I tried saving herbs in oil and when I did I got mold on the top of the oil. I tried to make sure all the basil was covered with oil, but it molded. Is there a site that explans how to make it?
Thanks
oiled herbs
Mnorberry - making herbal oils or storing herbs in oil has been a big no-no for a number of years now.
Whether you actually see mold or not, attempting to home-preserve any herb or vegetable (including garlic) in oil sets up an absolutely perfect anaerobic environment for the growth of deadly botulism. This occurs whether you refrigerate it or not, can it or not, etc.
There are a lot of stubborn folks out there who still claim they've "been doing it for years & no one ever got sick" - but remember that with botulism, you don't get a second chance.
Now you CAN make pesto (basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan cheese) & freeze that safely - but as far as just plunking fresh herbs into oil - please, please don't do it.
You can store herbs in vinegar though :)
I have a cousin that makes herbal salves. She boils the herbs down till she gets a real concentrated liquid and then strains it. To that she adds cold pressed olive oil and parafin. Of course this is for external use only so I guess its alright in oil this way.
Making herb vinegars is a great way to use them up. Just stuff a bunch into sterile bottles, fill with the vinegar of your choice, cover tightly and let them sit for about a month. Then strain out the herbs and you're ready to go. If you want to give them as gifts, put into an attractive bottle and add a few sprigs of fresh herbs, seal and tie with ribbon or raffia (or whatever) to decorate. I think the only way you can use them with oil is to chop finely, add a little oil to hold them together and then freeze in ice trays. Once frozen you can store in baggies in the freezer until you use them.
Dried herbs are best to infuse oils. I would use the oils for toiletry and soap making. I have asked about using presevatives for infusing fresh herbs. I wonder? I want to know if using gras preservatives would work. Also the use of vit e?
Rovenea
Vitamin E and Germall won't prevent botulism in oils infused with fresh herbs. I've looked into it. You can try adding ascorbic acid. This is what manufacturers do. It makes the environment so acidic that the botulism spores can't grow. Thing is that the manufacturers will not divulge how much ascorbic acid to use. You could get a pH meter (strips won't work in oil) and test it that way, but because of the hassle and danger, I infuse only dried herbs in oil. There are some good dehydrators out there now that work at lower temps and don't wreck the herbs. You do have to make sure they are good and dry, though. If you then use the Sun to help the infusion and keep them in there for a month, you get a pretty nice oil. You can also do it like they did in the Renaissance - infuse some herb and then replace it with new dried herb, doing that repeatedly until you get the concentration you want.
Thank you so much for your reply