Making Delicious Herbal Salts
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Fresh herb salts are a simple way to integrate wild foods into your kitchen and into the palate of those you love. What better way to get your family to eat wild foods than to having it on your kitchen table as a salt alternative or sprinkled on popcorn to really get their attention?
Use it with guests to share your passion for feral foods. Or make them with your garden herbs to really make a flavor splash with each meal.
Making Fresh, Wild Plant Herb Salts
Fresh Herb Salts are made with a ratio of 1 part plant to 2 parts coarse salt. I like to use a coarse sea salt, kosher salt, or even a Himalayan pink salt. I caution using a table salt as it is so fine that the herb salt is more salt than herb. Pick fresh, not dried, herbs or wild greens.
Note: If you are using table salt, use a ratio of 1 part plant material to one part salt to avoid an over salty blend.
Roughly cut the plants up and measure out 1/2 cup of plant material, packing them gently in the measuring cup. You can remove stems if necessary. Place in a food processor. Pulsate the plants until they are well chopped and ground pretty fine.
Add a cup of salt and whirl them until well combined.
Lay the salts out on a paper towel, paper plate or wax paper to air dry a bit (up to 12 hours or longer if in a humid room) before you store them away in a jar.
salts Made with Fresh nettle and kosher coarse salt. picture taken before drying.
Herbs I Use in Salts
Here are a few of my favorite wild plants for making salts in my area. You may have them outside your door or in your yard, too. The more flavourful and aromatic the plants, the more tasty the salts.
Nettle
Dandelion
Sheep Sorrel
Conifer tips
Cultivated herbs which I enjoy in herb salts are the following. Purchase at a local farmers market or store that supplies Organic herbs, or grow them yourself in your garden.
Lovage
Lavendar
Mints
Chives
Dill
Garlic
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Oregano
Basil