Heavenly olive oil - The art of preservation

You can make this!

One of my favorite, newfound abilities over this past year has been the planting, care, and ensuing survival of our little vegetable and herb gardens.

Not only have I loved watching a garden thrive and survive for the first time in my life (up until now, I have always had a “brown thumb”), but I am fascinated with what can actually be done with these amazing herbs and veggies. Today I want to share with you one of the coolest, yummiest, and prettiest things that I have been able to concoct with my herbs and veggies. Preservation through olive oil…Mediterranean style.

Turns out olive oil is the perfect preserver of well, just about anything. Whoda thunk it? But unlike many other processes of preservation, olive oil preservation is simple, fast and whatever you put into it makes for a beautiful centerpiece. Makes you feel like a certified Martha Stewart!

What you need:

• Airtight jars (Ball brand jars are perfect, but any will do…feel free to re-use old spaghetti and other glass jars)
• Olive oil (I use whatever I have available, but generally recipes seem to call for extra virgin)
• Fresh herbs – Yes, you can buy them at your local farmers market or grocery store if they aren’t readily available in your garden…I wont tell)

Step 1: Add your herb to the jar, loose enough so that the olive oil can easily cover them

Step 2: Pour in olive oil, making sure to completely cover the herbs

Step 3: Let sit (the sunnier the location, the prettier it looks) for 2-4 weeks, making sure to gently shake out any air bubbles formed one every day or so. (When left, air bubble can create bacteria and render all that work inedible…but pretty!)

Step 4: Enjoy!

You can use the olive oil separately from, or with, the preserved herbs and veggies for a tasty addition to any dish calling for olive oil, pasta, salad, stir fry etc… My favorite is sprinkling a bit on bread and toasting. Soooo good.

Until now, my top concoction is mini chilli peppers and garlic. You only need a few of each to make one flavor blasting olive oil.

For those of you who don’t do spicy…basil is a very close second on my list. Just keep an extra close eye on the air bubbles as mold can grow easily on basil. I recommend eating basil within a month or two of opening the jar.

Here are a few olive oil recipes…Buon Apetito from the Mediterranean Food Preservation Society…aka Me!

* The above photo was taken from an amazing looking blog, Boston Food and Whine…I have to try this recipe!

Safra Turner-Granot is a Reiki Master and healer. She has been practicing Reiki for over 15 years and specializes in distance healing, working with children with ADHD and alleviating pain for individuals with terminal illness and for loved ones transitioning through the pre- and post- death grieving period. Safra is a lover of all things nature and is strongly connected to our natural environment. This lucky lady is married to one sexy papa and mother to one rockin' little monkey.

To learn more about Safra and her work, check out her website: Reikiblisshealing.com and follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followyourblisshealing