AFC DRY SEED BOUILLON

AFC DRY SEED BOUILLON 

Get out your coffee grinder and clean it up – no coffee grounds visible in the well, not even one. We’re going to grind and pulverize some seeds, then make a mix out of it, to use in a variety of  applications – for home or restaurant.

Makes approx. 8-1/2 cups

A blender or food processor won’t work to evenly pulverize the seeds. Some seeds are tough nuts to crack, but even the softer seeds need a hard grind to create the natural fluffy texture that results from such a grind. Sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds will delight you with their grind texture. And you haven’t experienced the joy of a fine grind black peppercorn till you’ve ground your own – absent the pepper mill. Be careful; it will make you sneeze if you get too close.

Coffee grinders are inexpensive, so even if you don’t grind your own coffee, use it as a seed grinder. Buy one. If you like it, buy another as back up. We too often leave the grinder running to the point of overheating, then it shuts down – more than likely forever. So grind intermittently, giving the unit a rest between grinds. It’s a little machine doing a hard to do job.

In my grinder, I grind 1/4 -1/2 cup seeds at a time, leaving enough head space for the swelling of the seed. Some seeds swell more than others when ground. It’s okay to slap and/or shake the unit – not too rough and never when you’re mad. And it’s recommended that halfway through the grind you scrape the packed well beneath the blades up into the rest of the swell to evenly distribute before you continue the grind.

You ready?

GRIND EACH SEED SEPARATELY. I DO ONLY THE SEEDS, NOT THE SPICES.

---

2 c. raw pumpkin seed, processed in coffee grinder till evenly pulverized and fluffy

2 c. unsweetened coconut shreds, processed till fluffy

1/2 c. raw white sesame seed, processed till fluffy

1/2 c. raw hemp seed, processed till fluffy

1/2 c. raw flax seed, processed till fine

1/2 c. ground coriander seed, processed till fine

1 T. finely ground fennel seed – put 1/4 c. fennel seed in well of coffee grinder and process till fine; reserve leftover in covered container for other uses

3 T. smoked paprika

2 T. Hatch Chile (ground chilies)

1 T. powdered ginger

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. turmeric

1 T. cinnamon

2 t. ground allspice

1 t. pink Himalayan salt

1 T. Celtic salt

1 t. processed ground black pepper –  put 1/4 c. peppercorns in well, then grind till pulverized, pack up remainder in closed plastic container for other use

Place all ground ingredients in extra-large bowl or pot. Using clean, gloved hands, or clean hands, mix and stir for a few minutes to be sure all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout mix.

Do not use partially dried hands, or gloves that have droplets of liquid from the counter on the outside of them. We want no liquid in the mix. We don’t want any bacteria or mold growing on the mix. In fact, clean the counter of all unrelated stuff before you begin. Think ‘factory requirements’ when you make this mix. This isn’t a “slam bam thank you pan” kind of operation.

The best way to store these seeds is in the freezer, in individual covered cups, to use as needed. For some reason the seed crumbs stay separate while frozen, making it easy to use. Freezing also helps to break down the cellular structure, which makes them soften better in a cooked liquid.

Now if you prefer to refrigerate them, that’s okay too. I freeze some, refrigerate some and keep some at room temperature. I do this to test all three storage methods to find the one that will always produce the same results. Steve says he read someplace that ground flax seed needed to be refrigerated. Everybody says their stuff needs to be refrigerated. Ground coffee too, according to some coffee experts. I don’t have a big enough refrigerator to refrigerate everything. But to make him happy, I’ll refrigerate a portion of it.

When ready to use, take the amount you’ll be using in a recipe and regrind that portion to produce a finer grind. Or not. You decide. It all depends on the quality of your grinder.

---

USES OF AFC DRY SEED BOUILLON

1 – Steve has already sprinkled a tablespoon of this mix on his salad before applying the dressing and liked it. So, one of the uses is as a salad topper, or a salad tosser (toss a little with the salad before applying the dressing – you don’t need much).

2- SOUP. Check out this BIRD SOUP?. The AFC DRY SEED BOUILLON is all it needs for seasoning – besides salt and pepper.

---

---

---

---

---