There was a Lou Sassi video where he talked about grinding real leaves in a blender. I tried that the other day and after drying and sifting the result, what I got was really good. Score another one for Lou!!
Interested in this idea. How did you dry the leaves? Any concern about them decomposing over the long-term? Is the video posted on the web?
This is an interesting idea. I heard about people using real dirt for ground cover with no bacterial problems at all. They bake it for 1/2 an hour or so. Might be able to do the same with the leaves only at a lower temp. I would imagine if the leaves are dry enough, and stay that way, there would be no decomposition.
Lorne
Here is how I do it. You will need well dried leaves, a blender, a coffee can with a cotton rag over the opening held in place with a rubber band, an old cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil, a coarse strainer and containers for the final product .
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Remove the stems from well dried leaves, crush the leaves a little with your hand and put the leaves in a blender. Also remove any twigs or small stones. Cover the leaves with water, put on the lid and ‘frappe’ the mixture for about 5-8 seconds.
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Pour the mixture on the cotton cloth, let the water drain out and then squeeze out the remaining water into the coffee can.
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Spread the ground leaves on the foil covered baking sheet, put this into a 175 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes or until they are dry.
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Run the dried leaves through a coarse strainer and you will end up with two different sized textures.
I have found that oak and maple leaves work the best, probably because they are bigger, and, if different shades of dried leaves are used, the final product has some variation in the color. Also, when I grind leaves, I will generally run at least a grocery bag through and then use a couple cookie sheets to dry them out.
After I use the blender, i wash it out and run everything through the dishwasher.