DIY Spice + Herb Blends

Seasonings + Blends Cautions

I recommend that we each make our own herb and spice blends. This Do It Yourself (DIY) attitude can save money, provide healthier spice and herb blends, and improve the flavor of dishes you prepare. Best is if you can actually grow your own spices and herbs too.

Definitions

Canada provides a nice definition of the items this post is discussing. Spices, herbs, and seasonings are a group of culinary additives to dishes to help improve flavor, aroma, taste, and, at times, even texture.

• Spices are used to describe one or more blend of aromatic ingredients that consist of flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, bark or the nuts of a plant, such as cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cloves and nutmeg
• Herbs are the edible leaves of herbaceous plants, such as thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, mint, and chives
• Seasonings include savory ingredients not recognized as spices or herbs, such as condiments, sauces, or mixtures of several ingredients that provide a characteristic taste to a product. I bolded this section for discussion below.

Cautions

The first point of this is to say that any spice or herb product you find in stores, that contain only one item, is most likely purely that product. But, any spice or herb we buy that is a “blend,” or uses the term “seasonings” should be reviewed carefully, because they can contain all sorts of ingredients.

• AllergicLiving writes that although single spices or herbs have not been found to contain wheat, that is not the case with blends. Sometimes, in an act to reduce costs, wheat or other products are added to spices or blends.

The second point is that if you read the definition of “seasonings” carefully (the bolded item above) any spice or herb blend is considered a seasoning and thus may include any ingredient not considered a spice or herb.

• Seasonings can contain “carrier agents” such as salt, sugar, lactose, and starches, or “anti-caking agents”. Although, in countries with stricter labeling laws (EU, USA, Canada), these items should be declared on the label.
• In 2013 the GlutenFreeWatchdog reported that samples of 268 domestic and imported ground spices were collected from retailers across Canada and then tested for the presence of gluten. Twenty-four percent of the samples (63 of 268) contained detectable levels of gluten ranging from 5 parts per million (ppm) to an eye-catching 20,000 ppm.

Thus, the third point is that when you purchase spice or herb blends, you most definitely need to read the labels. Even then, you could be unknowingly buying gluten, lactose, or MSG products; all items some people have reactions to and need to avoid.

DIY Seasonings + Blends are Best

Just the Parts You Want

Making blends yourself assures you are getting the best parts of the herbs or spices, rather than the dregs (see the comparison photo at the top). I have looked carefully at some of the commercial herbs and must admit it was an eye opener, the herbs contain all parts of the herb from stalk, to twigs, to leaves. When I make my own dried herb it is made up of only the parts I want, for instance, just the leaves.

Freshest Ingredients

When you make it, you know when the whole spice was ground, or when the herb was dried, so you have a sense of how fresh the spice or herb blends are.

• SimpleBites: Products on the shelves of your average grocery chain may have been there for a year or more, and they probably sat in a warehouse up to a year before that. Since the average shelf life of ground spices maxes out around six months, chances are you’re buying stale spices.

I grind spice from seeds, so that I know it is the freshest I can get. I tend to buy seeds and whole spice from herb vendors rather than general grocery stores. Then I can be assured there are no additives, nothing but what I want in my spice.

Your Unique Blend

When I make a seasoning, like the Tex-Mex blend, I follow the basic recipes but also make little adjustments here and there to fit the food I am making or to fit my palate. Over time, I have adjusted certain blends so they are now uniquely mine.

This is one thing you can make and pass down to your family and friends that reflects your taste.

DIY Equipment

What you need are lidded glass jars for storage of your blends. Although most spice jars are clear, presumably so you can see the spice or herbs They contain. The lid is to limit the exposure to oxygen (some herbs are subject to oxidization) and other stuff in the air.

However, most herbalists say or write that we should be keeping herbs and spices in darker jars. The point is that sunlight can cause the spice or herb to deteriorate, so just keep the spices or herbs out of sunlight. Find a place in the pantry to keep your herbs so they avoid the sunlight and heat.

You need a chefs knife, planer, mortar and pestle, or coffee spice grinder to chop, pound, or grind up some of the harder ingredients in blends, such as nuts, seeds, and hard spices.

Sometimes you are asked to dry toast the spice, so a cast iron skillet is what I use; although you can use a stainless steel skillet as well.

Measuring cups and spoons, although it is not necessary to be exact. The first batch you make should follow the recipe, try the blend, and then add additional items or adjust the amounts, so you like the blend you made.

Making Infused Sugar Blends

I have added to my website a list of some of the sugar blends I use. Most of the sugars are used primarily for (my limited) baking of loaves and cookies. But I have used some of these sugars on oatmeal, in yogurt, and mixed into chopped fruit that I may use as a topping.

