Never let it be said that I don’t take my pie seriously. Pie, like most of the food I make, I like to make from scratch. Call me a slow foodie, call me obsessive compulsive, just don’t call me late for pie! So here, days before Thanksgiving, I start my meal preparations not with brining a turkey (a practice I frown upon, btw), but with the most basic of ingredients for that most essential of dishes: the pumpkin pie spices, (1) cinnamon, (2) ginger, (3) nutmeg, and (4) allspice.

But is grinding your own spices actually better? With all the spices save ginger, you’re likely starting with a dry product. Most foods, when allowed to dry, lose a good portion of their aromatic, volatile compounds. This effect is much less pronounced with nearly all spices, or people would never use dry spices to begin with. So what’s the primary difference between whole and pre-ground spices if both are already dry? Oxidation! Ground spices will lose some of their potency simply by being ground and exposed to the air, whereas whole spices still have loads of un-oxidized material in their cores.

So grinding spices is the way to go, but I don’t have to do this by hand, do I? No, you can use a spice grinder, either electric (a coffee grinder dedicated to the purpose, perhaps) or an old, manual spice mill. I’ve found in the past that using an electric coffee grinder can sometimes create a maelstrom of flying peppercorns (or allspice) rather than actually grinding them, so experiment to find something that works for you. The harder spices (cassia cinnamon, nutmeg) would need to be broken up (by a hammer or a meat tenderizer) before being tossed into a grinder. The ginger can be put through a food processor (after you peel it).

However, the tools I like to use are pretty basic. (1) A mortar and pestle (marble or stone; wood just isn’t hard enough… ahem), (2) a punched-metal grater (with those pushed up little metal teeth, good and grate-y), (3) a Microplane grater, and (4) a square of cheese cloth. The 5th tool you’ll need is a can of elbow grease. I prefer Pappy Johnson’s Old-Timey Joint Oil, but really, any brand will do. We’ll talk about each of the tools as we take a tour through the spices…

The cinnamon I use is the cassia variety (which is not considered “true” cinnamon) because it’s more pungent. I’m working with 6 inch sticks because they’re easier to hold on to. You’ll need to use the punched-metal grater for this because the cassia variety is a lot harder than true cinnamon, and the harder spices will just destroy a Microplane. Settle in for a holiday Twilight Zone marathon while you do this, because it will take you a while to work up a significant quantity (holiday hyperbole!).

You’ll need the same punched-metal grater for the nutmeg. Your nose, while roused by the cinnamon, will really wake up for this one. The nutmeg isn’t as hard as the cinnamon, so the grater should make short work of each nut. Do watch your fingers as you get down to the end, unless of course you’re making mincemeat pie.

Allspice is the easiest of the four. Take some of the dried berries (fruit, technically), throw them in the mortar, and start pestling away. For anyone who hasn’t ground hard spices in a mortar: yes, you will be grinding away at it for what will seem like a small ice age, but rest assured you will finish before New Year’s.

I use the Microplane for the ginger to get a very puréed texture, but I could just as easily have used a food processor. Because ginger is the only “wet” spice you’ll be working with, grating it will go very swiftly. However, because it’s fresh, you will end up with a very wet mash. If you’re preparing these spices for immediate introduction into a pumpkin pie recipe, you can use the ginger mash as is, or…

You can work the ginger a little further to produce different textures and preparations. Starting with the raw ginger (1), you can grate or purée it to produce a ginger mash (2). Using your cheese cloth, you can take the mash and squeeze out most of the ginger juice (3; useful in making drinks, btw), then use the ginger pulp (4) to put in your pie. If you’re preparing your pumpkin spice mixture in a large batch for storage, you’ll want to dry your pulp thoroughly (spreading it out on a cookie sheet in a low-heat oven is a good method) and then further grind it in the mortar to get dry, powdered ginger (5).

With all of your spices ground and prepared, it’s time to mix them together. The best rule of thumb I’ve found for mixing the spices (because you know I don’t do something sensible like measure or weigh them) is to mix them in equal amounts by volume, but go a little light on the ginger (strong stuff). Your only true guide is your nose. If, while you’re mixing them, you feel the urge to call your mother, you know it’s ready.

How much of your pumpkin spice mixture to use in your pie is between you, your recipe, and your mother. If my overly pedantic description of my preparations for the holy quadrinity of holiday spices has frightened you, rest easy: prepared spices are only a grocery store away.