Infuse Part I: Culinary Oils

I have so many ideas for things to share here that I’ve been overwhelmed with where and how to start. Brain gridlock you could say. So I figured I’d start with something simple that also has the potential to become as complex and involved as you personally want to make it. But even this “simple” idea has so many facets that I’ve decided to break it into a series of shorter, more manageable posts.

When you look up the word ‘infuse’ in the good ‘ol Webster there are, as always, several definitions. But my favorite one of the moment is:

            “fill, as with a certain quality…”

This wording, to me, embodies both the literal aspect of infusing as well as the more poetic or metaphorical meanings. You can infuse someone with a thought or an idea, you can infuse a room with scent, or a liquid with a flavor or a medicine… how beautiful.

So let’s start with infusing some delicious oils – a lovely skill to have that will yield something special to add to your culinary repertoire. There are so many possibilities here that will give you a lovely finished product for much cheaper than anything similar at the store. You can add any number of things to olive oil: garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, peppercorns, chilies, rosemary… get creative!

Step 1: Gather your ingredients.

You can use fresh or dried plant material, but unless you plan to use the oil right away you should always use dried herbs and spices. The reason for this is that fresh herbs still have water in them which is a route for contamination and spoilage in your oil. The only exception I make to this rule is garlic because it is so antimicrobial and antibacterial on it’s own that, personally, I think it’s safe (you may find debate about this in other writings, so ultimately you’ll have to decide for yourself. If you’re worried about it you can just put the oil in the refrigerator. Yes, it will solidify, but your risk for botulism will disappear, and you can use solid olive oil like butter!)

Step 2: Infuse.

Place your herb or herbs of choice in a mason jar or nice oil bottle and allow it to sit on the counter for 2-6 weeks (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be and how patient you are!). Shake daily. I like to leave my herbs whole or mostly whole with this method because it’s really pretty.

OR

Grind your herb into a powder in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle (if you don’t have either of these you can simply break it up with your hands a bit), put the powder in a mason jar, Pyrex measuring cup, or double boiler and cover the herbs with oil. You can also use a crock pot by placing your mason jar in water inside the crock pot.  A good ratio for this is around one part herb by weight to 5-10 parts oil by volume (e.g. 1 ounce dried rosemary per 10 ounces of olive oil). Heat until the water is almost to a boil but not quite (this is to make sure that no water bubbles up into your oil), and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Infuse for around 4 hours, stirring frequently.

OR

Use the sun! Pour the oil over your herbs in a mason jar and seal tightly. Place the jar somewhere it will get 3-4 hours of sun a day and leave for 2-3 weeks, shaking daily. You can either leave your herbs whole or grind them up for this method.

Step 3: Strain (or not).

If you’ve heated your oil on the stove, allow it to cool a bit and the plant material to settle to the bottom. Then strain the herbs out through cheese cloth. Or, if you’ve left your herbs whole, you can leave them in there and just eat them at the end!

Happy experimenting!

There’s More Than One Way to Pinch a Penn(e)y…

My name is (wait for it…. wait for it…) that’s right! Penney! There’s that sneaky extra ‘E’ in there and all, but it’s still pretty appropriate that I’m here, don’t you think? Of course, the reason I’m here has nothing whatsoever to do with my name. I’m here to add my own thoughts and ramblings to this theme of affordable and sustainable living – a crucial topic for this day and age if there ever was one!

My take on all of this will be a bit different, which is the whole point of having a myriad of writers contributing – so that you, the reader, can find the tips and tricks that will resonate and truly vibe with your own life. My perspective, as you will undoubtedly come to know over time, is going to be a bit more on the radical end of the spectrum and based in a lot of DIY activities and recipes. I’m an aspiring homesteader and farmer who is currently trapped in a small urban apartment while I work myself through school for clinical herbalism and nutrition. I’m also a foodie through and through.

I believe that the most unfortunate thing about modern day society and capitalism is that it has caused us to doubt our own innate ability to take care of ourselves and, thus to forget very basic skills. Everything is so accessible nowadays in stores or on the internet, to the point that we no longer do or make for ourselves things that we always would have before (in some form or another). I find the fact that most of us cannot walk into nature and know what is safe to eat very frightening and extremely sad – and I am not exempt from this in the least. Oh I’ve taken some botany and wildcrafting classes (harvesting wild foods and medicines), and I know a little bit, but I’ve got a long way to go. And it’s an uphill battle when basic skills like this are no longer passed down through the generations. If we grew up in communities where each person showed each child every edible plant that their own friend/parent/lover had shown them, well, then it would be second nature to all of us by now.

So I’m beginning this journey with you by posing some questions. What little aspects of life (skills, products, food items) do you take for granted because they are automatically supplied by someone or something else? Can you see a way to cut out some of the “middle men” in this process and either do without or make yourself? What new skill could you learn that would boost your self-worth and remind you how powerful and capable you are? Can you differentiate clearly between want and actual need?

These are big questions with even bigger answers, and the journey to self sufficiency is long and paved with a lot of trial and error. But, if you’re anything like me (and it’s totally fine if you’re not!), then each little baby step that you make toward reclaiming power over your life is a thrill that motivates you along to the next step, and the next, and the next….

I promise I won’t be so heavy every time I post here. Mostly I think I’ll be sharing recipes, craft ideas, DIY projects, etc., but I felt I needed to preface it all with a glimpse into how my own mind works and how I view the world.

I’m so happy to be here, and thanks for reading!