Herb olive oils seem to be all the rage these days. Everywhere I turn there are gourmet shops popping up with any flavor oil your could desire. I love buying some of the adventurous flavors! The ones I own already are meyer lemon and chipotle. I’d also love to get my hands on some garlic or even truffle!
However, there are some I know I do not need to buy…the herby oils! I have everything I need to make those.
So way back in June I got to it. The herbs were growing strong and I wanted to preserve them at their peak. I plucked some basil, dill, and garlic chives.
I gave them a good wash so not to turn my oil brown. Yuck! Then I gave them a good trim into single sprigs, instead of the big bushes that I had picked! Next they were spread out onto the dehydrator trays. I stacked them up and turned it on.
In the past I used the dehydrator for fruit and it took forever to dry. Herbs were instant gratification! In a mere thirty minutes they were crispy and dry. I left them in for just a bit longer to ensure they were 100% dry. No water can be left or your oil can spoil. Rather safe than sorry!
Then I carefully slid each of the herbs into their own bottle. I love having a reason to buy new herb bottles! I’m such a sucker for little jars and bottles. Hey, at least they’re functional!
I packed lots of herbs into the bottle because I wanted the oil to be really flavorful. When I got them all in I just carefully poured olive oil in to the top.
After I capped it, the hard part began. Of course something had to be difficult, because nothing had been thus far! I had to wait. Waiting at least 2 weeks was a must, but the longer the better.
It’s officially been six weeks and the timing couldn’t have been better! Just as I’m being slammed with beautiful black cherry, pilcer vesy yellow, and beefsteak tomatoes, the basil oil is ready! A little drizzle over the tomatoes with fresh mozzarella is going to be divine!
