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Adding more green to your diet can be easy and tasty when you can keep your produce around a bit longer. Learn more about using salt as a preservative for your herbs and vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh chervil
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh savory
- 1 cup finely chopped celery leaves
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup finely chopped leeks or green onions
- 2 cups pickling salt
Preparation
Wash herbs and vegetables, and dry thoroughly. Chop, and combine in a bowl. Measure salt into a separate bowl.
Wash and sterilize a small stoneware crock or large glass jar. Dry thoroughly. Layer about a 1/2 inch of herb-and-vegetable mixture in the bottom of the crock or jar. Add a thick layer of salt to cover the mixture thoroughly.
Continue alternating layers of the herb-vegetable mixture and the salt, making sure to end with a layer of salt on top. Cover the crock or jar, and place in a cool, dark, dry place.
Wait one month before using so the salt can create a brine. Add brine or the brine with some of the vegetables and herbs to taste in soups, stews and meat dishes. Start out adding small amounts to a dish until you’re accustomed to its potency as a seasoning.
Using Salt to Preserve
Whether you produce your own farm’s power or simply want to lighten your carbon footprint by growing more of your own food and making fewer trips to the grocery store, here’s another food-preservation pearl of wisdom from the days before refrigeration:
Salt preserves finely chopped herbs and vegetables to make a piquant, concentrated flavoring for soups, stews and meat.
Experiment to suit your taste or to use for seasoning specific dishes, such as chicken stew, gumbo, roast beef, fish chowder, or pea or bean soup.
