METHOD
- Purchase powdered herbs and spices, or grind homegrown leafy green herbs in a blender. Sesame seeds can be used whole.
- Mix herbs together well in a bowl. Put the mixed herbs into a shaker or chosen dispenser for sprinkling on your food. Easy! If you want to use herb blends in a soup, put them in a bouquet garni pouch or wrap them in a piece of muslin tied with a string. You can keep this little bundle in the pot the entire time the soup is cooking. Herb sprinkles can also be turned into pastes by adding just enough olive oil to the sprinkle to make a paste. Herb pastes can be used for marinades and crusts for meats, vegetables, and fish.
STORAGE
The shakers have open holes, so the herbs are constantly exposed to oxygen. This exposure breaks down the herbs more rapidly, but they still last pretty well in the shaker, and usually six months isn’t a problem. I prefer shakers with lids that close over the holes when you are finished using them.
If you keep your herb salts in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, they can last for one year and sometimes longer. What happens with salt is you start rubbing your food with it and leave it open while you are cooking. The salt and herbs cake together if they are exposed to moisture or if other foodstuffs get into the salt.
