On Aug 11, 6:44 pm, "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote:

> GMTA, I just posted about the futility of grocery store (read OLD) spices.
> All spices that not yet ground will hold up much longer than the same spice
> pre-ground, given the same age.

Tell ya how bad I am about this kind of stuff, I even roast my own
coffee from greens. Not with a roaster... by hand! What a difference
that make for coffee! If you haven't had fresh roasted (say about 12
hours old) then you really are missing out. I started roasting about
10 years ago, and probably haven't bought a pound of coffee anywhere
since.

>Two of the spices that really give me a laugh, whole leaf or not, are dried
> cilantro and dried parsley. They have the same amount of flavor value as
> paper.

Seriously; what's up with dried celantro? That's one I don't get. I
can use it, and it seems to literally disappear. *poof*


> If you vac it and store it away from light, you might not need to freeze it
> to get those results. Oxidation and light are what does the damage.

I saw some tests that included freezing after vacuum sealing v. no
freezing after sealing. The sealed, frozen spices seemed to last
better over a period of time. Within six months though, no change was
noticed. I figure what the hell, you have to store that stuff
somewhere, so the freezer is as good a place as any!

> Exactly... go to a seed store, or herb and spice specialist. Usually what
> they have is much fresher.

I had the uncommonly good fortune of having my sister in Houston take
me to the new Penzey's. I was no less than astonished at the variety
and freshness. Actually, the prices weren't really that bad, either.

We have a couple of smaller farms just over the border that grow and
package many different herbs. And Bolner's/Fiesta herb processing and
manufacturing is about 7 miles or so as the crow flies from my house.
I have no excuse not to use fresh. (As a sidebar, you should be
around when they are grinding chilies and garlic. You can smell it
from the highway, and will instantly salivate.)

>And grow what you can yourself.

I grow (a particularly nice) sage, rosemary, basil, fennel, parsley
and bay. At this time of the year almost everything else in the herb
family dies, as even at 6 at night it is still almost 100 degrees.
The herb growing season is pretty short here. Combine that with NO
rain, and not only do they need a lot of tending, but they usually
keel over anyway. Even mint and its cousins will die easily down
here.

And there is almost no such thing as a volunteer anything from the
herbs or vegetables. It just doesn't happen. The only volunteers I
have are the gladiolas in the front yard.

But starting about February until about the end of June or so, the
herbs grow like hell and produce a lot of usable foliage. They love
the clear warm days and the cool nights.

I ran out of fresh and frozen basil again this year, and next year I
might just plant a bunch. I was making pesto, chicken slathers,
marinaras, and using it in salads and before I knew it I used it all.
Next year, maybe about 6 plants will do the trick.

I'd love to be able to grow chives, but the ones that I have had that
are supposed to be more heat tolerant only got to about 10" tall and
had those little bitty tubes that you see in the gourmet chef shows.
I wanted the big ones that you put in salad and on potatoes. Those
plants had a good flavor, there just wasn't enough to fool with. Then
the heat stunted them, they got unhealthy, and they expired.

Robert