Page 1 of 1[1]
peppermint extract
| Member | Message |
|---|---|
 |
Posted: Sep/05/2008 4:56 PM PST
does anyone know the best way to make peppermint extract from fresh. i have a huge plant and would like to preserve most of it before the snow flies! |
 |
Posted: Sep/06/2008 8:28 AM PST
Getting the oils from herbs is quite a process. It's not as easy as it sounds. It would take quite a bit of mint to get the essential oil if that's what you mean by extract. If you want to make something simple like a mint tea, then you just dry the leaves for that. |
 |
Posted: Sep/06/2008 8:47 AM PST
I'm assuming you mean the peppermint extract used in cooking. All you have to do is put four 4" sprigs into an airtight container (not plastic) per 1/2 cup vodka, and let it sit for a month. I did this and I used a mason jar. Just so you know, you'll have to double the amount you use in a recipe because they don't sell the equipment used to concentrate it anymore due to Meth labs. |
|
|
Posted: Sep/08/2008 3:48 AM PST
thank you for the info. Does the vodka affect the taste? I wanted to make my own extract to use in candy around the hoildays. I have 2 huge plants of spearmint and pepperment. the spearmint I am making jelly for everyone in the family. would you also know if I dry it in a dehyderator will it lose its strengh? |
|
|
Posted: Sep/08/2008 3:37 PM PST
Vodka doesn't affect the taste. I don't know if you realize this, but whenever you're baking and you run out of Vanilla, you can substitute whatever hard liquor you have on hand (rum or brandy works the best). I've dried some mint already and it's just like any dried herb vs. fresh. You end up using twice as much plant, but it's so shrunk down from being dried that you use half as much per volume. When I dried mine, I just hung it upside down in my kitchen and it worked really well. If you don't want to wait I guess the dehydrator is a good option. I prefer using it dried for tea. If you're thinking of drying it before you make the peppermint extract, try to keep it fresh because the extract is taking the oils out of the leaves and putting them in the vodka, and there is more oil in a fresh leaf than a dry leaf. |
 |
Posted: Sep/10/2008 4:30 PM PST
How do you get the essential oils from herbs? |
|
|
Posted: Sep/12/2008 12:35 PM PST
I only know of two ways to do it: let vodka, vinnegar, olive oil, or sunflower oil do it by letting fresh herbs sit in them for a month. I don't know how to take the essential oils out of the alcohol or the oil. |
 |
Posted: Sep/14/2008 7:04 PM PST
I have made extracts also from using vodka, i fill my glass jars completely with the fresh herbs (as opposed to using only four sprigs) though, and cover them with vodka, and i've done it with vanilla bean also...makes any excellent vanilla extract!!! |
|
|
Posted: Sep/21/2008 11:15 PM PST
Quote: Originally posted by achicade I have made extracts also from using vodka, i fill my glass jars completely with the fresh herbs (as opposed to using only four sprigs) though, and cover them with vodka, and i've done it with vanilla bean also...makes any excellent vanilla extract!!!If you use four 4" sprigs per 1/2 cup, that is a full container of fresh herbs. I didn't realize that until I actually did it. I put the original directions on here because things might turn out different if you have a different shaped container. |
Page 1 of 1[1]
Read Next Discussion
