It's that time of the season when the days are growing shorter and the garden is giving up the last of its fruits.  The herbs are still full, but it's just a matter of time when all that will remain is faithful Rosemary.

My Basil plants are BUSHY and it's a good time to harvest while the getting is good.  But HOW would I collect the leaves and keep them for later use?  The ice cube method? Making pesto?  No.  I really like using dried Basil in my cooking and baking, particularly having Basil in breads.

I pulled out my trusty horticulture encyclopedia and re-familiarized myself with methods of drying herbs. (Did you know that beside being food blogger and a Mom, I'm Horticulturist? Yep, got the B.S. degree and everything.) Anyhoo.  I came across the method of "Microwave drying".  I don't remember ever reading about this method before.  So, I just HAD to give it a whirl and see for myself.

HERE'S WHAT THE ENCYCLOPEDIA SAID

Microwave-dried herbs retain excellent color and potency.  Start by laying the herb foliage in a single layer on a paper towel, either on the oven rack or on the glass insert.  Cover the leaves with another paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute.  Then check the herbs, and if they are still soft, keep testing at 20- to 30-second intervals.  Microwave ovens differ in power output, so you'll have to experiment.  Keep track of your results with each kind of herb.

Microwave drying is a bit easier on plant tissue than oven drying, because the water in the herb leaves absorbs more of the energy than the plant tissue does.  The water in the leaves gets hot and evaporates - that's why the paper towels get damp during the drying process- leaving drying plant tissue behind.  The plant tissue heats up a little because of the contact with the water, but the water absorbs most of the heat.  In a conventional oven, all the plant material gets hot, not just the water.

SO LET'S PUT THIS TO THE TEST, SHALL WE?

First, I used a tea towel instead of paper towels.  1. Tea towels are very thin, lightweight.  and 2.  I didn't have any paper towels.

Fresh Basil on a tea towel on microwave glass plate.

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I started with 1-minute on high, then proceeded to 20-second intervals.  I learned large Basil leaves needed 2-minutes, whereas the smaller leaves needed anywhere from 30- to 50-seconds.

Oops, too long and too little leaves.

BE CAREFUL that you don't start a fire in your microwave.  Very small leaves burn up very quickly.  As you can see from the brown burn mark on the tea towel.  After this lesson, I dried large leaves together then smaller leaves together.

Microwaved Dried Basil Leaves

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It's AMAZING how well this method works! And how the leaves retained their color.  I compared these leaves to the dried basil in my spice cabinet; the store bought basil was a sad gray.  When the leaves are completely dry, they crumble very easily.  You'll soon figure this out for yourself.  When they're not finished, they will have a little bend before they break.  Just put them back for 20-seconds or more.

Basil crumbles easily with a little finger pressure.

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NEXT CAME DRYING THE ROSEMARY

Fresh Rosemary

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Since dealing with such small leaves, I knew it wouldn't take more than 30- to 45-seconds to dry Rosemary leaves in the microwave.  It may be hard to tell from the left photo below.  The Rosemary dried in 40-seconds, and crumbled with a pinch of the fingers.

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LAST CAME GARLIC CHIVES

I figured Garlic Chives represented any fine herb.  I wanted to know if it would retain it's wonderful garlic taste.  Well, as close as it could get anyway.  AND IT DID!  It took on 30-seconds to dry the Garlic Chives in the microwave.

NOW CAME THE TIME FOR STORING THE DRIED HERBS

ALWAYS, ALWAYS store dried herbs and spices in a cool, dark, dry space.  Away from sunlight, heat and air.

Confession Time: I have a problem throwing good jars away.  My favorite are the dark brown yeast jars; they're EXCELLENT for storing herbs, spices and garden seeds.  I like to keep a sheet of mailing labels in my chaotic pen/grocery receipts/batteries/rubber bands/clothes pin/chewing gum/unknown keys -kitchen drawer.  Together, I have what I need to label the freshly dried herbs.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.  I had a BLAST discovering how to dry herbs in the microwave.  It felt like I was performing a magic trick.  I am changed forever.  Give it go and see for yourself!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Inspired by Michael Chiarello's book Flavored Oils: 50 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Oils.

