putting food by: preserving by infusion

freestyle friday
notes from maggie's farm

Another simple way to preserve herbs, fruits, and even some veggies, is by infusion.

in·fu·sion/inˈfyo͞oZHən/

Noun:  1.  A drink or extract prepared by soaking the leaves of a plant in liquid. 2.  The process of preparing such a drink, remedy, or extract.  (Thank you, Google.)

There are a few simple guidelines when infusing foods in oils, vinegars, syrups, and liquors. And, in addition to what we've served up right here on Notes From Maggie's Farm, we've curated not just a little help from around the web.

The Olive Oil Source: Infusing Olive Oils
Chef Talk: How To Make Flavored Oils
Design Sponge: Small Measures' Infused Vinegars
Serious Eats: How to Infuse Liquor
Bon Appetite: Infuse Your Booze
Making Herb, Rose, Fruit and Herb, and Lavender-infused Simple Syrups
Notes From Maggie's Farm: Infusing Liquor

Notes From Maggie's Farm: Sweet Cherry Firecracker, Cranberry Lemon Drop, with Cranberry-Infused Vodka, Strawberry Basil Cordial, Strawberry Fields, and Apple Cranberry Shrub.
Food & Love: Cucumber-Infused Gin
Salt's Kitchen: Brandied Cherries
Gourmet Veggie Mama: Carrot Ginger Martini
From Bon Appetite, Aquavit Spritzer, Chamomile Gin Cocktail, and Jalapeno Tequila Gimlet
From Gourmet: Apricot Toddy, Sherwood Forest Cocktails, Infused Ice, and old-fashioned Cherry Bounce, and lest you think we total drunkards, Ethiopian Spice Tea

Notes From Maggie's Farm: Rosemary Orange-Infused Olive Oil
Gourmet: Annato Oil
One Green Tomato: Fruit-Infused Vinegar
Local Kitchen: Blueberry Basil Vinegar
Punk Domestics: Infused Oils
101 Cookbooks: Magic Sauce
Whole Foods: Herb-Infused Vinegars
And from Mary Makes Dinner, Lucky Oil, which is "infused with Szechuan Peppercorns, dried hot red peppers, sliced fresh ginger, and sliced fresh garlic-- 1 tablespoon of each in a cup or so of oil over low heat for about 10 minutes. Strain, then use in stir fries, dressings, and sauces."


Give you some ideas?  These are just a beginning.  The sky's the limit! With a few tips, and food safety guidelines from above, why not try a few simple infusions, yourself, this weekend? With the herbs, vegetables, and fruits brimming over the baskets at your local farmers markets, or, if you've gotten the gardening bug (and not too many bugs in your garden), you're very own abundance of healthy fruits-of-the-earth, you can line your coffers, and those of friends and family, too, with unique, made-for-you-by-you flavored oils, vinegars, syrups, and liquors of which to be bust-your-buttons proud.  And don't forget to send us the pictures!