Fresh Herb Finishing Salt Recipe - Garden Therapy (2024)

Tags herbs, Month August Week 4, rosemary

An herbal finishing salt is a flavorful condiment and a creative way to preserve the freshness of the herb garden for use throughout the year. Herb finishing salt can be used to flavor fresh vegetables from the garden or garnish your other culinary creations. It is easy to make and packed with aromatherapy, making the preparation process a therapeutic journey in itself.

Fresh Herb Finishing Salt Recipe - Garden Therapy (1)

I have had a garden loaded with herbs this year! I renovated my kitchen garden last year and it has taken off like a rocket. I have giant rosemary, sage, oregano, and mint plants that refuse to be contained, a wine box herb garden,and I even planted some pretty little herbs in my table as you can see in this Deck Makeover project. I’m harvesting, preparing, and giving away a LOT of herbs to the point where my neighbors are locking their doors and closing the blinds when they see me coming with an armful of greenery!

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I’m kidding, of course.

They don’t seem to mind herb deliveries all that much. How could they? Fresh herbs smell fabulous and have such a large effect on health and well-being.

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And with so many herbs growing in the garden, a finishing salt is a great way to preserve their flavor and bring it to meals throughout the year.

I made these little jars of rosemary lime herb finishing salt for aBurpee Home Gardens dinner event that I hosted. Thankfully, I had a ton of fresh rosemary because I had to make 25 jars of herb salt. I’ve pared the recipe down to 10 jars to make it a bit more manageable here, but you can scale it up or down depending on how many jars you want to make in the end.

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Rosemary Lime Herb Finishing Salt

Makes 10 x 4oz jars

Ingredients

  • 4 cups coarse sea salt
  • 4 cups fresh rosemary leaves
  • 4 large limes

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Make it!

Harvest fresh herbs from the garden and use them for this recipe within a week. Dried herbs don’t have the essential oils and aroma that make this salt something special.

Remove the leaves from the stems of rosemary. The stems are too woody; you just want the tender green leaves for this recipe. To remove the leaves, pinch the stem at the top with your fingers and hold the top of the sprig of rosemary with your other hand. Pull down on the branch to remove the leaves.

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Add the leaves to a powerful food processor or Vitamix blender, or hand cut the herbs finely. I used the dry attachment of my Vitamix and it made quick work of chopping up the rosemary leaves. I went from almost a full blender of leaves to about two cups of chopped-up leaves in seconds.

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Add the coarse salt to the blender/food processor and pulse to grind up the salt to your desired texture. I like to have a few larger grains of salt in the mix, but at least 80% of it is fine.

Mix the leaves with the salt in a large bowl. Add the zest of four limes and stir. Leave the salt, lime, and rosemary to infuse for another week before packaging up in small terrine-lidded jars.

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Serve herb finishing salt with a tiny wooden pinch spoon because a) it’s cute and b) it keeps fingers out of the salt.

Update: I bought the adorable 1″ wood scoops for $2 each at The Soap Dispensary in Vancouver, BC. They don’t sell online yet but according to the website they have an online shop coming soon. I’ve been looking for an online source of these little scoops but the smallest I can find is these 3″ wood scoops. If I find an online source for the smaller ones, I’ll be sure to post it here.

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Use a dash of finishing salt on meat and fresh vegetables from the garden to add a little bit of extra freshness and garden flavor to every meal.

More Herb Recipes to Try:

  • Fresh Herb and Nasturtium Infused Vinegar
  • Lavender Soda + Lavender Syrup + Lavender Lemonade
  • How to Harvest and Preserve Fresh Herbs
  • 16 Recipes that Use Fresh Basil
  • Sun Tea: Two Ways, Hundreds of Possibilities!

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Comments

  1. Can these be made with other herbs? basil, oregano, mint, etc..
    Your page is so informative. Thank you!

    Reply

    • of course! Have fun with it!

      Reply

  2. Do you cover the sea salt for that week that it’s infusingin.

    Reply

    • no, because you want the moisture to evaporate.

      Reply

  3. Do u dry the her. Before mixing it ? Curious if it will mold if ground fresh ans sealed

    Reply

  4. Hi I would love to try this recipe, for the infusion with the fresh rosemary do you put the salt in a container or dry it in the oven ? just wondering about the moisture (mold?)

