Rosemary - How to turn it into a gift?

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

There's a couple of BIG rosemary bushes near where I live, so I was wondering what I could do with it to make into edible prezzies?

Thanks! :money:

Debt_Free_Chick

Simply dry it as a herb. Probably one to add to small hamper or similar

Rosemary infused oil - but be aware of the risk of botulism

If not edible, rosemary sachets or bouquets for scenting linen drawers

stacey809

you could put it in an oil with a garlic clove and wrap it up with nice ribbons.

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

I'd love to do the oil thing, but I'm really scared of poisoning my relatives!

Is there any way I can reduce the risk?

Pink.

Hi rainbow,

You need to be careful of infusing rosemary in oil as it should only be kept in the fridge for a few days. Taken from the Food Standards Agency website:


Quote:

Is it safe to make my own flavoured oils at home using herbs?

Lots of different types of flavoured oil are available in the shops, containing garlic, peppercorns, chilli and various herbs including rosemary, oregano and bay leaves, and these often have a long shelf life. But it's not a good idea to make flavoured oils at home unless you are going to use them immediately.

This is because plants, including herbs and spices, can carry spores produced by bacteria. Occasionally, they could carry spores of a type of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism. This is a very unpleasant disease, which is rare in the UK, but can be fatal.

Clostridium botulinum multiplies in places without any oxygen, so if there are spores on plants such as herbs and garlic, putting them in oil can create the right conditions for the bacteria to multiply, particularly if the herbs are fresh or wet.

Companies that produce flavoured oils and foods preserved in oil are expected to take Clostridium botulinum into account and formulate their products to make sure that this type of bacteria doesn't multiply.

Even though recipes for flavoured oils can be found in cookery books, magazines and websites, these might not have considered the risk of botulism. So if you would like to make your own flavoured oil, the safest option is to make a small quantity and use it on the day you have made it. If you have some oil left over, put it in the fridge straight away and use it within a week. Some oils can go cloudy or become solid in the fridge, but if this happens don't be tempted to leave it at room temperature, because this might not be safe.



There's an earlier thread with lots of ideas for using rosemary that may help:

What do I do with Rosemary?

I'll add this thread to that one later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

chickaroonee

It's not quite what you're looking for, but I think rosemary looks really nice tied to other gifts. Might work if you dried it?

Gigervamp

I bought a jar of flaked sea salt with rosemary from tescos. It was just over two quid. Perhaps you could do something like that?

Grind up the rosemary and add it to sea salt.

Oh, and it's also said to be good for clearing heads, so if you know someone who drives a lot, you could make a bag to scent the car.

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

Thanks Pink, I thought that may be the case (re FSA). Dang.

I'll have a look at the other thread, thanks!

luxor4t

Make a bath soak using dried rosemary & a handful of oatmeal in a loose woven cotton bag:

http://tipnut.com/homemade-herbal-bath-bag-recipes/

Rosemary, oatmeal & lavender is magnificent!

lindadykes

Rosemary tea makes an excellent rinse for dark hair, either dry and package in gauze sachets with instructions to infuse in a pint of water, cool then use as the final rinse, or how about making a herb vinegar with the rosemary and cider vinegar and use about 2tbsp to a pint of water as a hair rinse?

Just had a thought the rosemary infused oil should be okay for external use? maybe for use as a bath oil or a hot oil hair treatment?

foxgloves

Can you get hold of any other herbs that are good for drying? i.e oregano, sage, bay, etc. If so, you could dry them and crumble them into small bags, seal them, put a recycled ribbon & pretty label on & give to a keen cook for a present. I love cooking and I'd be happy to get a little gift like that which someone had put some thought into. My sister's just given me a bag of flour she got from a windmill which grinds its own and I thought it was such a lovely present as I make lots of bread. I'd much rather have something like this than a 'made for the Christmas market' box of somthing a bit tacky.