Actual costs: Italian seasoning, $0.41; Peppermint leaf, $0.56; Basil leaf, $0.38; Spearmint leaf, $0.21; Paprika, $0.99. Total spent, $2.55.
As a gardener, I’m getting used to growing herbs and I have to admit I’m still not sure of the ideal ways to harvest and store them. Mostly on an experimental basis (which is an ongoing thing when you garden anyway) last fall, I cut a parsley plant off at the base, tied some twine around it and hung it upsidedown in an area that gets plenty of ventilation and warm air from a furnace vent. I left it there several weeks until the leaves were crispy-dry, stripped the leaves from the stems and stored the parsley in glass jars.
Wow. That was almost too easy! But it’s pretty much the technique described in all the books, uses no additional energy (like a food dryer would) and they taste great. Now I just have to hit the books and find out when the ideal harvest time is for each herb that I grow.
In the meantime, I buy my herbs and spices and I wanted to share a secret with you. Don’t buy them in the grocery store. Get thee to your locally owned health-food store (though not the kind that caters exclusively to the body-building crowd and not the chain ones like Whole Foods) and find the bulk bins. The prices you find will amaze you.
Yesterday, I picked up some herbs at my local health food emporium and then, while on a visit to my local MalWart (looking for a replacement cordless phone battery – but that’s another story) I wrote down some prices for the same things in the pretty little bottles put out by McCormick. Here’s a nifty chart I made to give you some idea of the unbelievable price differences.
As you can see, the McCormick prices are all over the map and all are considerably higher than the bulk items. Sure, when you buy the big name stuff you’re also getting the cute bottle but that’s a lot extra to pay for such convenience. I’m sure we all have a collection of small jars stashed away that would serve the same purpose – for free. (Not to mention that reusing those jars keeps them out of the landfill almost indefinitely.)
As I’ve posted previously, you do have to be careful when you enter the wonderful world of “health food”. The store that’s most convenient for me also is the most like a grocery store, so in addition to vitamins, minerals and other supplements its shelves are loaded with organic junk food, convenience food, single use items and other decidedly unsustainable goods. But if you shop carefully and know your prices, you can find some real deals. Buying from the bulk bins is an especially great way to save. Look for bulk granola, nuts, grains, and more in the same area as the herbs and spices.
The nicest thing about buying from bulk bins is that you can get as much or as little as you want. If it’s a new flavor and you just want a tiny bit for a recipe to see if you’ll like it, that’s all you have to buy. If it’s an item you use regularly, well then, fill up the bag. You don’t have some mega-corp telling you how much you have to buy, whether you think you’ll use it all or not.
So the next time you’re out and about, be sure and visit your nearest locally-owned health food store. Find the bulk bins and see what treasures they offer. Fill up some little bags (or bring your own containers if they’re willing to weigh them before you fill), support a local business, save money and – for good measure – bypass the corporatocracy yet again.
