Grinding herbs in a juicer

Most people use their juicer only for juicing. But the included homogenizing "blank" screen in the Sana 606, 707, and 727 make them very versatile tools. Instead of straining produce through a mesh, the blank screen chews and crushes whatever is put in it. It's great not only for things like nut butter, sorbet, and pasta, but actually works very well for grinding herbs.

We like to collect and dry our own herbs to make natural herbal teas, as well as salves and tinctures. Some of the plants we gather and dehydrate that we use for tea include echinacea, yarrow, comfrey, chamomile, and mint.

We use two ways of drying herbs. The easiest way is just to tie it in bunches and hang it in a cool dry place. Make sure it isn't exposed to sunlight, as that can bleach the herbs and cause them to lose some of their medicinal value. The second method is to use a food dehydrator. Set it at 35C, and arrange the herbs evenly over several trays. Check them after 4 hours, and finish when they feel crispy to the touch.

Once your herbs are dry, it's time to grind them. First insert the homogenizing screen in your Sana juicer. Then place a bowl for gathering the ground herbs under the pulp outlet. Turn on the juicer, and slowly feed the dried herbs into the feeding tube. Use the pusher if anything gets stuck. The consistency of the grind depends on the herb being processed. Some herbs will make a fine powder, while others will be more coarse. You can run the coarse grind through the juicer a second time if you prefer a finer consistency.

Store the ground herbs in a tightly sealed jar out of direct sunlight. If you don't plan to use it right away, you can keep them nuch fresher by vacuum sealing them in a bag. Ground herbs can  be poured directly into a tea bag and steeped in hot water. They can also be mixed with strong alcohol to make tinctures, or infused in olice oil and mixed with melted beeswax to make herbal salves.