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Making aromatic smells at home - Cooperativa d'oli de l'Espluga Calba

Making aromatic oils at home with extra virgin olive oil Spelunca

A walk in the countryside is always rewarding, especially in spring. There we breathe fresh air, listen to the birds, see butterflies and all kinds of wildlife, feel part of nature and admire its landscapes, discover plants that are in full season, flowering and perfuming the surroundings and it can be an excellent opportunity to collect herbs and aromatic and medicinal plants that can enrich our recipes. There are many plants that we can take advantage of to give a special touch to our dishes by preparing aromatic oils with them.

We must bear in mind to collect plants that we know for sure, far from roads, so that they are not contaminated with exhaust fumes from motor vehicles, nor near polluting factories, chemical industries, rubbish dumps or places recently treated with phytosanitary products.

In our country we have the privilege of finding a good number of botanical species with a pleasant aroma that can help us in the kitchen. Some plants are very common in our mountains and fields: thyme, rosemary and fennel, among others. Others are more difficult to find and the search for them can be an incentive in our excursions. The best time to harvest them is in the morning when the sun has dried the dew or at dusk. Above all, they should not be harvested on rainy days, as the humidity they would retain would make them not keep well, they would ferment and spoil the preparations.

Always remember to take only a few twigs from each plant, best cut with scissors to do as little damage as possible to the bushes, as if it were a light pruning, never uproot them, so they will continue to grow and not harm the environment where they are grown and will always be available in successive seasons. They can be left to dry or used directly, the process is very simple: clean the plants of yellowish leaves and any strange weeds that may accompany them and put them in glass bottles or jars, fill them with extra virgin olive oil like our Spelunca, until they are covered and about 2 cm above, let them rest in a dark and cool place. In about two weeks our aromatic oil will be ready, we can strain it or not, to each person’s taste.

Another option is to be creative and mix the herbs we have harvested with other ingredients such as garlic, chilli peppers, bay leaves, mint, dried mushrooms, oregano, sage, basil, dried tomatoes, peppers, chives, parsley, cinnamon, cumin, peppercorns, nutmeg, saffron, cloves, anise seeds, turmeric, ginger, juniper berries, lemon slices, lavender, etc. If we have a garden or balcony with pots, we can also use home-grown herbs.

Making aromatic smells at home - Cooperativa d'oli de l'Espluga Calba

There are many combinations and we must always bear in mind that the products we add should be clean and dry, as if they contain too much water they can spoil the oil.

These aromatic oils are a good help in the kitchen, they enrich our recipes with their natural essences and enhance the flavour of delicious dishes: salads, meat, fish, vegetables and stews will have our special and original touch.