Bulk herbs and spices==Hello, help?

[pacanis]

Well sonofagun. I just returned from the town store and we now have a spice selection! They have a whole section, larger than their McCormick's area, with these http://nutmegspice.co/
They have the town store's name on them. I did not want to commit to a large bottle of powdered spice, but they had a great selection of dried items as well. Including potatoes, tomatoes, carrots... and porcini mushrooms! Those I did buy. I bought 2-1oz jars at $4.99 a jar. That's like half the price of the ones I bought last week. Cool.

 

[Mad Cook]

in honor of bulk foods week, my food delivery place is offering a sale on their newly expanded line of bulk organic herbs, spices, grains, etc.

i have not bought herbs and spices in bulk before, but would like to take this opportunity to expand my limited 'spice rack', and perhaps replace some prehistoric and/or inferior spices with fresh ground/crushed/chopped organic product.

here is a list of the spices i am considering: (they are all priced at $.20/Tbsp.)
coriander, cumin seed, curry blend, ginger, parsley, rosemary, turmeric.

1. which of these spices is a good buy, or not?
2. does it make sense to buy m/l than, say, 4Tbsp my first time out?
3. should i be adding other common spices to my list e.g.--basil, oregano, thyme, paprika, garlic, chili, etc...
4. what is the best type of container for my new spices?

if anyone is still with me after this long, convoluted query, i would appreciate whatever advice or suggestions you might have....

It depends on how quickly you'll use them up. Herbs and spices do not keep indefinitely as they lose flavour. In fact 6 months is about the limit.

As for storage, they need to be stored in small amounts in containers that exclude light completely and air as much as possible. Those pretty racks with clear glass jars that stand on your kitchen counter - or worse, on the window sill - are an absolute no-no.

The varieties you buy depend on what you like the taste of. Some herbs are not very good when dried eg parsley, coriander and basil. Mint changes its character so much that it's almost a different herb (dried mint is used in middle eastern cookery. Others, such as oregano, actually taste better to some people than fresh.

 

[Mad Cook]

Hi, vit. Spices - seeds, berries, bark, etc. - will keep best whole, so I would buy cumin and dill seed, whole nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, etc. You can grind these in a spice grinder or dedicated coffee grinder as needed. Woody herbs dry well and the whole leaves maintain more flavor than powders - thyme, rosemary, sage, bay and oregano. I crumble these when I use them to release more flavor. Soft herbs like parsley and basil aren't worth the money when they're dried, imo. These I grow or buy fresh and freeze in ice cube trays when I have extra.

QUOTE]
And peppercorns too.

And coriander leaf (cilantro, sorry)and chervil don't dry well either

 

[Kitchen Barbarian]

I've wondered at dried chives as well. Dried cilantro (coriander leaf) is totally useless; so is dried curry leaf.

 

[Dawgluver]

Yes. Dried chives taste like straw. Frozen chives are better, fresh are best. Even better to imitate chive flavor is frozen, chopped green onion, they actually keep their flavor. Dried basil is a waste, I dig my basil up and put them in a semi-sunny window and over winter them. They look ratty as all getout, but provide me with nice fresh leaves.

 

[CWS4322]

Well sonofagun. I just returned from the town store and we now have a spice selection! They have a whole section, larger than their McCormick's area, with these http://nutmegspice.co/
They have the town store's name on them. I did not want to commit to a large bottle of powdered spice, but they had a great selection of dried items as well. Including potatoes, tomatoes, carrots... and porcini mushrooms! Those I did buy. I bought 2-1oz jars at $4.99 a jar. That's like half the price of the ones I bought last week. Cool.

Stale herbs/spices can be tossed on the coals when you are bbq'ing for added flavour. Just sayin'.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I've wondered at dried chives as well. Dried cilantro (coriander leaf) is totally useless; so is dried curry leaf.

Actually, I bought a small jar of dried chives the last time I was at Penzeys. I've had the plant on my kitchen windowsill but it wimps out on me quickly. When I buy it in the produce section I don't use it up fast enough and end up throwing half of it out. I figured it'd give the smallest jar a chance. I was pretty surprised at how much they were like fresh chives once they are in the liquid/cream and have a chance to reconstitute themselves. Not cheap initially but when I consider what I've paid for the stuff I've thrown out the Penzeys chives should be winners.

 

[pacanis]

Interesting thought, CW. Maybe I'll try that with the basil I have

 

[taxlady]

Actually, I bought a small jar of dried chives the last time I was at Penzeys. I've had the plant on my kitchen windowsill but it wimps out on me quickly. When I buy it in the produce section I don't use it up fast enough and end up throwing half of it out. I figured it'd give the smallest jar a chance. I was pretty surprised at how much they were like fresh chives once they are in the liquid/cream and have a chance to reconstitute themselves. Not cheap initially but when I consider what I've paid for the stuff I've thrown out the Penzeys chives should be winners.

