The idea is to keep the plants cut back to avoid them from blooming, so besides pinching leaves for a special dish, I take the scissors and give them a top cut which produces more side growth. Do your cuttings in early morning if you want to capture the most potency.

These cuttings I put into a large (18") shallow dish on paper towels and sun dried for three days until the moisture was out of the plants, and the leaves crumple in your hand or to touch. You will notice they change to some awful looking shades of colors, but that is normal. My Basil looked bad, but it really isn't.

Then just run them through a grinder, (mortar & pestal, Coffee grinder, Cheese grinder), put them in sealed containers, and store them in a cool place out of the sunlight. I layed down a piece of waxpaper because my cheese grinder is kinda messy, and I didn't lose any of this spicy gold. My oregano is very potent and smells delicious.

You can also freeze your fresh herb leaves. Wrap them in a paper towel, wrap the towel in aluminum foil, stick in a plastic sack. I keep my chille in the freezer as well. If you wash the leaves, pat dry on paper towels. I don't wash mine as most insects in my area can't stand the smell of the herbs and stay away from them, and I don't have the dust problem. DO NOT store FRESH herbs in plastic bags, they will mildew within 2-3 days. You can store dried herbs in plastic bags, but I think little glass containers are better. Try baby food jars.

So how much spicy gold are we talking here? Not much. Two handfulls of oregano cuttings only produced 3 oz. of dried herbs. But you can't get them any fresher or potent, so you don't need as much in cooking, and you get away from chopping up fresh leaves. So if this sounds like a lot of work to go through, just buy it already processed for you, probably cheaper and less laborous. I am doing it because I want to get to the essence in my cooking, knowing I can really take it to the raw state and turn it all into a delicious meal I created from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes below which enter at stage two - the dried stage. They come in handy and save dragging out 3-6 bottles of spices while cooking.

How to create homemade international spice blends, including herbes de Provence*, Italian seasoning, Mexican seasoning, Greek seasoning and a Caribbean rub.

herbes de Provence [EHRB duh proh-VAWN, S] An assortment of dried herbs said to reflect those most commonly used in southern France. The blend can be found packed in tiny clay crocks in the spice section of large supermarkets. The mixture commonly contains basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory and thyme. The blend can be used to season dishes of meat, poultry and vegetables.

Herbes de Provence

Though this spice blend can be found in some supermarkets, it's more fun to make your own.

Ingredients:

dried thyme
bay leaves
rosemary
summer savory
lavender
cloves
orange zest

Preparation:

Combine one part each of the above ingredients. Mix well, and store in an airtight container away from heat and light (as you should do with all spices). If you use whole spices, place these in a cheesecloth bag, tie, and simply drop into soups and stews. Remove when the recipe is done.

Another method is to grind them up using a coffee grinder. Coffee grinders are great for grinding spices. Of course it should be washed out well before using it for your coffee beans. Some people even keep a grinder specifically for grinding spices.

Be careful when removing the lid of the grinder. There is usually some residual spice dust, and it can be very irritating to the nasal passages, especially if the spice mixture has hot pepper in it.

Mexican Chili Seasonings

Chili seasoning mix is really a small recipe that includes the actual chili powder plus cumin and other flavorings. Of course it can be made as hot and as flavorful as you like.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. ground roasted chili powder (Whole dried chili peppers can be ground in a coffee grinder.)
1 Tbs. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it!)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Preparation:

Combine ingredients to taste.

Italian Seasoning

Many recipes call for "Italian seasonings," and again, this is a blend of ingredients, not just a single spice. As always, experiment and create the mixture that you like.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. dried rosemary
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 Tbs. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried sage
2 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. ground garlic

Preparation:

Crush the rosemary in a coffee grinder until fine. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend to mix.

Greek Spice Mixture

Try this mixture on chicken, fish or vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried rosemary
1 Tbs. dried dill
1 Tbs. dried mint
2 Tbs. kosher salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. ground garlic
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 bay leaves

Preparation:

Grind all ingredients well in a coffee grinder. Keep in sealed container.

Caribbean Spice Rub

Ingredients:

1/2 Tbs. cumin seeds
1/2 Tbs. black pepper
1/2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. whole cloves
3/4 tsp. hot pepper powder (red pepper, habanero pepper, etc.)

Preparation:

Combine ingredients to taste.

Notes:

• If you have a commercial spice blend that you like, try to create it by looking at the spices that are listed in the ingredients. Ingredients are usually listed in order of the amounts, starting with the greater measure. If a spicy ingredient is added, start with a small amount and gradually increase it, so as not to ruin the mixture.
  
  
• Dried and fresh herbs can be used interchangeably in most recipes, but dried herbs have a stronger taste. When substituting, remember that three units of fresh herbs equal about one unit of dried herbs.