Friday, June 26, 2015

Basil Salt-Preserving the Harvest

My son's basil plants are very happy this year and we have a long way to go before there are garden tomatoes here in Philly. I was gifted a gorgeous bouquet and had to get creative... If you have an abundance of basil this Basil Salt was a cinch to make, turned out great and made the house smell amazing! It's fantastic on popcorn and I look forward to sprinkling it on tomatoes in the near future. 
Quick product review: While I was thrilled with the Fresh Herb Keeper from Ball and feel it's worth every penny...
Unfortunately these Dry Herb Jars with locking shaker lids are disappointing. My immediate thought was, they're only plastic, they can't keep humidity out. When I turn it upside down while closed, some of the salt dust shakes out-proving that they're not completely sealed. And as you can see from the pic, you shake from the center of the top and the lid gets covered in salt/spice/cheese-whatever's in the jar. While it pains me to post a negative review, my honest opinion is, these lids might be good for storing grated cheese in the fridge, but that's about it.

Basil Salt-from Food Network
Ratio: half basil (pack the leaves into the measuring cup) and half kosher salt-I used 1/2 C of each
  1. Add both and chop finely in food processor or food chopper.
  2. Spread out on baking sheet and dry in 225 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until dry. Stir half way through. Note: I lined my baking sheet with tin foil, it did stick a bit but was easy enough to get a little spatula under it to stir it. I figured that was better than basil flavored chocolate chip cookies:@) 
  3. Cool and run through food processor again to make a fine salt. I did dry my food chopper with a paper towel after the first processing.
  4. Store in an air tight container.
Preserve a little bit of summer and have a happy day:@)

12 comments:

  1. Lynn, I've made basil salt at the end of summer with FN's recipe, it's easy and good! We're still waiting on a good homegrown tomato but with our heat it won't be much longer. Thanks for your honest review of the dry herb jars. Enjoy your weekend :)

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  2. What a great idea! Fingers crossed I have lots of basil this summer :)

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  3. What a great idea! Fingers crossed I have lots of basil this summer :)

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  4. i love basil so i bet this would be a good topping!

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  5. Basil salt! Wonderful. My daughter has a lot of basil and I think I'll be harvesting some soon.

    Linda

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  6. Thanks for sharing. Basil salt sounds wonderful!

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  7. It's nice to know that your son got the gardening gene from you, Lynn. The basil salt sounds like a great addition to many foods, and thanks for your honest review of the shaker.
    Happy weekend!

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  9. I wish I had some pretty fresh basil, I had to buy some in one of those stupid plastic packs for a recipe I made yesterday and when I opened the package the basil was already blackish, and had flowers on it, agh! Basil salt would be just brilliant to have on hand, and I really appreciate your tips on making it and the honest review of the dry herb jar. Hope you get to try it on your 'maters soon :)
    Jenna

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  10. I just pinned a recipe for this. I always feel like I want to find ways to keep using herbs. Happy 4th of July week.

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  11. Basil salt? I am so happy!!!! I have a lot of basil I need to harvest. Thanks for the recipe! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  12. What a great idea! My basil plants are also very happy this year and I would love to try making some basil salt or even thyme salt using the same method. Thanks for the idea and the view!

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