DIY FLAVORING AT HOME

MMaking your own extracts is extremely easy and highly economical, and they make a great gift from the kitchen. Simply put the extracts in some pretty little bottles and tie nice labels on them.

HOMEMADE MINT EXTRACT

Many people have heard of making your own vanilla extract, but making herbal extracts like mint are just as easy. A few years ago, I planted two tiny chocolate mint plants in the corner of my flower bed, next to the front porch. Now there is so much, I have to thin it out every year, or it will suffocate all of my other plants.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup firmly-packed fresh mint leaves, like peppermint, spearmint or chocolate mint • About 1 3/4 cup vodka

SUPPLIES

• pickle packer – or a wood dowel, or handle of a wooden spoon • a pint jar with lid • cheesecloth or muslin • storage bottles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the fresh mint with cold water to remove any dirt. 2. Remove the leaves, discarding any dry or yellowed leaves and the stems, keeping the fresh green leaves.

You will need a packed-full cup of leaves. Pack it down like you would brown sugar. 3. Place the cup of mint into a pint jar. 4. Use a “pickle packer,” a dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon to mash the leaves. This releases the oils and helps make them more readily available to steep in the liquid. This is also called bruising or muddling the leaves. You could also simply crush the leaves in your hands a bit before adding them to the pint jar. 5. Pour in 1 1/2 to 2 cups of vodka – enough to fill the jar. 6. Close the jar and give it a shake. 7. Label the jar with the contents and date you started the extract. Place it in a cool, dark cabinet.

Now you wait. Each day, give the jar a shake. It’s OK if you forget now and again, but to help you remember, place it in a cabinet you open all the time. Wait one to two months. The longer you let it go, the more flavorful the extract will be.

After you have waited for what seems like forever, strain the contents of the jar through some cheesecloth or muslin. Discard the old leaves and keep the liquid.

Pour the mint extract into jars, preferably ones with amber glass to block light and preserve flavor. Your homemade mint extract is ready for your recipes!

Coffee extract is a flavoring used in recipes, similarly to vanilla extract. It has great flavor but unfortunately is difficult to find in most stores. So, you can just make your own.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups vodka • 1 cup whole, good quality coffee or espresso beans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the coffee beans and vodka in a glass container – a bottle or jar. 2. Close the container and set it in a cupboard for one month.

Each day, give the jar or bottle a quick shake to stir it up. 3. After the extract has brewed and the vodka has taken on the beautiful coffee flavor, strain the liquid and discard the beans. 4. Store the extract in a cool, dark place and use in recipes as you like.

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