Some recipes call for you to ground your spices and that is usually done with a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, there are a few household items you can use instead.

Try using a cutting board and a rolling pin by placing the whole spice between parchment paper. Hit the rolling pin against the board then roll it over to grind the spices further.

You can also use the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a wine bottle to crush the spices. Roll the bottle over the spices gently to crush them up more.

If none of these are an option, a blender or a type of grinder works fine, but make sure to consider the volume. After grinding these spices, they will last years.