Squirrels and Basil Oil

Squirrels, I'm sure, have a unique purpose on Earth.  If you're someone who enjoys the benefits of an herb garden or some potted plants on the patio, then you probably believe that their solitary role in this world is to ensure that you never enjoy the fruits of your labor.  

For the first two months of spring and summer I enjoyed watering, weeding, and generally fusing over the basil, mint, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary in the garden and in pots around the deck.  The kids got so excited to see little seedlings sprout from the dirt.  They were learning priceless lessons of the effort required to get food to the table.  One of those lessons was realizing that to grow your own food, you have to be smarter than the creatures that would destroy what you have painstakingly grown.  Thank you squirrels for unwittingly offering to teach that lesson to my kids. 

The fear of losing all of my herbs to these fluffy-tailed tree rats provoked me to pluck every last basil leaf I could find from the garden.  With a pile of what represented hours of planting and weeding and watering now wilting away on the center island of the kitchen the question was, what can I do with all this basil?  One can only eat so much caprese salad and pesto.  The best answer I could come up with was basil oil. 

Making flavored oils is the perfect way to preserve the flavor of any of your favorite herbs and infuse that flavor into any dish you desire.  It's a great substitute for a sauce on vegetables or meat, and the oils add depth to soups and sauces.  The uses are endless. 

If you didn't plant basil, now is the time to buy it.  At any of the St. Paul Farmers' Markets around town vendors are selling huge bunches for about $1.  In the winter that amount costs about $10.  Now is the time buy it!

I'd like to thank Alison Ebright at http://gimmesomeoven.com for the above photo. 

Here's how to make Basil Oil, or any herb oil you desire, just substitute the herbs.

Ingredients:

5-6 cup basil leaves give or take

16 oz of neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil

You'll need a slotted spoon for removing the basil from the boiling water, an Ice bath which is just a big bowl of water and ice to refresh/shock the basil, and a towel to squeeze out any excess water from the basil.  You'll also need a canning jar or some other glass container with a tight fitting lid.

 The Method:

1. Bring about a gallon of water to a boil
2. Prepare the ice bath while the water comes to a boil
3. When the water begins to boil add the basil
4. Cook for about 30 to 45 seconds until the basil turns bright green
5. Remove the basil with the slotted spoon and immediately refresh or shock in the ice bath to stop the cooking, keeping the leaves bright green
6. Put the leaves on the towel and squeeze out as much water as you can
7. Put the basil in the glass jar and add the oil
8. Let this mixture sit for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, the longer the better.  From time to time give the jar a shake.
9. Strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer, If you don't have a fine mesh strainer use coffee filters in the strainer you have.
10. Store in the refrigerator or use it within a week or so