My garden didn't yield as many dried herbs this year as usual: the very harsh winter and my garden relocation took a heavy toll on my herbs. And so the other week, when I finally stripped the branches off the herbs that had been slowly air-drying since I cut them just before they flowered back in June, I was sad to realize that I only had about a quarter of the dry herbs that I usually have. Far too little to divide and share with my family, as I normally do.
So I decided to make my own herbal sea salt, and put it in special little jars: the jars I engraved the other day (here). They will make some nice, aromatic, handmade gifts, with the added advantage that the preservative properties of salt will keep the dry herbs fresh and fragrant for a good long time.
Here's how I made my own Herbal Sea Salt (for just the list of ingredients, you can scroll down to the bottom of this post):
Over the years, I've experimented with air-drying all the herbs I grow, until I eventually narrowed down the selection of the ones I like best when dried. I tried mixing them in different amounts, and came up with my favorite blend, which I add to a variety of different dishes like fish and meat dishes, winter soups, polenta, pasta sauces, garlic bread (we love garlic bread!) and many more.
I use:
1 cup dry rosemary
½ cup dry sage
1 tbs dry oregano
1 tsp dry summer savory
½ tsp dry marjoram
½ tsp dry thyme
Put your dry herbs in a mixer or food processor, and grind them up to a coarse mixture.
Note: you can adjust this mixure to suit your personal tastes and uses. You can try adding dry garlic, onions, pepper and lemon rind, which add real character, but to my taste make the blend a bit less versatile. Herbs really are a matter of taste, and tastes change. For example, I find that I'm using less and less thyme, fresh or dried, nowadays. There are also some herbs that I like only fresh, like basil, parsley and chives, and herbs that I only like in certain dishes, like bay leaves. And then there are herbs that I prefer to use in my wardrobes rather than in my food, like lavender.
Add 2½ cups fine natural sea salt to the herbal blend, and grind together for about a minute. Here's what your herbal sea salt will look like:
The first time I made herbal sea salt, I let the food processor run for many minutes until got a fine, almost powdery blend which I found hard to use. Now I make my blend coarser, and just give the jar a good shake now and then to keep it well mixed.
You're all done! Just find some nice jars with tight-fitting lids to store your herbal sea salt and the aromas of summer.
FuoriBorgo's Herbal Sea Salt
2½ cups fine natural sea salt
1 cup dry rosemary
½ cup dry sage
1 tbs dry oregano
1 tsp dry summer savory
½ tsp dry marjoram
½ tsp dry thyme
In an electric mixer or food processor, grind the dry herbs together to produce a coarse mixture. Add the sea salt, and grind for about a minute.
Keep in an air-tight container.