For instance I love our cinnamon + sugar mix, a simple combination of two ingredients. I use it in oatmeal, fruit dishes, and yogurt, and my spouse uses it to make cinnamon toast occasionally.

• Cinnamon Sugar
  • 1/2C organic cane sugar
  • ~2T ground cinnamon

Making Infused Salt Blends

Making your own salts are easy and can add some nice spice to your normal salting of foods. Starting with 1/4C of koster salt I add herbs or spices to make a mix I may want to add to various dishes.

• Cumin Salt
  • 1/4C kosher salt
  • Toast 1t cumin seeds (~1min)
  • Crush the seeds into a powder
  • Mix with salt

Making Infused Pepper Blends

The most common pepper mix that I use is a lemon-pepper mix I always make for myself.

• Lemon Pepper
  • 3T black peppercorns
  • 2T lemon zest
  • Mix both in a bowl and let the zest dry
  • Then put in a spice grinder to grind when you are ready to use.

Cuisine Specific Spice Blends

Here are some of the cuisine-specific blends I use a lot. I have linked each to a PattyCooks page with specific ingredient and directions.

• Ethiopian: Berbere Spice Blend
• Indian subcontinent‘s Curry Powder (mild and medium recipes)
• Italian Spice Mix was not really created by Italy; it was a blend created in the USA.
• Japanese Furikake Seasoning (kelp-bonito blend)
• Japanese Shichimi Togarashi (7 spice blend)
• Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian blend Ras el hanout
• Trader Joes Everything Bagel Seasoning
• USA’s Tex-Mex Spice

Below are additional spice blends I have made, but do not use often enough.

Egyptian Dukkah

I have heard people adding all sorts of nuts: walnuts, cashews, almonds and pecans. Traditionally however, it should have hazelnuts.

• Toast 1/2C coarsely chopped hazelnuts in a dry skillet, then add the sesame seeds and watch carefully since they can burn quickly. Once warmed up and toasted, put in a bowl to cool.
• Turn off the heat, but add 1T coriander seeds, and 1.5t anise seeds to toast until fragrant and then add to the same bowl.
• Once a bit cooler, grind all these nuts, seeds, and spice and then place into a lidded glass jar.
• Add ½t salt and 1/4t ground black pepper.
• Once totally cool (room temperature) put the lid on.

PattyCooks’ French Herbes de Provence Blend

This mix represents the herbs and flowers that grew naturally in Southern France. Some people expect this blend to include culinary lavender, but I cannot find any old recipe that included this flower so I think it is a modern addition. To my taste, culinary lavender taste a bit soapy, and has a strong aroma, so I do not like adding it.

• Grind 2T dried rosemary leaves and put in a lidded glass jar.
• Then add all the softer leaf herbs to the jar.
  • 1/4 cup dried thyme leaves
  • 3T dried marjoram
  • 3T dried summer savory
  • 1T dried tarragon leaves
  • 1T dried sweet basil leaves
• Then lid the jar and shake to mix well.

Greek Spice Blend

This blend smells like some of the food I have made and now wish I had this blend while making those dishes. I have seen various versions of this blend in the homes of Greek families, no doubt each unique blend has been passed down in their families.

Dried parsley is often included in this blend, but I find dried parsley lacks flavor and only adds some “green” to the blend. So I prefer to use only fresh parsley in my foods.

• Grind 1t dried rosemary leaves and 1t lemon pepper, then put in a lidded glass jar.
• Then add all the softer leaf herbs and spices to the jar.
  • 2t kosher salt 
  • 2t garlic granules  
  • 2t dried sweet basil  
  • 2t dried Greek oregano  
  • 1t ground cinnamon  
  • 1t dried dill leaves
  • 1t dried marjoram 
  • 1t dried thyme  
  • 1t dried onion flakes
  • 1/2t ground nutmeg (grate with a planer)
• Then lid the jar, and shake well to mix.

Dry Rubs for Meat + Veggies

I have posted a few ideas for dry spice rubs to add to meats, fish, tofu, and veggies: Dry Rubs for Meat + Veggies.

My Story

I grow herbs and some spices in my garden, preferring to make my own blends. Actually, I enjoy sitting outside and prepping herbs for drying and then feel a satisfaction when I can fill my empty herbs and spice jars; especially when I can share some with my friends and family.

As it is, my spouse notes I have way too many spices in my kitchen. But I argue it is because I am always working on recipes and ideas from foods all around the world. But with only us two at home, I cannot possibly cook often enough to use up all that I have within a reasonable time period. So I try to keep a bit of spice in each jar, but not too much. I try to keep on hand enough so I can get through them within a year.

My suggestion is that if you have a favorite cuisine or two, focus on those and work out your blends so that you have a good mix on hand to make the job of cooking faster and consistently tasty.

I would love if you would share your favorite blend so I could post your “family heirloom” and share it with everyone.

Happy cooking. Patty

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