I've discovered a quick way to get soft, creamy garlic cloves and a few crunchy ones while seasoning oil for future recipes.

A few weeks back I was exploring an old, French soup recipe.  One of the steps called for slowly cooking garlic cloves in duck fat.  I didn't have duck fat, but now I 'm curious to get my hands on some.  However, I did have chicken fat up in the freezer.  Yes, I render chicken fat from roasted whole chicken dinners.  It's absolutely the tastiest oil for quick frying vegetables or making a cream sauce when I'm out of chicken broth.  Don't knock it until you try it.

I need to say this next part out loud.  I would only consume rendered fat from a pasture-raised animal.  I buy pastured-raised chickens from a nearby farm, Windy Meadows Family Farm.  I quit buying commercially raised chickens about 2 years ago.  I've seen the way commercial chickens are kept, raised and fed; there's nothing natural about any of it.  I refuse to support those practices and expect better food for my family.  I, also, spent time comparing the quality of both products and found that without a doubt, pasture-raised poultry meats have more flavor, better color, and less fat.  Yes, a whole bird costs a heck of a lot more but it's worth every penny.  I've learned how to use every part of the bird and how to stretch one bird to different meals.  Just as our great-grandmothers would have done.

Now, back to these creamy garlic treats.  I've taken to smearing them over thick bread slices for garlic toast, mashing them in with mashed potatoes, and using them to top a Trisket with cream cheese.  Oh, and for adding to the French Garlic Soup.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 garlic bulb, separated and peeled, cloves left whole
• 2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat

Heat the chicken fat over medium heat, add whole garlic cloves, cook slowly for up to 7 minutes, until tender.  Lower the heat if the garlic begins to brown too quickly.  Think Low and slow for tender creamy garlic.  The smaller cloves will undoubtedly become crispy.  Don't worry it; crunchy garlic is good, too.

SAVE the chicken fat for sure now!  It has a great garlic flavor; excellent for a cream sauce.  You can also use the garlicky chicken oil (that's sounds healthier) to brush over thick slices of bread before toasting them in the oven.  You may never want to use butter again.

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Have you ever heard or read where we're not suppose to eat the green shoot inside our garlic cloves?  Well, it's true what they say, that premature green shoot produces a bitter flavor when it's cooked.  Now you can remove that premature shoot and use the remaining clove as intended, if you don't have fresher garlic.

However, before you start cutting, try growing your own garlic chives.  They are super easy to grow right from your kitchen window with just a little water in the bottom of a cup or bowl.

Garlic chives are very mild in flavor.  Initially, the bite of garlic that hits your palate is unmistakably garlic but it doesn't hang long, compared to eating a fresh garlic clove that will stay with you for hours and hours, even after you've brushed your teeth.

HOW TO GET STARTED
Place the budding clove or whole bulb in a small cup or bowl.  Using a clear container really helps you see when the water needs to be changed and you can watch the roots grow.  Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the cup and touches just the bottom of the cloves.  Do not submerge the cloves or the water will become cloudy, smelly and the cloves will begin to rot.  Not good.

The garlic cloves will begin producing roots very quickly after a few days.  It's good practice to change out the little bit water in the cup or bowl when it begins to look slightly cloudy, which is every couple of days.  Soil is not required because the green shoots rising up are getting all their nutrients from the individual cloves.  Plenty of light and fresh water will do nicely.

You can begin harvesting garlic chives when the shoots are 3-inches tall; there could be 2 to 3 shoots growing out of each clove.  Try not to remove more than a third of the growing blades.  The green blades capture energy from the sun to grow taller.  Much like a green onion, garlic chives grow from within the a single sprout.  Cutting the main sprout back down to the clove will not produce more shoots.  Chives will grow as tall as 10-inches if left alone.

HOW TO HARVEST
Use sharp kitchen scissors to snip off just what you need for your recipe. Two-inches of a chive blade can roughly make 1 tablespoon of chives.

HOW TO USE GARLIC CHIVES
Ideally, their flavor is best appreciated eaten fresh.  Garlic chives are excellent on top of baked potatoes, green salads, vegetable salads, or stirred into egg salads, pasta salads, dips, and as a quick garnish over hummus or guacamole.

ALTERNATIVE WAY TO GROW GARLIC CHIVES
Choose a sunny spot, if you have it, a little shade is okay.  You can plant garlic cloves directly in the soil about an inch deep and see chives growing up after a couple of weeks.  If you want to move the sprouted cloves from indoors to the outside, they should transplant into the soil just fine.  Plant each clove 4 to 6-inches apart.  Keep the soil moist, not soggy, for a couple of weeks, allowing time for the roots to adjust to taking up water from the soil on their own.  Garlic is tough and easy to grow. Harvest the chives the same as directed above, removing only a third of the blade tops or remove one whole blade, if other blades are growing out of the same clove.

Just have fun growing them.  It's more fun than painstakingly removing small sprouts out of each clove and it's way better than tossing all that potential in the garbage.

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It's very easy to dry herbs using the microwave; it's almost magical.  Carefully lay out the leaves, slide them into the microwave, nuke, beeeep, beeeep, beeeep... VOILA! Dried herbs.

