Free Composting Workshop, Sept 13

Contra Costa County is offering a free two-hour composting workshop to its residents.  All you have to do is call and reserve your spot.  Click here to view Contra Costa County's current schedule for free composting classes.

I have seen other cities/counties (e.g., Santa Clara, Solano, San Francisco, etc.),  offer similar free programs so perform a search for free composting classes in your county or check out your city's website and look under the recycling & waste department. You may even find that they offer free compost or free or discounted compost bins.

DATE	TIME	LOCATION	RESERVE SEAT BY CALLING
September 13	7 - 9 pm	Antioch	925-779-7097

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To celebrate their anniversary, Michigan Bulb is offering $1 flat rate shipping with no minimum order!  Just enter Key Code 0827194 when you check out.  Offer expires tonight (08/22/2012)!


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Make Your Own Freshly Ground Sage in Minutes

Freshly Ground Organic Sage from the Garden

Nothing beats turning high-quality, sage from the organic garden into freshly, ground sage for cooking.  The flavors and the aroma of the freshly ground sage are strong and wonderful for cooking.  I especially love using ground sage in rubs and herb-butter spreads.

If you are growing sage in the garden and own a food processor, you can easily make your own freshly ground sage spice in no time at all.  

Freshly Ground Sage

Comparative Savings Analysis

Source	Money	Time	Other Considerations
Grocery Store	~$5 + Gas	Trip to/from Grocery Store	Shelf life - Unknown* Quality - Unknown
Our Garden	~$0	Less than 5 minutes Active Time	Freshly ground Quality - Known

*Ground herbs are normally "good" for six to nine months, and when I say "good," I mean having a strong flavor and aroma. 

How to Make Freshly Ground Sage

Step 1 

Cut a bunch of stems from your sage plant and tie them into a bundle using a rubber band (See Photo Below).  Then hang the bundle upside down in a cool and dark place to allow the sage leaves to completely dry out.  How much time it will take for the leaves to dry out depends on how many stems are in a bundle, airflow, temperature and humidity.  Allow the bundle to dry until the leaves are crunchy.

Organic Sage, Dried

Step 2 

After your sage is brittle to the touch, strip the sage leaves from the stems of the plant and place the leaves into a bowl or directly into the food processor.

Organic Sage Leaves

Step 3

Place the leaves into a food processor (if you haven't already).  I am using a small Ninja food processor.

Dried Sage leaves in Ninja food processor

Step 4

Give the food processor a few pulses until the dried sage is finely ground.  Then pour the sage into your clean container.

Freshly ground organic sage

As you can see, grinding up your spices can take less than five minutes of your time, and is well worth the effort.  Not only will you be getting high, quality herbs from your organic garden, but you will also be saving money and saving yourself a trip to the grocery stores.