What to do with your bountiful herb harvest? Why not make some great tasting herbal oils. They are easy to make and add deliciousness to sauces, dressings, vegetables and salads.
You can mix a blend of herbs to create new flavors which will compliment your food.
Some herbs to grow to use in oil are basil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, tarragon, thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary. These herbs are easy to grow and like the same growing conditions, hot & sunny in a well drained position, with regular watering and harvesting. Basil and coriander will also grow well in a pot on a sunny windowsill.
To be safe store your herb and oil combinations in the fridge, or you can freeze them in small quantities for use in the winter. Chop about 1 1/2 cups of fresh herbs finely and add about 4-6 tablespoons of your favorite oil. Mix well and place into small plastic bags to freeze. Make sure you label and date the bags and when you need to use the oils just take from the freezer and thaw at room temperature. How easy is that.
If you want to use your oil straight away, just heat the oil in a small saucepan and add your favorite chopped herbs and other seasonings. To bottle your herbal oils make sure the bottles or jars are sterilized and the herbs are washed and dried thoroughly.
There are a lot of different oils to use so choose one to suit your purpose extra-virgin olive oil goes well with Italian style herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary.
If you like a lot of Asian style foods use a peanut or safflower oil as it is lighter and better to use. Tarragon and chervil can benefit from preservation in lighter oil.
Adding lemon verbena or lemon thyme to a walnut oil tastes great on a green leafy salad.
When using these oils you only need to use a little bit as the flavor intensifies in every bite.
Source by Cathy Brewer
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