How to properly dry your fresh herbs

Growing your own fresh herbs is a wonderful way to save money.  But, we always end up with more than we will need for any one recipe.  Drying your herbs is a great way to use all of your herb harvest and not waste your gardening efforts.  

This process is for flat leaf or curly parsley, or cilantro.  Cilantro can be dried but doesn't retain its bite.  If you have a lot of cilantro and don't want to have to throw it out then I would dry it.  Coriander seeds are what the cilantro leaf comes from.  Ground coriander seeds are a wonderful spice to have in your repertoire for your favorite Mexican dishes rather than dried cilantro.    

 Pull the leaves off the stems and mince them well. 

 Put the minced leaves in a fine mesh strainer and run under water for 30 seconds until the water runs clear and no longer is green.  This process washes the chlorophyll off the leaves.  If you don't do this step, the leaves will turn brown and the flavor of the herb is bland and can even be bitter.

Spread the washed leaves onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Don't use paper towels because the herbs dry into the paper towels and it makes it difficult to get them off in the end. 

 

 Set the herbs out to dry for a few days and viola, freshly dried herbs!  Store in a jar with a lid or in a plastic bag.

1. Oregano can be left on the stems to dry.  Place stems on a parchment lined baking sheet and set out to dry.  Once the leaves are dry, Pull them off to store. 

2.  Rosemary should be removed from the stem before drying.  Just pull the leaves off in the opposite direction from how they grow and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry. 

3.  Basil can be dried by removing the leaves from the stems and laying them out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  This is also true for spinach. 

4.  Thyme can be dried on the stem on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Remove the leaves once they are dry.  

*All of these herbs can be dried in a dehydrator.  The heat should not exeed 100 degrees and the drying time will take about 24 hours for the large leaves and rosemary.  The smaller leaves and chopped parsley will dry quicker. 

Homemade Yogurt-finally!

Yogurt:

Making yogurt is a very simple process and you have a very versatile medium with which to create many other basic ingredients for cooking. 

Yogurt requires three things to culture.  A heat source, time, and basic ingredients.  Yogurt can be made from raw milk if you have a source.  Most of us don’t and I have found using powdered milk from the cannery a great way to rotate my stored inventory without having to drink it all. 

Equipment:

Cast Iron Dutch Oven (porcelain coated or uncoated) or other good quality heat conductive pot with a lid. 

Heating Pad, or **#10 can yogurt maker, or commercial yogurt maker. 

½ pint glass jars with lids

Large bowl with pouring spout-large 8 cup measuring bowls work great.

Whisk

Ingredients:

4 Cups water

2 Cups Non-instant Powdered Milk-it has to be non-instant or it won’t work

4 T unflavored plain yogurt to use as a start

Optional-high quality pro-biotic to add to yogurt if you don’t have a start

This makes 48oz of yogurt.

Procedure:

Prepare pot by filling it with about 5 cups hot water and placing it on the #10 can maker with the lid on.  The yogurt should be introduced into a warm environment so the temperature can be maintained from mixing to production. 

1.  Measure out the warm water – at least 100 degrees F- into the bowl.  Be careful of the temperature.  If you go over 110 degrees you will kill the start and the yogurt won't set. 

2.  Add the powdered milk and whisk until completely combined.

3.  Add the yogurt start and whisk in completely.  If you don’t have a yogurt start, use one capsule  for each T you are short (break it open and pour the contents into milk mixture; throw out the capsule).  Also, you can use just the pro-biotic if you don’t have any yogurt. 

4.  Make sure you mix well and there are no lumps. 

5.  Pour milk mixture into clean jars. 

6.  Place jars into pot with water and add more water if needed to bring the level up to the neck of the jars.  Don't put lids on the jars.  Check the temperature of the water.  You want it to register between 110-120 degrees.  If the pot is heating the water hotter, use a lower wattage light bulb. 

7.  Put the lid on the pot and let it sit for 12-14 hours. If you want yogurt that is more watery like what you buy at the store, then check it sooner than 12 hours. 

*The longer you let it sit, the creamier the yogurt will be and the less water will come off it.  You can let it go for about 16 hours before you should put it into the fridge.  If you forget about it and let it go longer, it will get weird. 

8.  After you have decided how long to let the yogurt culture, remove the jars from the pot and place lids on them.  Then put them into the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. 

9.  Once the yogurt has set, you can use the yogurt in many different ways. 

10.  The longer you leave it in the fridge, the more pronounced the flavor becomes.  

**To make your own yogurt maker at home all you need is a light socket and a #10 can.  These are the really large cans like big coffee cans or the huge cans Costco sells.  Simply punch a hole in center of the bottom of the can and install a light socket inside the can.  Put a 60 watt bulb in it and you are good to go.  Depending on the heat conductivity of the pot you use, you may need to play with the wattage on the bulb.  I started at 25 watts and ended up with the 60 working with my pot.
When you are ready to make your yogurt, plug it in and place the dutch oven on top of the can with warm water in it and the lid on.  After mixing and pouring your yogurt mixture into the jars, place them in the pot and walk away.  It is that easy!

Using Homemade Yogurt

Cream Cheese:

1.  To make cream cheese, simply take one jar of yogurt and scoop it into a double ply piece of cheesecloth. 

Pull up the edges of the cheesecloth in a bundle and tie them with some kitchen string.  Leave a loop in the string and slip it over the handle of a wooden spoon. 

Place the hanging yogurt bundle over a large water pitcher and let it sit over night. 

The water from the yogurt will drain off and the remaining product will be nonfat cream cheese! 

Use the cream cheese in recipes just like if you bought some at the store.

Don’t throw out the water that has drained off.  It is called whey and can be used in recipes too!
2.  I recently discovered another way to make the cream cheese.  You simply use 1 Cup powdered non instant milk, 1 cup whole milk, and 1 cup heavy cream.  Add the 2 TB yogurt starter and put in the jars like the yogurt.  Let sit in the yogurt maker with water up to the neck of the jars  for 12-16 hours and it will make creamy, yummy cream cheese.  This version has all the fat so if you are looking for a low or no fat option do method 1.

Buttermilk:

Buttermilk is made using 1 part yogurt to one part water.  You can also add the whey from the cream cheese as part of the water.  Make buttermilk as you need it or mix a bunch up and just leave it in the fridge.  The longer you let it sit in the fridge, the more pronounced the flavor becomes. 

Sour Cream:

Sour Cream can be achieved by leaving the yogurt in the fridge for a week or more.  The longer you let it sit the more it will take on a sour cream flavor.  It can be used in any recipe you would use sour cream.

Creme Fraiche
This is the French version of sour cream and it is wonderful!   You take 1 part yogurt and mix it in with 2 parts heavy cream.  Put it in a jar with a lid and place it in the pantry or cabinet over night-12 hours.  In the morning put it in the fridge.  You will have this creamy wonderful sour cream mixture to use in all kinds of things with amazing pro-biotic cultures from the yogurt!  It isn't as thick as the yogurt you would achieve just letting the yogurt sit, but it is amazing.