I mentioned making Mint extract and was asked for my recipie, I wrote it down a few years back, and don't remember the origional souce, but it works really well.
Mint Extract:
1 Lb mint leaves (finally a use for that kitchen scale you bought last diet!)
1 qt Vodka (the cheaper stuff is ok, skip the flavored stuff, it defeats the point)
rinse your mint well (since mine come straight from the garden there's no chemical residue, but plenty of dirt, just toss in cold water, swish well and let the gunk settle). Strip the leaves from the stems, and crush them on the cutting board (I do a fast rough chop with my chef's knife, just to bruise up the leaves). Put your crushed mint into a clean 1 qt canning jar (clean not sterile) and add vodka to the bottom threads. Now take your boozy jar of mint and place in sunlight (think sun tea) and let it steep for an hour or two (or all afternoon). Bring your jar in at sunset, put in the back of the liquor cabinet, and mark the calendar for 1 month ahead.
The next month you'll unscrew the ring on the mason jar, screw on 2 layers of new cheesecloth, and strain the mix into a new clean jar (I use a 4 cup measuring cup), then funnel your new extract into clean jars, label, and store in the spice cabinet.
Vanillia extract:
Same basic proceedure, split 8 beans into a pint mason jar, top with vodka, and the rest is the same proceedure.
Citrus extracts (orange lemon lime)
Juice and zest (remove the skin but not the nasty bitter white pith) 3 fruit (I like meyer lemons, but I have a tree of them for free). Drop the zest and the juice into the quart jar (the zest/juice should take up about a 1/4th of the jar) top with vodka, and same as above.
Since extracts last almost forever, and can be used in tea and coffee as well as baking, I funnel them into cute bottle from the dollar store, and give them out as holiday presents, the coffee drinkers get beans, the tea drinkers get unflavored tea, and the kids get cookie mix and sprinkles.
Mint Extract:
1 Lb mint leaves (finally a use for that kitchen scale you bought last diet!)
1 qt Vodka (the cheaper stuff is ok, skip the flavored stuff, it defeats the point)
rinse your mint well (since mine come straight from the garden there's no chemical residue, but plenty of dirt, just toss in cold water, swish well and let the gunk settle). Strip the leaves from the stems, and crush them on the cutting board (I do a fast rough chop with my chef's knife, just to bruise up the leaves). Put your crushed mint into a clean 1 qt canning jar (clean not sterile) and add vodka to the bottom threads. Now take your boozy jar of mint and place in sunlight (think sun tea) and let it steep for an hour or two (or all afternoon). Bring your jar in at sunset, put in the back of the liquor cabinet, and mark the calendar for 1 month ahead.
The next month you'll unscrew the ring on the mason jar, screw on 2 layers of new cheesecloth, and strain the mix into a new clean jar (I use a 4 cup measuring cup), then funnel your new extract into clean jars, label, and store in the spice cabinet.
Vanillia extract:
Same basic proceedure, split 8 beans into a pint mason jar, top with vodka, and the rest is the same proceedure.
Citrus extracts (orange lemon lime)
Juice and zest (remove the skin but not the nasty bitter white pith) 3 fruit (I like meyer lemons, but I have a tree of them for free). Drop the zest and the juice into the quart jar (the zest/juice should take up about a 1/4th of the jar) top with vodka, and same as above.
Since extracts last almost forever, and can be used in tea and coffee as well as baking, I funnel them into cute bottle from the dollar store, and give them out as holiday presents, the coffee drinkers get beans, the tea drinkers get unflavored tea, and the kids get cookie mix and sprinkles.
