How to Make Seasoned Salt

I’m guessing that most, if not all of you, have some form of seasoned salt in your pantry.  The bottle may be full, half full, or nearly empty, but I can pretty much guarantee you all the same thing.  It’s probably insipid.  Go ahead, get the bottle, sprinkle a little bit into the palm of your hand, and taste it.  Other than salt can you discern any other flavor?  No?  Well, this can mean one of two things, a) it is probably well past its prime, or, b) it never had any taste in the first place.  In order to avoid both of these things, you really need to make your own.  I did a taste test with one of my sons.  I had him first taste the major brand, ho hum, and then taste the seasoned salt that I made.  His eyes widened and he said, “That is GOOD!”  It is.  It’s good, it’s easy, it’s flavorful, and it makes such a small amount that you’ll run out before the flavor does.

The photo above gives the proportions.  Just whisk this together and store in one of the darling little spring-top jars that you’ve been collecting over the years.  Smack on a label, and you’ll be thanking me forever.  Oh, and you might want to pin this.

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Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

Growing Garlic

In the past I've written about the benefit of growing herbs, the experience of growing horseradish, and the thrill of growing vegetables and savoring that first, amazingly fresh bite, not to mention the various uses such as turning cucumbers into pickles and chilled soups.  Now I want to talk to you about garlic.  My guess is this is something you've never considered.  I hadn't thought about it much in the past either, until one day one of the garlic pods in the kitchen basket sprouted -- a very healthy sprout -- and I just couldn't bear to cut it up or throw it away.  So I marched it outside that fall afternoon and shoved it into the ground.  After that initial shoving, that is seriously all of the time I spent on it, and the last time I thought about it until shoots started coming up in the spring.  The heat killed them off and I thought that was that, until they returned with a vengeance.  Okay, I'll water them, I said to myself, and I did.  The other day the tops died back, so I thought I'd dig them up and see what was underneath. These are pretty small, but the aroma is just intoxicating. Not only that, but when I cut them, juices ran.  Juices! That's when I realized just how desiccated the pods I've been buying in the store really are. I left some pods in the ground for next year when they should gain a bit of size, and the next pod to sprout in the kitchen basket will join them. This was so easy that I just cannot  encourage you enough to give it a try.  A bit of empty space or an empty plant pot is all you need.  You have nothing to lose, and every aromatic thing to gain.

Now to find just the right recipe to do these cloves justice.

An excellent book on growing vegetables in containers (for those of you who don't have a lot of space) is this one:

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Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, This Week in My Garden, Outdoor Wednesdays and Tuesday Garden Party