I have, rolling around my head, the idea to make a loaf of garlic bread.  Not the bread with garlic spread on it's slices.  Garlic stirred into the dough itself.  Is your mouth watering just thinkin' about it?  But first, I need to roast a few heads of garlic. And while I'm at it, I may as well make garlic olive oil, too. Right?

HERE'S WHAT I DID

• 4 or 5 whole garlic heads
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• a pinch or two Italian seasoning (optional)

Heat the oven to 375ºF.

Peel away the garlic skins and toss the clean cloves into a shallow baking pan.  Get your kids to help, they love to pick things. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper and optional seasonings, then pour the oil over the top.  Cover the pan, loosely, with aluminum foil, allowing for steam to escape.  Bake for 3o to 45 minutes.  (30 minutes produces a fork tender clove, 45 minutes produces a softer spreadable clove.)

Drain off the oil in a tightly covered, sterilized glass jar or bottle and USE WITHIN 1 WEEK.  Makes about 3/4 cup roasted garlic oil.

To make the paste, mash the cloves with a fork or give them a quick spin in a 1 cup food processor.  Makes about 1/2 cup garlic paste.

Last night, I put a dollop of roasted garlic paste on my pasta plate like a condiment; that was good.  I spread it over a fresh slice of Bran-Enriched Bread; that was good.  I stirred it into my homemade tomato sauce; lip smacking smooth.

The roasted garlic oil is said to be wonderful added to vinaigrettes, for sauteing vegetables, or in any recipe calling for roasted garlic oil.

COOK'S NOTES

If you have concerns or questions about storing garlic oil, or have only heard about botulism in homemade garlic oil.

PLEASE visit these links:

GARLIC,Safe Methods to Store, Preserve and Enjoy, Calaveras County Agriculture Extension

Cook's Illustrated Forum: Garlic oil & botulism

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp Rosemary, dried
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Combine and serve.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Photo by Frantic Homecook

Francie presents a recipe for a creamy, delicious, spicy, bright soup that will warm you head to toe, fill you with lots of energy (chickpeas are a great source of protein, dontcha know!) and best of all, all this fabulousness will cost only a couple bucks to boot!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaf minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 (15-19 ounce) cans chickpeas rinsed & drained
• 4 cups chicken broth (or  vegetable)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• sea salt to taste
• fresh group pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes; let cool slightly. Transfer soup to a blender, cover loosely (hold that lid down with a kitchen towel...safety first, chickens!) and puree until just smooth. Or use an immersion blender if you have one of those magical toys.

Return to the saucepan and stir in lemon juice and sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve, garnished with a fresh rosemary sprig, or an additional drizzling of olive oil. If you're wowing somebody, you can add a drizzle of Crème fraîche or heavy cream and do a little drizzle swirly art thing.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

I will never assume that I am the first to truly discover anything, because King Solomon said, "There is NOTHING new under the sun." There are many who are more knowledgeable than I, and many that just haven't learned what I've learned, yet.

In this article, I recognize that I am my own Queen of Spain AND Columbus all rolled into one.  Within my understanding of what is available to me in this world, I have "discovered" something "new."

I CAN SAVE MONEY AT THE FOODIE MART,
particularly in the area of buying spices from the bulk bins section.

My first discovery of this was when I went to buy whole black peppercorns.  At my local grocer, I have no choice but to buy McCormick Tellicherry Black Peppercorns and pay $5.76 for 1.87 ounces. Ouch. Of course, I'm sorta numb to that pain, because buying spices has always been expensive.  But you know, with such prices, it makes it very discouraging to try out new spices.  I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of expensive undesirable herbs or spices, constantly pushin'em around in the cabinet having them remind of me the money I wasted.  I already have a cosmetic drawer that does that.

Where was I?  Oh yea the peppercorns. Ok so, when I finally walked into the closest foodie mart and shopped their bulk bins section.  I discovered I could buy 1 pound of black peppercorns for $7.99, that's .499375 cents per ounce. Ok let's see, McCormick's 1.87 ounces times .499375 cents equals 93 cents.

Hmmm...should I keep paying $5.76 for 1.87 ounces or start paying $0.93?

Another sweet benefit, unlike online spice buying, I DON'T HAVE TO buy a full pound to save money or save on shipping.  I buy just what I need and no more.  Sweet, huh?