    Reply

    • Salt is already dry and shelf stable. So just make sure the herbs are too.

      Reply

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Fresh Herb Finishing Salt Recipe - Garden Therapy (2024)

FAQs

How long do infused salts last? ›

Like infused sugar, it can take up to a week to fully infuse your salt, but it keeps well for up to 3 months. The instructions are pretty much similar, too. To make these punchy infused salt, just start with kosher salt and a clean, completely dry airtight jar.

How do you preserve herbs with salt? ›

Remove the stems and coarsely chop the leaves. Mix in two thirds of a cup of Maldon salt flakes; you can use regular sea salt flakes as a substitute. Mix until well blended. Store in an airtight, sealed jar (mason, Weck, or any glass jar works well as long as it's airtight).

What is the best way to preserve fresh herbs? ›

Though hardier herbs can also be kept fresh with a glass of water, the best way to store them is to loosely wrap them in a damp paper towel and keep them in a tightly sealed container or reusable bag in the fridge to prevent oxygen from entering and the leaves from wilting.

What is the best salt for infusing? ›

Coarser, flakier salts are recommended because they have better texture and appearance. Kosher salt is affordable, but you can upscale with fleur de sel, sel gris, or Maldon salt. Store always in an airtight container in a dark place, and let it sit for a couple days after mixing to allow flavours to infuse.

How long will herb salt last? ›

Moreover, this essential mineral also happens to be a natural preservative, which makes your homemade flavored salt completely shelf-stable. It can live in a glass jar on your spice rack or countertop for up to six months, ready to be sprinkled over stir-fries, salads, noodles, rice, and just about anything.

How do you preserve fresh basil in salt? ›

Preserved in salt-
  1. Clean, dry, and chop fresh basil into small pieces or add to a food processor.
  2. Add one part salt to the basil, pulsing in the food processor for about 30 seconds.
  3. Store your mix in the refrigerator and remove as needed.

Do salted herbs go bad? ›

Salted vs. unsalted – Whether it's salted herbs or herb-infused salt, this mineral compound is a natural preservative and will keep your ground herbs and spices from spoiling. That being said, you may still find your seasoning loses its flavor, becoming more mild over time.

How long will basil salt last? ›

Add the salt and pulse to combine. Remove the mixture from the blender and store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

Is it better to freeze or dry fresh herbs? ›

Some herbs maintain their flavor better when frozen instead of dried. Freezing works well for herbs like parsley, dill, basil, chives lemon balm, mint or tarragon. Experiment with various herbs to determine which ones you prefer frozen. Frozen herbs can be used in the same proportion as fresh herbs.

How do you preserve fresh basil? ›

Lay the leaves in a single layer on parchment or plastic wrap. Roll up, slip the paper into a resealable freezer bag, remove excess air and freeze for up to 3 months. Use the leaves straight from frozen for any cooked dish; you can chop them first if you like.

How long can you keep fresh herbs in olive oil? ›

You can preserve them in olive oil for up to three months in your fridge, enjoying the same freshly-picked flavor. This works particularly well with basil and parsley, but try it out with chives, thyme, and your other favorite herbs.

What can I do with too much basil? ›

Too Much Basil?
  1. Dipping Oil – Chop finely and mix with other herbs such as thyme, oregano, minced garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. ...
  2. Pizza Topping – Try adding torn basil leaves as a pizza topping.
  3. Caprese Salad – Nothing says summer like a Caprese salad.
Jun 23, 2022

Do flavored salts expire? ›

While salt itself has no expiration date, salt products that contain iodine or seasonings that contain other ingredients such as spices, colors and flavors can deteriorate over time.

How long does homemade flavored salt last? ›

If dried properly, your flavored salt can be stored for up to a year. That's why it's important to bake it. When using just herbs and salt, many people skip that part. But unless you're using perfectly dried herbs, the flavored salts obtained this way don't usually last more than 3 weeks.

Do salts go bad? ›

Generally speaking, regular table salt has an indefinite shelf life, meaning it won't expire but its minerals may break down over time. This is because salt is a very stable mineral with very low water content, making it difficult for bacteria to grow.

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