Herbed Oils and Vinegars

Save Fresh Herbs in Oil:

• Pick herbs, wash, pat dry, remove stalks. Chop with a knife.
• Place herbs in a clean, sterilized jar.
• Fill the jar with extra-virgin olive oil or a good canola oil/olive oil blend, so that the herbs are covered on top with a thin layer of oil.
• Cover with a lid and store in the freezer to keep through the winter.
• Pour the oil in a shallow dish with some balsamic vinegar as a dip for crusty bread, or use in pastas or salad dressings.

Herbed Vinegars

• Pick herbs, wash, pat dry, remove stalks. Chop with a knife.
• Place herbs along with the stalk in a clean jar or bottle.
• Cover with vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, or malt) Try basil with red wine vinegar, oregano or tarragon with white vinegar.
• Optional: add dried red pepper flakes, peppercorns, and/or peeled and chopped garlic cloves.
• Close the bottle. If' you've added garlic cloves, refrigerate. Otherwise store in a cool, dark cupboard. Do not expose to sunlight. 

Chili Oil

Drizzle chili oil over noodles, tofu.

• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 1/3 cup dry chili flakes

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until a wooden spoon stuck into the oil releases many bubbles (a trick to let you know the oil is hot enough).

Put chili flakes into another pot or heat-proof 2-cup container.

Pour hot oil over chili flakes, stir.

Set aside to cool for 3 hours.

Strain oil to remove the chilis.

Put strained oil into a clean container and refrigerate.

Oil will keep, refrigerated, for a few months.

Chamomile Hair Rinse for Blondes and Rosemary for Brunettes: Herbal Recipe

When my sisters and I were little, Mom sometimes brewed a chamomile rinse for our hair.

• A small handful of dried chamomile flowers (about 2-3 Tbsp)in
• a pot of 2 cups water

Bring to a boil on the stove then immediately turn down heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.

Strain the liquid through a cloth into a jug and allow water to cool.

She would put a large bowl in the kitchen sink to catch the liquid. We would stand on a chair and bend over the sink while she rinsed the liquid through our freshly-shampooed hair into the bowl--then pour it back into the jug and repeat as a final rinse.

It smelled wonderful and made our long blonde hair shiny.

Chamomile is now easily available in tea bags, you could try steeping chamomile tea bags instead and save yourself the trouble of straining the herbs through the cloth.

My mother's great-grandmother, Granny, would use a rosemary rinse on her brown hair when she was young. To make this, substitute dried rosemary for the chamomile.

Note: Chamomile tea is also a very soothing drink. My children liked to have a small cup before bed, sweetened with a little honey--and a bedtime story.