DIY Seasoning Salt for Gifting
Well, it’s the middle of October, and I’m already seeing businesses (I’m looking at you, Costco and Dollarama) putting out their Christmas merch. I mean, it’s not even Hallowe’en yet… Sigh.
However, I do like to think in advance for Christmas, and that’s mostly because I like to do handmade food gifts for people. I usually make big batches of cookies and then put together batches of cookies to give to my friends. But sometimes I do other things, like preserves: pickles, relishes, salsas and chutneys.
One thing I’ve decided to this year is a DIY Seasoning Salt, and here’s the best part: the herbs are from my garden!
This is super easy to make, it really takes zero skill. If you haven’t grown your own herbs like me, just grab some from your local produce store or farmer’s market.
Here are some flavour combos you might want to explore, and then I give you all the directions and how-tos at the bottom:
- Parsley, oregano and basil. This would be great to go on anything Mediterranean: pasta, Greek Salad, pasta salads.
- Chives, dill and lemon zest. This would be amazing on roasted vegetables, especially potatoes, also I can see this really working on salmon (if you eat salmon), or to finish a hummus.
- Rosemary, sage and garlic. This is the one I went with, mostly because these are the herbs that I have easily available to me in my garden. You could also add or sub in thyme in there as well. What I love about these particular herbs is that they are heavier, woodier and more hearty. This DIY Seasoning Salt would be great to enhance your Thanksgiving (America, we’ve had our Thanksgiving already) or Christmas dinner, making a great addition to your stuffing or turkey. I would also sprinkle a bit on my chocolate desserts, like chocolate cookies, before popping them into the oven.
To gift these, pack them into cute little jars (I got some at the dollar store) or see-through zip top bags, and then print a cute little label to go with. If you wanted to take it one step further, I’d include some recipes that use DIY Seasoning Salt.
Last thing–salt is a big part of this, so buy a good one. Here, I’m using Vancouver Island Sea Salt. Good to note that this is more of a finishing salt, though of course you could use it as a substitute for plain salt in any recipe.
DIY Seasoning Salt
Ingredients
- 1 cup good quality sea salt I'm using Vancouver Island Sea Salt
- 1 head garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup fresh sage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Wash your herbs well and spin or pat dry.
- Strip the actual leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- In the bowl of a blender or food processor, place the herbs and the garlic, along with a 1/4 cup of the salt. Whiz everything well together until it becomes a fine, sandy consistency.
- Dump the contents out into a bowl and add the rest of the salt. Using your hands, scrunch it all together until it's well mixed.
- Spread your salt out onto a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove, stir well, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to stand until completely cooled. It should be dried enough by now that you can scoop it into individual containers.