Each year, we celebrate Christmas with our family, church family, friends and neighbors at our annual Christmas party. It’s a marvelous time. During this party we play a game, ‘Left-Right’. I make homemade gifts and the guests stand in a large circle. Dearest reads his choice of a ‘Left-Right’ story. The players pass the gifts left and right, left and right; sometimes left, left, left or right…well, you’ve got it. Then at the end, whoever is holding the gift keeps it.

This year one of the homemade gifts I’m making is this fragrant Herbed Salt.

I love using herbed salt while cooking. It has so many wonderful uses! My favorites are on potatoes, vegetables, chicken and fish. Having herbed salt on hand enables us to prepare delicious dishes – quickly!

You can make herbed salt two ways. First, you can make it with fresh herbs. Having an abundance of herbs in the summertime makes this possible. Some herbs you can use include:

• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Sage
• Tarragon

You’ll need about two cups of fresh herbs to 1 cup salt to make fresh-herbed- salt. I love using a Mezzaluna. It makes creating dishes a delight! I chop fresh herbs as finely as I wish then add garlic. As that begins to blend I begin to add the salt. I don’t chop at the salt that much. I then transfer the mixture to a bowl.

This fresh mixture will need to dry to store and to give away. You can either line a baking sheet with parchment and allow this to dry naturally – a few hours. Or set your oven to 180 degrees and allow to dry there – just keep an eye on it! You can use it as it is – it will last for some time in the refrigerator.

Making Herbed Salt with Dried Herbs

Today, I made herbed salt with a mixture of dried herbs. I used the Mezzaluna to chop some of the bigger herbs – such as Rosemary – this allows their fragrances to meld even more.

• Rosemary – 1/2 cup
• Sage – 1/4 cup
• Thyme – 1/4 cup
• Herbes de Provence – 1/2 cup
• chopped garlic in olive oil – 8 teaspoons
• Kosher salt – about 4 cups
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 2 Tablespoons

You want a coarse texture. I keep mine in the refrigerator just to make sure the garlic stays fresh. If I fully allowed it to dry, it could be fresh for some time. I just prefer to make sure!

You don’t need much of this mixture to add fragrant flavor to your dishes. This not only is a useful, but also a beautiful gift. I placed these in 1/2 cup canning jars with chalkboard lids – I found these at Target in the Spring.

Gift giving is a wonderful thing. We share how much those we appreciate and love mean to us. Homemade gifts reflect that care – from our hands and from our hearts.