I might as well get this out of the way now and just confess that I am simply passionate about herbs & spices.
There, I did it, Pfew! I guess I could as well say, in all fairness, it is a bit more than passion, perhaps even verging on obsession, and let's not even get me started on loose tea as it would just verge on plain embarrassment.
My house is filled with glass jars stuffed to overflowing with exotic spices from across the globe. Cumin, Cardamom and Star Anise. Oh my!
There are herbs here, herbs there, well heck they are just about everywhere begging to be pinched, rubbed and cast into an ever waiting pot of soup simmering on the stove ready to meld into heaven. Or just cram them into a jar of organic olive oil to be transformed into a healing tincture. Some days I merely sprinkled them over a very nice sliced avocado with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Oh,...pardon me, I do believe I just had myself a moment!
I often get a little sad knowing that the use of herbs & spices by many are limited to a few small sprigs of very aged oregano, basil, or a tasteless stale sprinkling of paprika scattered over their deviled eggs for a dash of color, perhaps the devil in the eggs has led so many astray.
Such a waste, an absolute pity. Now oregano and basil and a fresh Paprika are a beautiful thing indeed. Their uses are endless, a little basil tossed on a lovely fresh ripe tomato, an earthy oregano rooting down a lovely base in your grandmother's ageless gravy, a fresh ground paprika worthy of any Russian dish, but alas there is just so much more to be explored, so my philosophy when it comes to spices is, why limit yourself?
I actually shed a tear for the plight of those poor spices that find their way into the house during the fall for use in cookies, pumpkin pies and puddings, if they aren't still hanging around from the year before! So with that let me share a few suggestions into spicing up the simple life,... just enough.
Today we will go over suggestion number one.
**so proud of myself for not using the word "rule"**
1. Fresh, fresh, fresh!
Did I mention that you should be buying your herbs & spices as fresh as possible? Well you should as there simply is no haggling over this "suggestion". If you are accustomed to purchasing them in the grocery store isle, a word of advice, pass them right by. Don't just walk,...run!
What you want to do is get in the habit of purchasing your dried herbs & spices at a high turn over spice house. I personally love to be able to see, touch and smell my goodies so I try to purchase them locally. Indian markets are a great resource for hands on, nose in, tongue out,..no actually that would probably get you into a wonky situation or a set of cuffs, let's keep things civil.
The Indian Spice Markets also tend to offer the little spices that get overlooked in main stream spice shops like asafetida, aka the devil's dung. I promise to do a blog just for that one sharing my experience with Dancing with that Devil at some point in the future.
Some of us are lucky enough to have a local spice shop. To be frank, that is number one on my bucket list, to open my own little spice and tea shop. Oh the color, the exotic scents wafting through the air just intoxicating all my customers. I can see people lined up in the streets drawn by the perfumery of culinary heaven with visions of heated pans and dancing mustard seeds, a splash of sharp but sweet vinaigrette,.. ahem. I digress.
The point,...the point, Ah yes, the point! I couldn't imagine anything sweeter than to spend my day dabbling in a spice shop.
There are many reputable online resources for your goodies, that have a high turn over to ensure they are constantly restocking with fresh spices such as Penzey's, Savory spice shop and the Atlantic spice Company. I am grateful that the Atlantic Spice Co. is fairly local to me with a high turn over rate and best of all because I tend to buy in bulk they offer incredible savings! I get the best of both worlds with them.
Now that you have your goodies you must understand that herbs and spices have a shelf life. They don't spoil per se, but a stale spice will definitely disappoint a meal. As herbs and spices age they begin to lose strength. The shelf life will vary by the type and form you purchase them in. Fresh herbs, if handled correctly and stored properly can last a week or two, but I would honestly say plan on a week tops and don't be surprised if they go wonky after three days. I always find it better to have fresh herbs potted and growing for constant pinching, but in the winter months and the sun loss, sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.
On to the dried herbs and spices, the rule of thumb is to keep them stored in tight fitted glass jars, in a cool dark location. Yes they make cute little holders and stove top shufflers, but honestly storage for shelf live is key.
Myself, I have a system. I keep a masala dabba (see photo above) it is an Indian traditional spice box. Inside my masala dabba are small cups that hold my 7 most used spices. What fills them tends to change by season. I use what is in the 7 cups pretty quickly so I do not fear keeping it close by the stove on top of my bread box because of, let's hear it,..the high turn over rate! Excellent!
These spices I typically go through in a weeks time which works for me because I am constantly opening and closing the masala dabba while cooking every day.
**I will do a later article on what to keep in your masala dabba**
I then have a smaller set of pint and quart sized glass jars stored on my spice shelf and kitchen pantry that is out of sun and in a cool dark place (you would think we were talking about how to date a vampire in three easy steps). I keep these jars for frequently used items such as peppercorns, star anise, red pepper flake, oregano, basil, rosemary and such. I use these to replenish my masala dabba and for general cooking but not as frequent use. I then have my bulk spices. I keep those stored in half gallon glass jars in the root cellar, Ok it is a pantry in my basement, but root cellar sounds so much primitive, natural, earthy, doesn't it? I normally keep bulks seeds, roots and flowers that I use for tinctures, salves and balms. There are also some herbs that I use so frequently that it is worth purchasing them by the pound and they find a home there, but do not stay for very long.
Ok so let's give a basic chart of freshness for your goods.
Fresh Herbs plan to use or lose in a few days time, if you are diligent you may get a little over a week.
Whole Spices, Dried Seeds
1-4 years
*** It honestly depends on the spice and form***
Ground Spices
3-6 months
***Personally ground spices I like to use very quickly so I purchase whole and grind as needed***
Dried Herbs
6-12 months
***personally I would only have a 3 months supply***
When in doubt taste it, smell it, look at the color. Is it as robust as it once was? Your senses are your best guide with herbs & spices. Above all experiment, use them!
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