I have a problem. It’s a good problem, but a problem, nevertheless. I have a garden overflowing with herbs and need ideas on how to use them. Today is another installment in a series of posts entitled. “What am I going to do with all these herbs in my garden?”
I had a ton of chives. I know, I know. You can use them on potato dishes, salads, soups, appetizers, and garnishes, but my garden has an ever-expanding supply. There are so many I started giving away plants. Then, someone asked if I could make fresh homemade chive sea salt. This stuff is amazing! It’s so flavorful you only need a pinch and so pretty when displayed. Best of all, it’s only two ingredients!
Homemade Chive Sea Salt
I tried several ways to prepare this recipe. They all worked but some were harder to prepare than others. Then, I stumbled onto an easy way to make sea salt that stays fresh and tastes good. I’ve adapted and updated the recipe to make preparation easier.
What You’ll Need:
- 1 cup sea salt
- 1/2 to 1 cup fresh chives, depending on how strong of a chive flavor you prefer
How to Dry the Chives:
The best way to make this recipe is to dry the chives first. You can do this in one of several ways; microwave drying, air drying, oven drying, or using a dehydrator. If you prefer to use a dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s usage instructions.
Microwave Drying:
This is the easiest and fastest way. Here’s how to do it:
- Remove any damaged or dried parts of the chives. Wash the chives under cool, gently-running water for 30 seconds. Pat the herbs dry with a paper towel. Tip: Make sure the herbs are completely dry before beginning.
- Place the herbs between 2 paper towels and place in the microwave at full power for 30 seconds. Turn the leaves.
- Repeat this process 2 to 4 more times, as needed, until herbs are dried. The herbs are done when they are brittle and break easily. The entire process will usually take around 2 to 10 minutes depending on the number of herbs you are drying. Allow the herbs to cool to room temperature.
- Break the herbs into pieces. You can chop or dice them if you prefer.
Oven Drying Method:
- Wash and dry herbs as described above.
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Place the dried herbs evenly across a baking sheet, making sure the herbs do not overlap.
- Bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the herbs are dry, brittle, and break easily. If this temperature is too high, as ovens cook differently, lower the temperature to 180 degrees F and cook for 2 to 3 hours.
- Allow the herbs to cool to room temperature.
Air Drying Method:
Air Drying Method 1:
This method works best in warm weather. There are two ways to do this:
- Wash and dry the herbs as directed. Spread a piece of cheesecloth on a baking sheet.
- Arrange herbs evenly over the sheet. Make sure they are not overlapping. Spread another piece of cheesecloth over the baking sheet to keep out dust.
- Place in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Turn the herbs every 12 hours. This method will take 2 to 3 days.
Air Drying Method 2:
- Wash and dry herbs as directed. Take a bundle of the herbs and tie it together with string. To keep out dust, cover the bundle with a paper bag with several holes poked in the bag to allow air inside.
- Hang the herbs upside in a cool, dark, and dry location. This method takes about 7 to 10 days.
Herb Drying Tips:
- Dried herbs will not change color.
- You can tell if herbs are dry when they make a crunchy sound when crushed, feel completely dry, and can be crushed easily.
- Chives have more moisture than some herbs and do best when using the microwave, oven, or dehydrator method of drying.
How to Make the Chive Salt:
You’ll need fresh chives and sea salt, along with waxed paper and a baking sheet to prepare this salt. Yep, that’s it! Here’s how to make it:
- Wash and dry 1/2 to 1 cup of chives. Remove any damaged or dried bits.
- Use your choice of the microwave, oven, or dehydrator oven method for drying the herbs. Once the herbs are dried, allow them to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Chop or dice the herbs into small pieces. You can also place the chives in the food processor if you prefer.
- In a large bowl, mix the chives with the sea salt until blended.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Spread the salt and herb mixture evenly across the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. This will allow any excess moisture to come out of the chives.
- Remove the salt from the oven and allow it to come to room temperature. Break up any clumps.
- Place the salt in air-tight containers. Store in a cool dark location for up to 1 year.
Printable Recipe:
Easy Homemade Chive Sea Salt Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup sea salt
1/2 to 1 cup fresh chives
Directions
- Wash and dry 1/2 to 1 cup of chives. Remove any damaged or dried bits.
Use your choice of the microwave, oven, or dehydrator oven method for drying the herbs. Once the herbs are dried, allow them to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. (See Microwave Drying Method at the bottom of the post.) - Chop or dice the herbs into small pieces. You can also place the chives in the food processor if you prefer. In a large bowl, mix the chives with the sea salt until blended.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Spread the salt and herb mixture evenly across the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. This will allow any excess moisture to come out of the chives. - Remove the salt from the oven and allow it to come to room temperature. Break up any clumps. Place the salt in air-tight containers. Store in a cool dark location for up to 1 year.
Notes
- Remove any damaged or dried parts of the chives. Wash the chives under cool, gently-running water for 30 seconds. Pat the herbs dry with a paper towel. Tip: Make sure the herbs are completely dry before beginning.
Place the herbs between 2 paper towels and place in the microwave at full power for 20 seconds. Remove from the microwave and check to see if the herbs are brittle and break easily.
Repeat this process 2 to 4 more times, as needed, until herbs are dried.
Break the herbs into pieces. You can chop or dice them if you prefer.
Do you dry fresh herbs? If so, what are your best tips? Do you make your own sea salt recipes? What are your favorite combinations?
We hope you enjoyed this recipe. We’re updating all our recipes to include more tips, more cooking hints, step-by-step instructions, and printable recipes. Be sure to stop by often to see the latest.
Oh! My! Yum!
This would be awesome for rubbing on potatoes before baking!
This sounds good. I would like to try making some of this.
The stuff you can make with herbs is amazing! I have not tried making my own herb and sea salt recipe. This one with chives would be good for seasoning pork chops!
I’ve never tried making flavored sea salt before, but it seems really easy! It would be nice to make one of these especially since we’ll be cooking a lot this Fall.
This sounds like a great easy homemade chive sea salt recipe. I would not have thought to use the chives with sea salt but it is a great idea. It would be great for soups. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This looks really neat. I never had this before but would love to make this.
Ive never made my own spices, but now i want to give it a try!
What a neat idea, I will have to give it a try. I Love the idea of using chives!
Well this looks amazing! I would love to try it on some new recipes this fall.
Oh, wow. I love that flavor. It would be really nice using this with some recipes. This is an awesome use of chives.
I’ve never thought of making it with chives – I always make it with garlic or rosemary, but somehow never chives! It sounds delicious and now I can’t stop thinking about it!
Yum, I love any kind of infused sea salt like this. I want this scattered over hot fries. Or maybe mashed potatoes. Hmm, how ’bout a baked potato…. 😉
Wow! I would totally go for this in a whole foods store as opposed to the powdered stuff. I am also thinking this would be great as a body scrub like the ones at the spa. So cool.
What a great way to use up an abundance of herbs from a garden. I bet it makes whatever you use it with taste great as well.
I’ve never tried making my own spices before! This looks great and easy to do!
Oh my gosh this looks absolutely amazing! I would love to use this in a whole bunch of recipes!! I will be making this this weekend I think.
That sounds so wonderful! I can see putting this over all kinds of potato dishes, and I’m thinking mac and cheese could use it, too!
Homemade chive sea salt sounds amazing! I love trying different salt combinations. My rosemary bush has grown so much this summer. It’s huge! I need to make some rosemary sea salt.