Experienced gardener new to making homemade culinary seasonings. I dehydrated and ground up/flaked a bunch of herbs, garlic, onions, celery, horseradish, chili peppers, etc. with the intention of making my own dry seasoning shake mixes.

Now that the project is finished, a couple of questions come to mind.

Question #1: I was wondering the best way to properly store my bulk seasonings long-term so they will stay fresh, so I can restock my spice rack as needed during the year. Is vacuum sealing and then storing the sealed bags in the freezer the best method? If it is the best method, will there be a problem with moisture damage or clumping when a bag is thawed out for use?

Question #2: Is it better to dehydrate and store unground, unmixed ingredients, versus dehydrate, grind, and store unmixed ingredients, versus storing the dehydrated, ground, and mixed finished product? Do any of these methods make any difference? I am just concerned about the possibility of one ingredient (garlic for example) overpowering the other ingredients of a mix during storage.

Question #3: How do dry seasonings "spoil"? How do I know when they are no good anymore? What is the life expectancy of homemade seasonings with no preservatives? Can they go rancid or does flavor simply diminish, or other?

Question #4: As a general rule I minimize the use of salt, but I wouldn't mind having one seasoning mix that includes some salt (and black pepper - kind of a "one shaker does all" kind of mix). Are there any issues regarding storing seasoning mixed with sodium? Maybe it would be best to just add it when resupplying my spice rack?

Any info or advice would be much appreciated.

Happy Holidays,
-Tom

#1 - If you have the freezer space, it's best to store there. It will prolong the life of your herbs. However, it isn't necessary. If they are dried sufficiently, they are shelf stable and that's the purpose for many of us, to keep them out of the freezer and use that space of other things.

#2 - You will always get the freshest flavor by grinding immediately prior to use. In practical application, I would make your mixes in amounts that you can use up in 1-3 months. It's much more efficient use of your time. In that short time, I wouldn't worry about one flavor taking over. Adjust as needed if you find this happens.

#3 - Dry seasonings that aren't sufficiently dry can mold. You'll know!!! Smell them. Otherwise, they just gradually lose potentcy over time. IF they contain oils, I suppose you might get some rancidity, but normally just a musty, dry, smell that is far removed from the original.

#4 - No issues that I know of storing/mixing herbs with salt. It is used (unfortunately) as the base for many store-bought seasonings. I usually just add it during cooking so I can adjust for other things in the dish (i.e. broth, ham, bacon, butter, etc.) that might already be salty.

Sounds like much tasty experimenting to happen at your house! Enjoy.

Deanna