HERE'S A FEW MORE ADVANTAGES

• I can actually SMELL the herbs & spices FIRST and decide before I buy.
• At the foodie mart I prefer, there's an employee on duty that ENCOURAGES ME to TASTE the products.
• I can buy a tablespoons worth of spice if that's all I want.
• I can buy a pound if that's what I need.
• I can EXPLORE the possibilities, discover the differences or lacking qualities of herbs and spices without cluttering up my spice cabinet.
• I can EXPLORE the possibilities, discover the differences or lacking qualities of herbs and spices within my financial means.

Now the only draw back, and I hardly consider this to be a real draw back, is not having enough airtight containers for storing.  I happen to have a problem with throwing away perfectly good empty spice jars. I can't throw them away; I let them collect up in that one cabinet filled with "Just in case" and "once in a blue moon" kitchen items.

WANNA KNOW WHAT I BOUGHT ON THIS TRIP?

• New Mexico Chili Pepper Powder .21# for $1.05
• Ground Cumin Seed .14# for $0.91
• Smoked Hot Spanish Paprika .02# for $0.26
• Whole Greek Oregano .06# for $0.40
• Whole Mexican Oregano .08# for $0.30
• Italian Seasoning .04# for $0.22
• Pumpkin Pie Spice .04# for $0.20
• Yakima Applewood Smoked Sea Salt .08# for $0.88
• Saltworks Fusion Salt-Espresso .04# for $0.76

Some of you might know that I don't live anywhere near the foodie mart.  It actually takes an hour and a half to drive there. Yes, you could argue that the price of gas should be factored into the price spent on the spices.  And I would agree if it were the ONLY reason I drove into Dallas, but it wasn't the only stop.

I was patient, built a list (what to buy & what I wanted to explore).  I waited until my girlfriend could come with me.  We made it a day of shopping together and saved each other on gas.

If you haven't ventured into a foodie mart or never considered buying herbs and spices from the bulk bins, I encourage you to give it a whirl.

I can't say you'll save money anywhere else in the foodie mart.  I haven't made those discoveries, yet.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

The grocer had skinless, boneless chicken breasts on sale, buy one package-get one free.  Oh yea, I stocked up!  As soon as I arrived home, I divided them up into 1 gallon freezer bags, got out the spices and went to town!

I had four freezer bags to season, here's what I did.

First Bag received the Italian Marinade blend.

• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Second Bag, I went for a kiss of citrus.

• 2 limes, cut in half, squeezed dry, in went juice & rinds
• 2 large garlic cloves, squeezed through a garlic press
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Third Bag, I was going for spicy, smokey with a hint of sweet.

• 1 lime, cut in half, squeezed dry, in went juice & rinds
• 2 fresh jalapenos, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons New Mexico Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

The picture above shows the chicken marinated in this last spicy, smokey recipe.

The last bag I left unseasoned just in case.

After I massaged the seasonings into the chicken breasts, I threw ALL the bags in the freezer for future use.

When it came time to pull a bag out, I removed the amount of chicken I needed and defrosted it the microwave.  Then went on to grill it.

Read Using Pita Bread for Pizza Crust for how I used the citrus chicken and smokey chicken.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

"Why," I thought to myself, "are these sea salts SOOO expensive?"

Of course, if I didn't have a recipe already at home telling me how to do it myself. I would naturally assume it took some special processing and special ingredients to get them this way. BUT, IT DOESN'T.

Smoking salts at home is super easy and you can make enough to share with your neighbors. And it won't cost you an arm, a leg and your first born.

There are four methods to making smoked salt: Stovetop, Wok, Charcoal Grill and Gas Grill (see bottom of post for direction of other methods). I chose the Charcoal Grill method to make Mesquite Smoked Sea Salt. I already had a bag of Mesquite chips on hand, so I said, "why not start here?"

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO CREATE SMOKED SALTS

• 2 cups wood chips, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained
• 2 cups coarse salt (kosher or sea)

Set up the grill for indirect grilling (putting all your hot coals to one side and leaving a cool side to work from). Toss the wood chips on the coals. Spread the salt in a thin layer in an aluminum foil pie pan and place it on the grate away from the fire. Cover the grill and adjust the vent holes to medium heat (350F deg.).

