How to Make Herbal Oils
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
If you have a prolific herb garden, and you're looking for ways to use your harvest, you might want to consider creating your own herbal oils. Making herbal oils is one of the easiest ways to enjoy the fruits of your labor in the herb garden, and when you're done, the oil, given in a decorative bottle, is a lovely gift for a special friend or family member.
What Can You Do With Them?
You can use herbal oils in almost any recipe that calls for plain oil. The flavored varieties will add special zing to your favorite recipes, and you can use less oil in your recipes. Why? Because the oil is tastier and more flavorful, so you can use less in your cooking. This is a great thing to remember if you're dieting and trying to watch your fat intake.
Herbal Oils
Heat olive, peanut, canola, or vegetable oil gently over low heat until you can smell the scent of the oil, not too hot! It will take only a few minutes, about 3 to 5, depending on how much oil you use.
Pour the warm oil into a sterilized glass jar, to which you've added fresh herb leaves or sprigs. Use about 1 cup of oil to about 3 sprigs of your favorite herb.
When the oil cools, cover the container and store in your refrigerator. Don't use the oil for at least 2 weeks, but you can keep it up to 6 months safely in your refrigerator. You don't need to strain the oil.
For gift giving, pour the oil into an attractive sterilized bottle, and decorate it for a quick, thoughtful gift. You can use the oil to sauté food, in marinades, salad dressings, and in just about any recipe calling for plain oil.
Oil in the Refrigerator?
Although it might seem strange to store the oil in the refrigerator, please make sure you do it! There have been cases of botulism food poisoning from unrefrigerated oils. Introducing herbs into the oil, an oxygen free environment, can cause botulism spores to grow. So, ALWAYS refrigerate your oil as soon as you prepare it, and keep it there when you're not using it. TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TOO! Sterilizing your bottles carefully will also help. (See below for how to easily sterilize your glasses and bottles.)
Some Combinations for Your Oils
Nice combinations for your oils include:
- oregano, thyme, garlic, and olive oil
- dill, garlic, and sunflower or canola oil
- lemon verbena, lemon thyme, and walnut oil
- lovage, garlic, celery leaf, and olive oil
- chervil, tarragon, shallots, and peanut oil
How to Quickly Sterilize Your Bottles
Sterilizing bottles and jars doesn't have to be a time consuming chore any more. If you have a dishwasher, you can sterilize all your glassware by doing a load of dishes! If you're doing wine bottles, you may want to remove your top rack in order to fit in more bottles on the bottom rack. Many newer dishwashers will automatically hold the water until it's heated to over 120 to 140 degrees, so your dishes will be sterilized.
However, even if you don't have the "heat" or "hold" feature, it's not a problem. Set your dishwasher to dry the dishes. The heat from the dry cycle will also sterilize the bottles, making them safe to use for canning, and making your oils. So, set your dishwasher to hold or heat the water, if it has this feature, and then set it to automatic dry.
Take the bottles out when they are still hot from the dry cycle, and begin your canning, or pour in your oils. There you have it, easy and painless sterilizing!
Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor!
Your herb oils are all bottled in lovely and safe bottles. Now you're ready to give them to your friends and family. I like to tie a brightly colored ribbon around the neck, and include a gift tag, telling the flavor of the oil, and some suggestions on how to use it. These gifts are always well received at any time of the year!