[Syle]

Did a lot of looking into types of grinders today and I must agree! But I also got picky about different mortar and pestle sets, too, since some materials contain mercury and all kinds of stuff, so I decided I'll just use a spoon in a bowl for now, I think that would work, lol.

Oh, and does it help or hurt to freeze herbs? Do you know the best method of storage?

[Dynseli]

I haven't heard of them containing mercury. Something in a store, I don't expect that. If that's the case, mercury compounds are the most toxic non-radioactive materials there are.

About storage, so far, I kept it sealed. Keeping it in whole form lasts longer than ground of form, so you can grind up a few months worth at a time. You can press some of the air out before sealing it.

For extracts, I put it in a dark colored bottle, in a black sock in a drawer or other dark place.

Actually, I haven't thought about freezing herbs, but it's a good idea. As for produce, freezing it preserves vitamins so it's as fresh as when it was picked from the frozen section. Other produce gets damaged when freezing. It's a whole herb, so there's no whole structure for it to damage it from freezing. You will still have to look that up.

You don't necessarily have to grind it up, or you can use years old herbs, to get a good effect. It doesn't have to be perfectly ground, either, but more is better than not ground up at all.