw thease bags...and they arived...and i
did some spice packets in them....
they just look so fab and professional...!!!
really recomend

http://www.clearbags.com/bags/food/gusset/zipper-pouch/silver

 

[moolie]

Powdered or oxo cube chicken bouillon is actually mostly yeast extract and msg, nothing real in there, far better to just make your own chicken broth and freeze or can it

Ditto

That is major . I love the powder stuff. I drink it as a broth all the time. So i'm guessing that may be the cause of my mystery headaches.

Yup, if you have any kind of sensitivity to msg, stay away from fake bouillon and store bought soup! And sauce/gravy mixes, and store bought pasta sauce, and just about anything else "seasoned"--they don't actually have to list it as msg: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html

 

[Emerald]

normally...i store almost everything in jars...
but...i saw thease bags...and they arived...and i
did some spice packets in them....
they just look so fab and professional...!!!
really recomend

http://www.clearbags.com/bags/food/gusset/zipper-pouch/silver

They are very cool and professional.. till the mice find them just store them in big glass pickle jars once you get the bags all filled! (those pouches would be fab for putting seeds in tho)
I had really nice bags and envelopes full of my heirloom seeds and well- did you know mice can chew thru rubbermaid tubs? now everything goes into empty prescription bottles and small mason jars and all of them end up in my gallon pickle jars.
All of my herbs and spices are sealed in mason jars also. I have an old farm house and no matter how many holes/cracks/crevasses we stuff full of steel wool or cover with aluminum flashing or even old canning jar lids(useful after you pry them off the jar) they still find ways into my darn house!
and mice love Dutch cocoa powder and chocolate and any other sweet spices.. just a heads up!

 

[cheepo]

thanks emerald..I put them in a metal tin...
we have been fighting that war too...think we are winning though..
i hope...

 

[ThrottleJockey]

When I dry my herbs I usually put them in a brown paper bag like everyone else has said, but I put mine in the refrigerator as it tends to "cure" them as it extracts the moisture. We grow chives, dill, catnip, as many different hot peppers as we have space for, oregano, garlic, onions, sassafras (not by choice). I tend not to stick with traditional seasoning blends but rather go by taste and what we enjoy. When we find a combination we like, we go big and mix a whole bunch of it...There really are no rules in this area, just be bold and don't be afraid! Oh yeah, we put everything in big gallon sized jars.

 

[Denim Deb]

TJ, how do you use the sassafras as seasoning? We have a ton of it growing in this area.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

TJ, how do you use the sassafras as seasoning? We have a ton of it growing in this area.

Tea (I don't care for it hot but iced and sweetened it is like koolaid), medicinally, and to make root beer (we haven't tried the root beer yet but it should be fun).

 

[Laureli]

and how !

Plus-- how do you make vanilla extract? Is it important to use a quality vodka? and how much vodka for 3 beans?I bought Gordon's and thought maybe that is too cheap

Well its sold with the spices but I like to make my own vanilla extract. Its the best. I use the beans afterward in cakes or custards. Pretty yummy and cheap. I bought vanilla beans online on Amazon and some vodka. I plan on making some with rum this next time too.

We also keep a bay bush( my mom says tree but I swear it looks like a bush) in our greenhouse and a lemon tree. So lemon zest and bay leaves. Also herbs that I prefer fresh like marjoram and thyme are kept growing in pots. In the summer we have more plants outside and will dry those. Before we had the heated greenhouse we kept the lemon and bay tree on our front porch. Not ideal but well worth it. All we do is hang our on the hot dry days or spread them out on a cookie sheet . They dry fast when temps climb. We course chop and into glass bottles they go. My mom has herb bottles that are 40 + years old that we still use.

and how !

Plus-- how do you make vanilla extract? Is it important to use a quality vodka? and how much vodka for 3 beans?I bought Gordon's and thought maybe that is too cheap