Guest Author - Jenn Givler

Oils that are infused with herbs make wonderful additions to recipes, or bath and body products. For example, you can infuse olive oil with basil and make a wonderful oil for dipping bread or making salad dressing. You can also infuse sweet almond oil with calendula to make a wonderful preperation for the skin.

Making an infused oil isn't difficult. It takes a little bit of time and care, but the rewards far outweigh the effort! There are two ways that you can infuse an oil. You can use heat, or do it without the heat.

Hot Infusions
Tools Needed:
Double Boiler
Cheese cloth or muslin
Large bottle

Ingredients Needed:
about 250 grams Herbs of your choice
3 cups of oil, like olive oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, or avacado oil

Place the herbs in the double boiler and cover with oil. Gently simmer mixture for about 3 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain out the herbs by pouring through the cheese cloth or muslin. Pour oil into bottle. Hot infused oil is best used when it's fresh, but it should last about a year.

Cold Infusions
Tools Needed:
Large Jar
Cheese cloth or muslin
Large bottle

Ingredients Needed:
Enough dried herbs to fill the jar
Enough oil to completely cover the herbs in the jar

Place herbs in the jar. Before you put the herbs in the jar, it is important to check to make sure they are completely dry. Any water in the herbs can make the infusion turn rancid. Pour oil over the herbs until it completely covers the herbs. Set in a sunny spot for 2 to 6 weeks. It is the heat from the sun that is going to release the plant constituents into the oil. Once the oil has had a chance to infuse, pour the mixture through the cheescloth or muslin. Pour the oil into a bottle.