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.

For my 900-watt microwave, it took 45 to 60-seconds to dry parsley.  I laid the larger, thicker leaves around the outer edge, which is the hottest part of the microwave.  After the dried herbs have cooled, store them in air-tight containers away from heat and light.  Keeps well for several months.

READ MORE on herbs

• How to Dry Fresh Herbs in a Microwave
• Useful Information: Herbs and Spices
  

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The Care of Spices: Spices should be full-bodied and fresh; they do not improve with age.  Exposure to air, heat and light whether for a brief time or standing over a long period of time when not exposed causes the spices to deteriorate.  Spices need to be kept in air-tight containers, in a cool, dark place in your kitchen.

Kinds of Spices and Their Uses

Allspice: Flavor resembles a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

• Whole:  pickling, simmering meats and fish.
• Ground:  cakes, puddings, relishes, fruit preserves.

Anise: Licorice flavor

• Coffee cakes, sweet rolls, cookies, candies, sweet pickles.

Basil:

• Dried leaves are used in rich soups, stews and tomato sauces.

Bay Leaves:

• Pickling, stews, spiced vinegars, soups, boiled fish, fish chowder, any tomato mixture, pot roasts.

Caraway Seed:

• Rye bread, sauerkraut, new cabbage, pork, liver, kidneys, canapé spreads.

Cardamon Seed:

• Danish pastry, bun breads, coffee cakes, sliced oranges, grape jelly, cookies.

Cassia / Cinnamon:

• Whole:  pickling, preserving, puddings, stewed fruit, beverages.
• Ground: baked goods, mincemeat.

Cassia Buds: Pickling.

Cayenne:

• Meats, fish, sauces, egg dishes, cheese dishes, stews, dry and wet rubs, marinades.

Celery Salt:

• fish, boiled or fried eggs, potato salad, salad dressings, tomato and kraut juices, bouillon.

Celery Seed:

• fish, potato salad, tomato dishes, canapé spreads, pickling, salad dressings, stews, hamburgers.

Chili Peppers:

• Whole: pickling
• Broken: with soup, stews, salsas, dry and wet rubs, marinades.

Chili Powder:

• Chili con carne and other Mexican dishes, shellfish, cocktail sauces, boiled or scrambled eggs, gravy and stew seasoning, canned corn.

Cloves:

• Whole:  roast pork or ham, pickling of fruits, spiced sweet sirups.
• Ground: baked goods, puddings, potato soup, borsch, stews.

Coriander:

• Whole:  mixed pickles, apple pie, pea soup, gingerbread, cookies, cakes, biscuits, poultry stuffing, mixed green salads.
• Ground:  in sausages, buns, on fresh pork, to flavor gin.

Curry Powder:

• Curry sauce, meat, fish, eggs, chicken, cream soup, tomato soup, French dressing, chicken soup, clam and fish chowder.

Dill Seed:

• Pickling, sauerkraut, salads, soups, fish and meat sauces, gravies, spiced vinegars, green apple pie

Fennel: Resembles anise in flavor.

• Boiled fish, pastries, apple pie, sweet pickles, candies.

Fines Herbes:

• Stews, soups, meat and fish stuffings, garnishing, omelets, fish sources, grilled meat, broth.
  • To make:  Chop separately 1/2 onion, 2 scallions, 2 sprigs parsley, 1/2 small leek, 1 tablespoon leaf marjoram.

Ginger:

• Root:  chutneys, conserves, pickling, stewed dried fruits, applesauce.
• Ground:  cakes, puddings, pies, cookies, canned fruits.

Mace:

• Blades:  fish sauces, pickling, preserving, stewed cherries, fruit jellies, gingerbread, biscuits for serving with fruit salads.
• Ground:  pound cakes and all yellow cakes, chocolate dishes, oyster stew.

Marjoram:

• Lamb, stews, soups, sausages, poultry seasonings.

Mixed Whole Spice:

• Pickling and preserving meats, vegetables, relishes, etc.; stews and gravies, coiled beets and cabbage.

Mustard, dry:

• Meats, sauces, gravies.

Nutmeg:

• Baked goods, sauces, puddings, vegetables.

Orégano:

• Soups, stews, tomato sauces, chicken, pork, ground beef, Mexican dishes, Mediterranean dishes, Italian dishes.

Paprika:

• Shellfish, fish, salad dressings, garnish, dry and wet rubs, marinades, in chorizo, chili, stews.

Pepper (Black and White):

• Whole: pickling, soups, broths, meats.

Poultry Seasoning:

• A prepared mixture of herbs and spices for poultry, meat and fish stuffings.

Rosemary:

• Preserves, sweet pickles, jams, sweet bland sauces, pork, chicken, garbanzo beans, soups.

Sage:

• Meat stuffings, head cheese, pork products, especially sausage.

Turmeric: A root of the ginger family generally used with mustard.

• Pickles, meats, eggs.

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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.

.

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

.

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.

.

NEXT CAME DRYING THE ROSEMARY

Fresh Rosemary

.

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.

.

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!

