For many of us, we want to be independent and have control over what we eat. This desire leads us to hunt, fish and garden — all activities that can be sustainable and environmentally friendly. But have you ever thought about making your own seasoning mixes? Seasoning mixes and spices are used in a wide variety of delicious, everyday recipes. Most of us don’t think twice about picking up seasonings or spices at the grocery store, but there’s an alternative that can save you money.
Making your own homemade seasoning mixes has many advantages to store-bought packs. First of all, making your own seasonings cuts down on expenses. Certain spices are extremely expensive to buy at the grocery store. A 1-ounce container of pumpkin pie spice costs around $5.00! Making your own spices also cuts down on trips to the grocery store if you need only a little bit for a particular recipe. This can be especially helpful for moms who don’t want to go through the trouble of bringing along their kids.
In addition, making your own seasoning mixes means that you can control what ingredients are added to them. Take a look at seasoning mixes or spices at the store and you’ll see ingredients like MSG, sugar, modified food starch, gluten, and silicone dioxide. Plus, making your own spices and mixes is simple. All the tools you need are the ingredients, measuring spoons, and glass jars. Just mix the components together and store in an airtight container.
Here are some simple DIY recipes for popular seasoning mixes and spices:
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground ginger
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Taco Seasoning Mix
Ingredients:
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash cayenne
- Poultry Seasoning
Ingredients:
2 3/4 tsp. rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Chili Powder
Ingredients:
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
- Allspice
Mix equal parts of:
nutmeg
cinnamon
cloves
Overall, it pays to make your own seasonings and spices. You can control what you put in there, and it saves you time and money from not having to pick them up from the grocery store. Seasonings and spices also last a long time so they are a good addition to any prepper’s storage or emergency supply. Try it for yourself!