I haven't tried dried chives. I have chives growing in my yard. About this time of year, I cut them all the way back. I parblanch them for a few seconds and then let them dry and freeze them. I cut off as much as I need still frozen. They are a bit limp, but work fine. So, a bit finely chopped on a baked potato, or in a sauce is just fine. In a salad, not so much.

Why don't you plant some? They love a cold climate with a really cold winter. I have some in a pot, so I will bring them in and see how they do in the house. Never tried that before. The rest stay outside.

 

[CharlieD]

I've wondered at dried chives as well. Dried cilantro (coriander leaf) is totally useless; so is dried curry leaf.

It is actually interesting, because dried parsley, for example, is just fine, but you are right dried cylantro is total junk.

 

[GotGarlic]

I haven't tried dried chives. I have chives growing in my yard. About this time of year, I cut them all the way back. I parblanch them for a few seconds and then let them dry and freeze them. I cut off as much as I need still frozen. They are a bit limp, but work fine. So, a bit finely chopped on a baked potato, or in a sauce is just fine. In a salad, not so much.

Why don't you plant some? They love a cold climate with a really cold winter. I have some in a pot, so I will bring them in and see how they do in the house. Never tried that before. The rest stay outside.

Chives seem to like all kinds of weather. We don't always get a frost here, so my chives and usually parsley are available fresh all winter. The chives get these beautiful big lavender-colored flowers in the spring.

 

[taxlady]

Chives seem to like all kinds of weather. We don't always get a frost here, so my chives and usually parsley are available fresh all winter. The chives get these beautiful big lavender-colored flowers in the spring.

Interesting. One of our members who lives in SoCal has never been able to grow them. Mine come back every year, after a very cold winter. I once found some chives growing in a field that hadn't been cultivated in over 20 years.

Yup, those flowers are very pretty. They are fun to put in salads.

 

[jennyema]

Interesting. One of our members who lives in SoCal has never been able to grow them. Mine come back every year, after a very cold winter. I once found some chives growing in a field that hadn't been cultivated in over 20 years.

Yup, those flowers are very pretty. They are fun to put in salads.

Chives and mint are crazy hardy. One mint plant of mine is now in my garden and in 3 neighbors' yards. I have to constantly weed it out.

I grew chives in a planter from the seeds on the pretty flowers

I love chives and will bring it indoors and try to keep it alive.

 

[Dawgluver]

I have most all my mints planted in pots sunk in the ground, but still have the occasional escapee. My lemon balm is everywhere (mint relative). My chives are in a big raised bed, I throw the dried seed heads into the pine grove, and have a lot of chive children, they do really well in a cold climate.

 

[taxlady]

Chives and mint are crazy hardy. One mint plant of mine is now in my garden and in 3 neighbors' yards. I have to constantly weed it out.

I grew chives in a planter from the seeds on the pretty flowers

I love chives and will bring it indoors and try to keep it alive.

How well did that work, keeping them alive indoors?

 

[GotGarlic]

Interesting. One of our members who lives in SoCal has never been able to grow them.

The climate may be too dry for them there. Sometimes even extra watering doesn't help. Some plants need more humid air to thrive.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

................Why don't you plant some? They love a cold climate with a really cold winter. I have some in a pot, so I will bring them in and see how they do in the house. Never tried that before. The rest stay outside.

I really have no good place to put a herb garden. Our house is raised up so much in the front to try and get around our grade (our driveway is steep enough that it is now out-of-code; new homes are not built unless the driveway grade is under 10%) that we have just bushes and a tree out front. Our back door out of the add-on sunroom is a 3-foot-drop because we never could decide on the design of the new deck. We'll put a basic rectangle on in the spring, but it doesn't matter. Back and one side are heavily treed and/or shaded. Only the south side of the house gets garden-type light, but I have to walk halfway around the house to get to it. I was absolutely ruined in our first home. Colonial style, garage was forward of the facade, and a sidewalk from the drive to the front porch formed a rectangular garden about 5 X 8 right off the front porch. From the sidewalk you stepped up one level to the porch, then one outside step and boom, second step up was the threshold. *sigh* I'd sit in my porch rocker on a rainy day and smell all the herbs. Next home will have a flat yard again, and you can bet I'll be looking for that perfect "herb garden" setting.

 

[pacanis]

When I mow the yard there is an area where I smell mint.
I guess that means I have an herb garden somewhere

 

[acerbicacid]

I buy whole spices too and then grind them. If you have an old jar of, lets say cumin, and you grind some cumin seeds, the difference in the smell is amazing.

If I do keep things in jars (and in the dark) and there is airspace in the jar I use a scrunched up piece of cling film/saran wrap(?) to fill the gap and keep it as airtight as possible.

 

[jennyema]

How well did that work, keeping them alive indoors?

It's this winter's experiment.

I'm not good at indoor gardening so keep your fingers crossed !