Make an Herb Salt.
Last week when I was talking about bladderwrack, I mentioned that you could use it to make an herb salt. I make different flavours of herb salts and enjoy personalizing something I use every day. Don’t want herbalism to be on a pedestal. Everybody can do this to incorporate herbs into day-to-day life.
We differentiate salt by the size of the grains.
Cooking salts – fine grained salt that we use while cooking to season.
Finishing salts – larger flaked salt that dissolves on the tongue and is best suited for use at the table.
If I am wanting to add a flavour punch to a meal, I make a finishing salt. When I want to incorporate extra herbs (and phytonutrients) into my diet I make an herb salt to use while cooking.
Fresh or dried herbs can be used to make herb salt. Using fresh herbs takes longer, however, it is easy to make an herb salt with dried herbs in an afternoon.
Like so many herbal recipes when you make an herb salt it is a matter of personal taste. What do you like? I love lemon and sage together and make an herb salt with fresh sage leaves and lemon zest. Dreaming, as we roll slowly towards spring, of making an herb salt with wild bergamot leaves and nasturtium flowers. I imagine peppery goodness.
3 different herbed salts.
Make an Herb Salt with Fresh Herbs
Fines Herbes Finishing Salt
½ cup salt (choose a flaky salt)
Equal parts (1/4 cup) chopped tarragon, chives, chervil, and parsley.
These four herbs make up a traditional French herb combination. Similar to Herbes de Provence the main difference is that Fines Herbes is a classic French seasoning always made of equal parts of the four herbs. Herbes de Provence is made of 8 herbs. The blend allows regional variations. I could therefore eliminate the basil in Herbes de Provence and still call my blend Herbes de Provence. Any deviation from the 4 herbs of Fines Herbes and it is no longer Fines Herbes.
You can chop the herbs by hand or use a blender/food processor. I like to blend the herbs with half the total salt. I dump the mixture into a bowl and mix in the remaining salt. When all the ingredients are combined; I spread the blend on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Put it in the oven to dry. Use a fork to stir the herb/salt mixture several times a day to break up any clumps and ensure it dries evenly. I could turn the oven on if I wanted, however, I usually don’t. The main reason I put the cookie sheet in the oven is that I know it is dry and there are no drafts.
Make an Herb Salt with Dried Herbs.
Sea Salt*
2.5 parts fine sea salt
½ part kelp
½ part nettle seed
*Sea salt is evaporated from seawater. Table salt and other salts are mined and refined from salt deposits left by oceans and seas that no longer exist, therefore all salt is sea salt.
Nettle seeds, kelp, sea salt.
The great thing using dried herbs is that you can combine herbs that might not be available fresh all at the same time. I can harvest and dry nettle leaves in the spring and harvest nettle seeds in the fall. Combine them all in one delicious salt. I usually make herb salt with dried herbs in small amounts. Put the salt/herbs into the shaker and shake until they are mixed.
The history of salt is fascinating to me. Roman soldiers received an allowance to buy salt. This is known as the “solarium” and is the origin for our modern day English word salary. Ghandi engaged in civil disobedience with his salt march.