Herb Ideas - Make Your Own Herbed Salt in Decorative Bottles

Whether using fresh grown herbs or store-bought, this delicious herbed salt will be a great addition to any pantry. Feel free to adjust the amounts of the herbs used or experiment with different herbs to suit your personal taste.

To start, gather the ingredients and utensils you will need. The herbs you will need are rosemary, tarragon, oregano, basil, garlic, chives, thyme, dill, and paprika. Amounts will be discussed in a moment. You will also need ½ cup of sea salt. Utensils needed are clean, dry jars or bottles with lids, corks, or stoppers to seal, a large cookie sheet, and a mortar and pestle or blender.

If using fresh, organically grown herbs you will need ½ cup of each herb listed. If you're using processed, store-bought herbs you will need 8 tablespoons of each herb. Paprika is an optional ingredient, but it adds a lovely touch of color to your finished product. I recommend using it if you have some available. Do not wash the herbs unless it is for some reason necessary. Any excess moisture will cause your herbed salt to clump.

Mix your herbs together with the sea salt. Once they are well mixed, you may need to mince the herbs and salt together. You can use your mortar and pestle or a blender to do this.

After your herbs and salt are well blended, spread the mixture on a large cookie sheet. Place in a 200-degree oven for about 45 minutes (using fresh herbs) or until your herbed salt is very dry. You should stir the mixture around frequently as it dries. Break apart any clumps that may form while drying. Remember, you want it dried, not baked.

Let your dried herb mixture cool. When ready, pour your herbed salt into a glass jar or bottle. If your container's mouth is narrow, you may want to use a funnel for easier pouring. Seal the container with a lid, cork, or stopper. Your homemade herbed salt is ready!

If you will be giving the herbed salts as a gift you may choose to but special containers or decorate the containers. Add a handmade label or gift tag with the date made and ingredients used. Wrap the lid or stopper with raffia or ribbon. Use raffia or ribbon to secure your tag as well. Get creative and you will find all sorts or decorative touches you could add sure to please any recipient.