Infused Sugars & Salts
The colder nights are upon us here in New England and it’s time to squirrel away our summer and fall bounty. Fortunately there are a whole bunch of ways to preserve and enjoy herbs for months, even years to come! Here are a few ways I’ve preserved my herbs this year:
Tincture
Infused oil
Vinegar
Dried
Used fresh in food, then frozen (herbal cookies, muffins, pesto, sauce, and so on)
Glycerite
Candy
Salts
Sugars
One of my favorite ways has been to infuse fresh or dried leaves in SUGARS and SALTS to be used later in baking, cooking, and gift giving! Lavender sugar added to lemonade? Sage salts sprinkled on a pork dinner? Peppermint sugar added to holiday cookies? Yes please! This recipe couldn’t be simpler.
Herbal Infused Sugars & Salts Recipe
Indredients
4-5 sprigs or a small handful of fresh or dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, geranium, basil, and peppermint all work well)
2 cups of sugar or salt of choice
Clean mason jar with lid for storage
Paper towels or flour sack for drying herbs
Muddler or wooden spoon for crushing
NOTE: If using dried herbs skip step 6
What to do
-
Select your lovely smelling herbs
-
Blot them with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, not necessary if using dried herbs
- Add herbs to the clean mason jar, you can either add them whole or crush/chop/muddle them to release the oils. I’ve had luck with both!
-
Add 2 cups of sugar or salt to the mason jar, covering the herbs
-
Seal with lid and store in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks
-
For the first few days you’ll need to open the jar and stir the salt or sugar to remove any clumping
-
Once the herbs have stopped clumping, replace in cool, dark space for the remaining weeks. If you decide to use dried herbs, you will be able to skip the stirring and clumping part
-
After 4 weeks the sugar or salt is ready!
Optional: If you used whole sprigs or leaves, it’s possible to remove them from the salt or sugar but not necessary
Enjoy!
