Dawn,
how do I easily translate the metric measurements into American/English measurements?

... give the figure in any one measurement and it automatically completes every other measurement. They are grouped by region and you can specify certain types of ingredient also.

http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking

... there are lots of apps out there that could be conveniently be at the touch of a button in your pocket that take the guesswork away. On the iPhone I use Kitchen Pro but I'm sure Android phones have comparable apps.

I know having an internal concept of weights and conversions is useful but these little time savers are great when you're in a pinch or your in a faff. I tend to flap a lot in the kitchen as I'm not particularly well organized.

Plus I'm in the UK and the slight difference between certain US/UK measurements versus no difference in others tends to throw me on the fly.

Can it be used as a subtitute for either chicken or beef bouillon or stock? Or is it intended to be used only as a vegetable bouillon along with the many other ideas you have provided on how to use it (which is great in and of itself!).
I love the idea of being able to store it in the freezer and spooning it out as needed.
Bernie

In many cases, it can be used as a substitute for either chicken or beef stock; however, when cooking things like braised meats you will like want the added depth of that flavor that a meaty broth or stock will provide.

One important note about this stock is that it will not produce any gelantin like a homemade meat stock will. Therefore, it will not perform (thicken) the same way when reducing etc. It is really just meant to make a flavorful water

This is where experimenting comes in. Anytime you go to add water to something, like rice for instance, you may want to think about adding a bit of the vegetable paste. Or anytime you go to add a stock, ask yourself if you could substitute it with this bouillon. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Also, keep in mind that the measurements for this recipe are just rough estimates. You can also go by the other measurements in the recipe if you like, i.e. 1 carrot, 2 celery stalks, 2 leeks. Alternatively, the links that Kevin O. provided should do the trick. Thanks Kevin :-) Cheers!

Just an idea.........I wonder if I could add ground flax seed to the mixture to boost number of ways to get omega three's into my families diet and also would the flax have a thickening effect on soups etc.? I use flax as an egg substitute..........this could be a convenient way to add body to a dish as well as the many ways you could change the bouillon to achieve different flavors.

You can certainly try adding ground flax seeds the paste. Depending on how much you add it would likely have some sort of thickening effect. I would say that you would need to just play around with it.

When I was experimenting with the different ratios of salt, I split the recipe into 4 and played around with the amounts using the small batches. That way I had enough to make a useful amount, yet I didn't have to affect the entire batch with each experiment. Hope that helps. Cheers!

This will be fun to play with.

If you want to get stuff done in the kitchen, get a scale. All the scales I can buy here in Germany have the option to switch from metric to imperial.

Or switch to metric which is the better choice anyway ;-)

I've seen recipes like this where you put the paste as a small layer on a baking sheet and dry it in the oven at low temperature for quite a long time (some suggest to put a spoon in the oven door so the moisture can get out). If you have a dehydrator that should work too.

After drying you might want to put it in the food processor again to get a nice powder that you can use as easy as the store bought stuff.

I think you can cut down the salt a lot that way too.

But all that is still on my "I have to try that... sometimes" list.

I have been trying to find a veg-bouillon recipe for long time. Can't wait to try it out..
I am just wondering if there any other vegetable that could substitute celery...any suggestion?

That's what so great about this recipe, you can leave out or add any number of vegetables to suit your tastes. With that said, if you want to simply omit the celery you can. Perhaps you might just want to up the other vegetables a bit. Alternatively, you could try adding a bit of jicama.

Here is a great site for substitutions that you may want to bookmark. Good luck with the bouillon. Cheers!

The vegetable bouillon is a grand slam. It is versitle, adds dimension and depth, it is an easy way to enhance the flavor of a dish. It makes a great dish greater.

Do these need to be just plain dried? I have some packed in oil. Would that work as well?

Either the dried (once rehydrated) or oil packed sun-dried tomatoes would work. I used the oil-packed ones myself. I just drained them of the excess oil before adding them. Cheers!

Thanks for the suggestion and the link Dawn!
I will try it out soon.

Dawn, do you have any guidelines for canning the mixture? Does it need to be heat processed -- and if so, is the mixture shelf-stable or does it need to be refrigerated?

Thanks!

Unfortunately, we haven't yet covered food safety and/or the canning process. We will be getting to this in the coming months I promise.

In the interim, here's a post with some helpful tips from Food Canada (as I noted you were from Canada). Hope you find it helpful.

http://tinyurl.com/bt4fert

Cheers, Joe.

I found that after leaving for 10 mins after made there was quite a bit of water in the paste - prob due to me not completely drying my parsley and leeks! Should I try and drain out some of this water before freezing?

The vegetables themselves due contain quite a bit of moisture but you are correct in thinking that the excess water is likely due to not drying out your herbs and leeks. As for what to do this time, I would say if there is a lot of excess water then perhaps you might strain it out. I say that as I like the paste to be drier (just the veggies and salt) that way I don't have to factor in any extra water when I am using the paste in things like rice, where the ratio of water to rice matters. But if it's just a bit of excess then don't stress over it too much. Hope that helps and makes sense. Cheers!

I tried this bouillon. It is fantastic and I have a small jar that leave in the freezer - and you're right, it does not freeze. I have tried using 1 t which I added to the cooking water when boiling rice - the result is the rice is very tasty. Also used it in pan sauces as well as in soups. Thanks for a great recipe.

So glad that you liked the recipe Sue. I know it is definitely a staple in our house. Cheers!

This is a fantastic recipe! Thank you for posting it. When I first made this, the cilantro (a flavor we like very much) seemed overpowering. However, a few days on, and the flavors had all blended in deliciously. I personally like the full salt version and am keeping it stored in the freezer. I remember reading somewhere its shelf life but my eyes aren't finding it again. What is a good length of usable time for this bouillon with salt and in the freezer? Thanks :)

Technically, frozen food can keep indefinitely; however, its quality will begin with time. With that said, this paste/bouillon should last for several months (especially due to the salt). Hope that helps. Cheers!