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WHAT IS GARLIC?
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), which also includes leeks, onions, and shallots. It is a perennial with an underground bulb (head) composed of pungent bulblets commonly called cloves. Approximately 90 percent of the garlic grown in the United States is grown in California. California Early and California Late are the two major commercial varieties. California Early has white skins and is planted in December for harvest in July and August. The largest garlic variety, Elephant Garlic, has a very mild-flavored clove and is a close relative of the leek.

The pungent flavor of garlic is caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when the garlic cells are broken. The flavor is most intense shortly after cutting or chopping. This chemical reaction cannot occur after garlic is cooked, which is why roasted garlic is sweet rather than pungent.

BOTULISM WARNING
Regardless of its flavor potency, garlic is a low-acid vegetable. The pH of a clove of garlic typically ranges from 5.3 to 6.3. As with all low-acid vegetables, garlic will support the growth and subsequent toxin production of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum when given the right conditions. These conditions include improper home canning and improper preparation and storage of fresh herb and garlic-in-oil mixtures. Moisture, room temperature, lack of oxygen, and low-acid conditions all favor the growth of Clostridium botulinum. When growing, this bacterium produces an extremely potent toxin that causes the illness botulism. If untreated, death can result within a few days of consuming the toxic food.

HARVESTING GARLIC
If you grow your own garlic, it is important to let it mature after harvest. Spread the harvested garlic heads or bulbs on newspapers or wire racks out of direct sunlight in a well-ventilated place to cure for 2 to 3 weeks or until skins are papery.

STORING GARLIC
Commercially, garlic is stored near 32 degrees F. However, most home refrigerators are too warm for ideal long-term storage of garlic. Instead, store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place in well-ventilated containers such as mesh bags. Storage life is 3 to 5 months under cool (60 degree F) dry, dark conditions.

PEELING GARLIC CLOVES
Peeling whole cloves requires that the papery skin be removed without cutting into the clove. If the garlic is going to be chopped or sliced., the skin can be removed by pressing the clove with the flat side of a knife until the clove and skin crack. The skin can then be easily removed.

ROASTING GARLIC
Roasted garlic, which has become popular in recent years, is sweet to the taste and is delicious on bread or crackers as an appetizer or served as a vegetable side dish. To prepare roasted garlic, leave the head whole and cut off the tip of the head, exposing the cloves. Allow one-half to one head per person. Put the head (or heads) in a baking dish or wrap them in aluminum foil, sprinkle with olive oil or pat with butter, and season with a little salt and pepper and some fresh or dried thyme if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F until very soft and tender (about 45 minutes to 1 hour). The roasted garlic cloves can be easily squeezed from their skins and spread with a knife.

FREEZING GARLIC
Garlic can be frozen in a number of ways.
1. Chop the garlic, wrap it tightly in a plastic freezer bag or in plastic wrap, and freeze. To use, grate or break off the amount needed.
2. Freeze the garlic unpeeled and remove cloves as needed.
3. Peel the cloves and puree them with oil in a blender or food processor using 2 parts oil to 1 part garlic. The puree will stay soft enough in the freezer to scrape out parts to use in sautéing. Freeze this mixture immediately - do not store it at room temperature. The combination of the low-acid garlic, the exclusion of air (by mixing with oil), and room-temperature storage can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum.

DRYING GARLIC
Dry only fresh, firm garlic cloves with no bruises. To prepare, separate and peel the cloves. Cut in half lengthwise. No additional predrying treatment is necessary. Dry at 140 degrees for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 130 degrees until completely dry or crisp. If desired, garlic salt may be made from dried garlic. Powder dried garlic by processing in a blender or food processor until fine. Add 4 parts salt to 1 part garlic powder and blend 1 to 2 seconds. If blended longer, the salt will become too fine and cake together in clumps.

STORING GARLIC IN WINE OR VINEGAR
Peeled cloves may be submerged in wine or vinegar and stored in the refrigerator. A dry white or red wine is suggested; white or wine vinegars also work well. The garlic/liquid should be kept for about 4 months in the refrigerator. Discard both the cloves and the liquid if there are signs of mold or yeast growth on the surface of the wine or vinegar. The garlic-flavored liquid and the garlic cloves may be used to flavor dishes. Do not store the garlic/liquid mixture at room temperature because it will rapidly develop mold growth.

STORING GARLIC IN OIL
Extreme care must be taken when preparing flavored oils with garlic or when storing garlic in oil. Peeled garlic cloves may be submerged in oil and stored in the freezer for several months. Do not store garlic in oil at room temperature. Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature provide perfect conditions for producing botulism toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures have been reported in North America.

By law, commercially prepared garlic in oil has been prepared using strict guidelines and must contain citric or phosphoric acid to increase the acidity. Unfortunately, there is no easy or reliable method to acidify garlic in the home. Acidifying garlic in vinegar is a lengthy and highly variable process; a whole clove of garlic covered with vinegar can take from 3 days to more than 1 week to sufficiently acidify. As an alternative, properly dried garlic cloves may be safely added to flavor oils.

_______________________________________________________

Copied and republished with written permission from Calaveras County Agriculture Extension.  Source link: http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/garlic.htm, May 6, 2009

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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

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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