Smoke the salt for 1 hour. Cool the salt to room temperature, then move it to a jar and cover.

Prepared grill.

Set tin foil pan on the cool side of grill, away from coals.

One hour later.

Allow to cool completely before storing.

$1.29 and one hour of my time for 1/2 pound of smoked sea salt.

HERE'S THOSE OTHER SMOKING METHODS

Stovetop Smoker Method: Place the sawdust in the bottom of the smoker.  Spread the salt in a thin layer in an aluminum foil pie pan and place it in the top of the smoker. Place the smoker over high heat. When you start to see wisps of smoke, reduce the heat to medium, tightly cover the smoker, and smoke the salt for 20 minutes. Cool the salt to room terperature, then transfer it to a jar, cover, and store away from heat and light.

Wok Method: Line the bottom of the wok with aluminum foil (a 6 inch square will do) and place the sawdust on top. Set a round wire cake rack in the wok. Spread the salt in a thin layer in an aluminum foil pie pan and place on the wire rack.  Place the wok over igh heat.  When you start to see wisps of smoke, reduce the salt for 20 minutes.  Cool the salt to room temperature, then transfer it to a jar, cover, and store away from heat and light.

Gas Grill Method: Preheat the grill to medium.  PLace the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat until you see smoke.  Spread the salt in a thin layer in an aluminum foil pan and place it on the grate away from the fire. Cover the grill ans smoke the salt for 1 hour.  Cool the salt to room temperature, then transfer it to a jar, cover, and store away.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

With a name like Road Kill Grill Seasonings ALONE, I had to try it!

Road Kill Grill Seasonings is a mixed grill dry rub with a mild kick. Last night, I fired up the grill, invited some neighbors over and we had ourselves a taste testing.

We voted it to be OUTSTANDING for Blackened Tilapia and Grilled Shrimp. I can already see us eating it on chicken and steak, too.

Even though it's on the spicy side, it adds a delicious smoked flavor that makes it hard to stop eating, even after you're full.

And a little goes a long way in this cool little tin. It runs $4.95 USD for 2.4 ounces. I felt that was such a good price, I bought extra tins to give away to my grilling friends.

You must pick up a tin of Road Kill Grill Seasonings for your next grilling. And go ahead and get a few extra tins for your grilling buddies. Can you just see their face will they read the tin?

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This blend of spices makes the best grilled chicken you've ever eaten!

This recipe was born from not having a bottle of Italian salad dressing on hand. I was looking for a quick marinade for my chicken fillets and was clean out!

I served it to my friends and the kiddos and EVERYONE grooved on the combination. Thank goodness I had enough chicken, because every body asked for seconds.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

This was enough to marinade 4 chicken breasts. The meat marinaded in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours, before I cooked it on the grill.

Of course, I would have easily cooked it on my grill pan on the stove top. But it was just too beautiful outside not to start up the grill.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Here's a quick and easy way to keep cilantro fresh until you need it.

First, cut off the dried ends of the stems and discard. Soak cilantro in cool water for 5-10 minutes. Drain the water off and discard old/damaged leaves. Then, give it a couple spins in the salad spinner to remove any extra water.

TIME OUT!
You don't have a salad spinner? Well, you gotta get one this minute! Salad spinners are so much fun to use! I'm tellin' ya, each time you'll go to use it, everyone in your family will come ask if they can be the one to spin it. I'M SERIOUS! The day I finally said yes to myself and bought my salad spinner, my husband looked at me like I was throwing money away. But do you know, he loves using it! He sees the value of using it to wash all types of leafy vegetables and herbs. It's works great a salad keeper, too. And did I mention? It's FUN to use!

Anyhoo, back to the cilantro. Use a damp paper towel to wrap the leafy herbs (as shown) and place into a 1 gallon freezer bag. Close up all but the last inch of the top seal, press out all the air, then seal it up.

This storage method should buy you 3 to 5 days in the frig. And, the cilantro is ready for use when you need it. I love cilantro in my salads, guacamole, on top of chicken fajitas, as the leafy greens in my black bean burgers, any recipe that calls for parsley, I use cilantro.

I hope you found this post helpful. Do you have any nifty produce storage tips you can share with me?

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.