A few years ago our daughter gave us a few bottles of infused olive oils. They were really beautiful.
Many of us love making and receiving a personal hand made gift. With this gift it provided me the opportunity to explore what can be used to infuse flavors into olive oil. Commercially there are many flavors of infused oils, but when it comes to home preservation of infused oils there are but a few. The process is simple and when followed correctly produces a safe and beautiful product.
Our thanks to Jim and Sue Farr for this week's article.
Garlic and Herb Infused Olive Oils
A unique Christmas gift that you can make in your Kitchen is herb infused Olive Oils. Garlic and Herb infused olives oils can be pricey to purchase but are simple to make and safe when made according to the directions in the bulletin from several University extensions by clicking on this link.
Following the instructions in the above bulletin are important as garlic and herb infused oils can grow Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for botulism, if not properly prepared. The key to safe preparation of the herb infused oils is acidification of the garlic and herbs before addition to the olive oil. If the acidification step is followed as outlined in the University Extension link above, the resulting oil will be safe for storage at room temperature.
Key points to keep in mind, and are discussed in detail in the bulletin are:
- Garlic, and the herbs rosemary, oregano and basil are the only approved flavors for infusing Olive Oils since these are the only ones tested in University Food labs to result in a safe product.
- The key to making the oil safe and free from the risk of botulism, is the acidification of thegarlic and herbs. The garlic and herbs are soaked in a 3% citric acid solution for 24 hours prior to adding to the olive oil.
- Preparation of Citric Acid Solution: Citric acid powder can be purchased from most retail outlets carrying canning supplies or easily ordered online. A 3% citric acid solution is prepared by weighting out 3 parts of citricacid powder to 97 parts water. In ounces this would be 3 oz of citric acid powder to 97 oz or ¾ gallon of water. Citric Acid solutions are very stable at room temperature and excess citric acid can be stored for future use.
Citric acid powder - Only Citric Acid approved for Acidification: Vinegar cannot be substituted for citric acid because only citric acid has been tested to be safe for the acidification step. Also, ascorbic acid (vitamin c) is not the same as citric acid and should not be substituted in the recipe.
- Acidification of Garlic: take 2/3 cup of finely chopped garlic and add to 2 cups of 3% citric acid solution. Soak for at least 24 hours and keep entirely submerged.
- Acidification of the Rosemary, Basil and Oregano: take 1.5 cups of loosely packed herbs and add to 2 cups of 3% citric acid solution. Soak for at least 24 hours and keep entirely submerged.
- Addition of Garlic and Herbs to the Olive Oil: Any commercial olive oil can be used. Ideally choose an olive oil that you prefer for taste and also meets your budget. If giving as a gift, choose freshly cleaned, decorative bottles with tight fitting screw top caps. As a starting point the acidified garlic and herbs can be added to the oil in a ratio of 1 part garlic / herbs to 10 parts oil. Allow excess liquid to drain off onto paper towels before placing in the bottle. Then add in oil up to ¼ inch headspace. Depending on taste preferences you can adjust the level up or down for stronger or weaker taste. Once added, infusion of the flavors into the oil at room temperature will take minimum of 1 day but 10+ days should be allowed to get the full flavor infused into the oil.
Storage of infused oil: the oil is stable at room temperature but will last longer if stored in the refrigerator.Once the oil is prepared in the bottles, there are many options for making it presentable as a gift such as adding ribbon and a gift bag (like the type used for wines). Be sure to label the bottle indicating that it is an olive oil, what it is infused with and date that it was prepared.