I found a recipe for Magic Dust on one of the blogs I read – October Farm – and immediately decided that I absolutely had to make it myself.  When Memorial Day weekend came I had the perfect moment to give it a go.  I will admit that I started tweaking the recipe right from the get-go, I’m a rebel that way.  I simply added a few more spices to balance the aroma in a way I found pleasing.  I fully expect to continue to tweak it until it is something that is more mine and less hers, at which point it will find its way over to our recipe pages.  But, first I have a mason jar full of rub to use up.

What I wanted to share with you in the meantime is how magical I found the act of preparing it.

The rub itself is a blend of brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and various spices.  Most of the process was along the lines of measuring out and then dumping each ingredient into a large bowl (with the exception of grinding down the rosemary in my mortar and pestle first).  But, when the time came to incorporate everything into a homogenized rub I found that the best tool at my disposal wasn’t a spoon, or even the whisk I originally chose to do the job, but my hands.

I loved not only the tactile feel of working the ingredients, but also the opportunity it gave me to infuse them with energy.  Now, this technique can be used to imbue a custom herbal blend with energy toward a specific goal or purpose, such as healing, or protection.  Or, as I found myself doing the other day, you can simply pour your own love for your family into it.

Aside from the opportunity it gives you to weave a little more magic into your everyday life, making your own custom seasoning blends is another step toward a more frugal and more earth-centered lifestyle.

• even taking into account the cost of the individual ingredients (which served dual purpose of expanding my ever growing spice cabinet) my jar of dry-rub is cheaper than if I tried to buy it already prepared
• while the rub includes both sugar and salt in its ingredients it is easy to customize the levels of these ingredients to accommodate a special diet
• making the mix yourself eliminates your exposure to unnatural food additives in similar store-bought products such as artificial flavors, MSG, preservatives, artificial colors and chemicals intended to prevent caking
• you get to use real sugar, instead of having your mix sweetened with corn syrup solids
• you minimize your consumption of one-use packaging

I don’t use much in the way of pre-fab seasoning mixes as a rule.  But, I see myself starting to make my own after this weekend experiment.

Do you make your own rubs or seasoning blends?  Do you make them as you need them or is it something you habitually do once or twice a year to fill your pantry?

Blessings

Jia

Want to make your own seasoning blends?

Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue Sauces: 175 Make-Your-Own Sauces, Marinades, Dry Rubs, Wet Rubs, Mops, and Salsas

Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes

BBQ Sauces, Rubs & Marinades For Dummies

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