Ingredients
- 4.17oz lye
- 9oz herb tea (or distilled water)
- 15oz herb-infused olive oil
- 8oz coconut oil
- 2.5oz castor oil
- 4.5oz sweet almond oil
Note
Ounces are by weight, not liquid ounces. See blog post for more specific instructions and tips.
15 Ways to Use Herbs From Your Garden
DIY, Garden, Just For Fun August 21, 2021
Growing herbs is so much fun, and as long as you have the right conditions, very easy! It can be easy to plant too many or fail to use them all as they grow abundantly before they go to flower. Sure, you might love basil a whole lot, but perhaps you don’t always cook dishes that pair well with basil. It’s a very common occurrence, so that’s why we’ve put together this list of ways you can use up your extra herbs from the garden!
Vinegar Infusion
Herb-Infused Vinegar Recipe Courtesy of: https://shaneandsimple.com/herb-vinegar-how-to-make-herbal-infused-vinegar/
Ingredients
1 cup fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano)
2 garlic cloves
2 cups white wine or red wine vinegar
Instructions
Wash the herbs and then place between two paper towels and gently pat dry.
Lightly crush the herbs as this will help to release their scent and flavor. Then place them into a clean glass jar with the garlic cloves. (You do not need to sterilize the jar)
Pour vinegar over the herbs and garlic, place a piece of plastic wrap over the jar, then attach the metal lid. You do not want the vinegar coming in contact with the metal as it will react negatively with the vinegar.
Store the jar at room temperature in a dark place like your pantry or cabinet and let it sit for at least 2 weeks.
Once the taste of the vinegar is to your liking, strain the herb vinegar into a clean jar or bottle using a coffee filter or cheesecloth and throw away the used herbs. Cork or tightly cover the bottle, label, and store.
Dry Them to Store Them
The best way to store herbs is when they are absolutely and thoroughly dry. In order to do this, take the stem clippings and tie them together at the base with a rubber band. Hang them upside on a string, or store the bundle in a paper bag with holes punched in it. Do not forget to label the bag with the name of the herb and the date they were placed in the bag so you can keep track of how long they dry. When you hang the herbs upside down to air dry, you’ll want to wait 7-10 days, else you’ll risk the herbs going rancid or getting mildewy once stored.
After the drying process, you can either store the entire dried bundled in a glass jar with a lid, or you can remove the leaves from the stems, lightly crush the leaves and then store them in the glass jar. Don’t forget to label them!
Garnish for Desserts
So what herbs go great with the sweets? Lavender, dianthus, thyme, basil, rosemary, and hissop!
Inside Homemade Soaps
Herb-Infused Homemade Soap Recipe Courtesy of: https://learningandyearning.com/herb-infused-homemade-soap/
Directions
1. Decide which herb(s) you will be using and infuse it into 16 ounces of olive oil. See blog post for instructions. Strain and weigh. If it does not weigh 15 ounces, add olive oil to make up the difference. If it’s over 15 ounces, remove until you have exactly 15 ounces.
2. Using the same herb(s), make enough herbal tea that after straining weighs 9 ounces. Cool the tea to room temperature.
3. Prepare a cold water bath by filling your sink with several inches of cold water and adding ice cubes, or ice packs.
4. Carefully weigh each item to specified amount. Place the oils in a pot on stove over low heat.
5. Very slowly and carefully, add lye to herb tea, or distilled water, stirring constantly. It is best to do this in a well-ventilated area.
6. The temperature of the lye mixture will quickly rise to as high as 200°F. Place the container with the lye mixture into the cold water bath, stirring occasionally until it reaches 100°F.
7. Stir your oils over low heat monitoring the temperature. The goal is to get both your oils and your lye mixture to 100°F. Use the cold water bath to lower temperatures if needed.
8. When both the lye mixture and the oils are at 100°F, very slowly drizzle the lye mixture into the oils, stirring constantly.
9. When trace is reached, pour into molds and cover with cardboard and a blanket to hold in heat. Remove covering after 24 hours.
10. Remove your soap from your mold once it is firm, and allow to cure for 4 – 6 weeks before using.
Oil Infusions
Solar Infused Oil
Directions
It’s best to use dried herbs alongside a shelf-stable oil for this recipe. This recipe is courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs.
- Place herbs in a clean, dry quart jar. Leave at least 1 to 3 inches of open space above your herbs to cover with oil.
- Fill remaining space in jar with oil of choice, making sure to cover herbs by at least 1 inch or more. If the herbs emerge above the surface of the oil at any point while infusing, pour more oil on top to ensure the herbs remain covered.
- Cap the jar tightly and shake well.
- Place jar in a sunny, warm windowsill and shake once or more per day.
- After 2 to 3 weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth or a mesh strainer. Make sure to squeeze out as much of the precious oil as possible!
- Pour into clean glass bottles.
- Label your jars with the date, type of oil, and herbs used.
- Store in a cool, dark place. The oil may keep for up to a year. Vitamin E oil at a concentration of up to 1% may also be added to prolong shelf life for oils to be used topically.
Flavored Butter
Get 8 Herb Butter Recipes Here!
https://boulderlocavore.com/how-to-make-herb-butter/
Homemade Household Cleaners
Basic Herbal Household Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 10 drops essential oil (We prefer orange, lemon, lemongrass, or lavender)
Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle and get to cleaning!
Household Cleaner that Means Business (with Vodka)
4 oz vodka
8 oz white vinegar
4 oz lemon juice
8 drops essential oil
2-3 drop castile soap
Tip: To use your dried herbs instead of essential oils, leave your dried herbs in the vodka for a couple of weeks, strain them out and then add the infused vodka to the recipe.
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