It's nearing the end of the growing season here in Oslo which means it's use-it-or-lose-it for the remaining herbs in our garden. So over the last few weeks we've been infusing various oils with all sorts of things. The process itself is very simple:
1. Pick whole springs of garden herbs (or buy them at a store). As a general rule herbs are at their peak right before they flower. After they flower, they are still edible just less flavorful.
2. Wash herbs thoroughly with water and dry either on paper towels or with a salad spinner. Make sure they are completely dry.
3. Fill up a clean vessel with the dry springs and pour in a carrier oil of your choice. We mostly used rapeseed oil for its mild flavor and versatility.
4. Let your vessel sit in a sunny window for up to three weeks, letting the oil inside the herbs impart themselves into the carrier oil.
5. After your oil is the desired color and taste, carefully strain it through a fine sieve into a clean storage vessel. It should keep for at least three months kept in a cool and dry pantry.
So far we have made (left to right) mint, pumpkin flower (with a pinch of saffron), and oregano:
The oregano oil we have been using in almost any dish where fresh oregano is called for. I've also found the pumpkin flower oil is amazing when used to make popcorn. It gives the popcorn this rich, buttery taste with just a hint of the fresh blossoms. I've also been topping various homemade soups with fresh squash and pumpkin flowers (they just keep coming up) fried with garlic in the concentrated oil.
Note: both when cooking and preserving these types of blossoms in oil, remember to remove the yellow stamen / pistil and any green sepals. And while the stems are rather delicious cooked, I didn't use them when making my oil.
Bonus: you can also preserve different herbs in honey for a virtually infinite shelf life. We tried this with the mint and it was so delicious we are now making our second batch. For the honey, we only used the leaves and saved the springs for fresh mint tea.
2. Wash herbs thoroughly with water and dry either on paper towels or with a salad spinner. Make sure they are completely dry.
3. Fill up a clean vessel with the dry springs and pour in a carrier oil of your choice. We mostly used rapeseed oil for its mild flavor and versatility.
4. Let your vessel sit in a sunny window for up to three weeks, letting the oil inside the herbs impart themselves into the carrier oil.
5. After your oil is the desired color and taste, carefully strain it through a fine sieve into a clean storage vessel. It should keep for at least three months kept in a cool and dry pantry.
So far we have made (left to right) mint, pumpkin flower (with a pinch of saffron), and oregano:
Bonus: you can also preserve different herbs in honey for a virtually infinite shelf life. We tried this with the mint and it was so delicious we are now making our second batch. For the honey, we only used the leaves and saved the springs for fresh mint tea.
That essay is a good read. Thanks! These specific bottles are Japanese whiskey bottles: "Nikka from the barrel".
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