This was the salt that I used to season my “epic” (to pinch a Daniel Churchill term) Crisp(ier) Sweet Potato Fries the other day. The lovely, subtle rosemary taste/aroma makes this salt a versatile pantry staple or, prettily packaged in cute glass containers, an ideal party favour/hostess gift/homemade Christmas gift; an aromatic salt that can be used for sea salt bath soaks as well as culinary purposes.
In fact, I gifted the very containers you see in the photographs here to girlfriends who joined me for a Thanksgiving-themed, IQS-style brunch on Saturday.
I am rather taken with rosemary right now (as I am with cinnamon, clove, orange zest and other flavours/scents that I associate with this season). Rosemary essential oil is purported to have invigorating, energising and stimulating properties, all of which I can do with massive doses right now as we fast approach the darkest day of the year. At the moment I am using Faith in Nature’s Rosemary Shampoo (which is certified vegan, organic and cruelty-free). I happen to love the product (and the company), but perhaps I am subconsciously hoping it will improve my energy levels too!
Aside from tasting and smelling rather wonderful, rosemary’s health benefits seem to be many and varied. A recent study of plant-based anti-inflammatories has shown that rosemary significantly inhibits the inflammatory responses in the body. It contains high levels of calcium, iron, and vitamin B6 and is a powerful antioxidant.
ROSEMARY-INFUSED SEA SALT
Makes 125g
INGREDIENTS
125 g sea salt (I used Falksalt)
A few large stems of fresh rosemary (I used 5 whole stems) plus smaller sprigs for decoration
DIRECTIONS
- In a large pan over medium heat, combine salt and rosemary and warm through for around 10 minutes. Allow salt to cool uncovered in pan then cover with lid and stand for 24 hours.
- Discard the rosemary from the salt mix. Fill attractive airtight glass containers with infused salt, adding a fresh sprig of rosemary before sealing.
*Recipe adapted from this one by Martha Stewart.
I love little Homepage Elements like they gerast stuff
Hi Meeta! I think autocorrect may have been at work here… but thank you for stopping by! xxx
What a wonderful gift! I never thought of infusing salt, only olive oil. Is there any other herbs that would be appropriate?
Hi lovely! Thank you! The stronger, aromatic herbs such as sage, thyme and oregano might also work… haven’t tried them yet, but will when we start up our urban herb garden again 🙂 xxx
Reblogged this on Start to be Healthy Now and commented:
What a lovely gift idea for any time of the year, or just for yourself to enjoy!
Very kind, Tanya 🙂 xx
They look so pretty!!!!
Thank you, lovely! 🙂 x
Amazing idea – I have a ‘community’ rosemary bush behind my house so this has been added to my list. You should consider using Himalyan pink salt – it would look even prettier in those glass jars and the health benefits are huge – it being the purest salt on the planet…..
Thank you so much! Great tip too! I will try that some time 🙂 xxx
Lovely. I can smell it!
Thank you Mimi! The aroma is really lovely, I think 🙂 xx
Sounds lovely, and I have so much fresh rosemary at the moment. Must try.
Thank you so much! I hope you will like it too! Very easy to do and a good way to use up surplus herbs 🙂 xx
Great idea!! I bet it smells fantastic!!
Thank you, Julie! It does smell good… it has more of a rosemary aroma than taste, the way I made it… but the aroma itself is so appealing 🙂 xx
I have just entered the panicking-about-christmas-present-zone. So this is a fabulous post to read – what a brilliant idea!
Thank you, lovely! Wishing you the best with the Christmas lead-up! I love it, but it does get SO hectic and a little stressy at times!! xx
What a great idea…I will be doing this!!! And maybe you will create printable tags like last year I’ll be good to go! Saved my day…seriously!
I will go and create some just for you and share them soon! <3 to you and yours x
Oh thank you! <3
Great idea, thank you so much! I’ll definitely try this one 🙂
Thank you, Dina! Very kind! I hope you like this! x
What fun Marisa! We have rosemary in the side yard– I’m going to give this a try! thanks!
I love this season and its many specials smells and spices….:) I’ve never made Rosemary salt but it’s been on my to do list to start making special salt flavors so this is as good a time as any to start! Gonna try this!
Love this!
Thanks for the recipe! Are there any issues with putting the fresh spring into the finished container? Do you think it will spoil and ruin the salt? I’m going to make them as favors for my soon-to-be sister-in-law’s bridal shower and I don’t want it to jeopardize the quality. Thanks!
Hi Beata! As salt preserves, it should be ok- at least for a time. If you are going to put the favors together not too far in advance, you should be good to go. Alternatively, if you infuse the salt, pop it in jars and tie a fresh sprig of rosemary to the outside of the jar on the day (or day before) gifting, you wont have any potential issues 🙂 Could that work? It would still look very pretty and carry a nice scent 🙂
Great thanks for your help! I ended up infusing the salt and then ground up the rosemary and added it to it as well. It turned out really well!
Oh, that’s wonderful! Thank you for letting me know, Beata! Best wishes
Hi lovely! Would you like some printable gift tags to go with your creations? I have some ready to go if I can have an email address… otherwise I can upload them to my original post x