a salt update

On April 28th, I posted a recipe for Fresh Italian Herb Salt. In the comment section, Linda G. posed this question, “Why is there a 3-week storage time limit? Does the moisture cause it to break down?” Her inquiring lead me to test drying out the salt to find if that would make it pantry safe and extend its shelf life.

The answer is yes, you can spread the salt out on a baking sheet, leave it out in the dry summer sun for a day (longer or inside if it is humid in your area) and it will dry and be able to be kept in the pantry and not have an expiration date. In the photo below, the jar on the left is the fresh salt that needs to be refrigerated and the jar on the right is the pantry-safe dry salt.

This lovely salt is best fresh, but if you find yourself with quite a bit left as the refrigerated “use by” date is approaching, by all means, dry it out!

May the 4th be with you.