REAPING WHAT YOU SOW....

Almost mid-August time to get some things done from the garden.  Today was a lazy Sunday after a very hectic two days around here so I decided it was time to make my annual batch of David Lebovitz's "stash."  Out to the garden for some rosemary......

Then some sage - need more sage than rosemary.

All the ingredients are here sage, rosemary, fresh garlic and sea salt (David likes to use gray salt from Brittany) I had some fleur de sel on hand so that I used, have used good old Morton's kosher salt before too.

Now is the fun part - I take my herbs and garlic and sit down at my table and chop, chop, chop. I have had a mezzaluna for years and don't use it a lot but as far as I am concerned there is nothing better for chopping herbs and every time I use this implement I am so grateful that I own one even if it does look a little like a medieval weapon!

This is what it looks like when all chopped and put together.  It needs to dry for a few days before putting into a jar. After our dinner tonight I will put this in the oven with the oven light on and leave it there until completely dry (and maybe put a note on the oven that says "stash" so I don't bake it). I also need to mention that your house will smell wonderful as this dries. I feel like I know that I got the ratio of rosemary-sage-garlic correct when it just smells good, that not one of the three ingredients is prominent, it just smells like you are cooking something wonderful.

I have made this for several years because we really like to have it around.  This is what is left from the batch I made last year.

FYI, I found these new Ball jars at the grocery store, made for dried herbs and they come with a label that can be easily pulled off for the next year, which is a plus.  They are small and have this nifty shaker top.  I want to give a jar of my stash to my  neighbor so I like the fact that these are small (being selfish I guess but I only make this once a year).  You do NOT have to have an herb garden to make this and certainly it can be made anytime of the year.  Just purchase your herbs at the grocery store. If you are willing to part with this it makes a fabulous hostess gift.

Recipe

You will need sage and rosemary, a large bunch of each, the chopped proportion should be 2-3 parts sage to 1 part rosemary, 8 peeled garlic cloves and a heaping tablespoon of coarse salt. I like rosemary but I like the hint of it more than a blast of it so I definitely do at least 3 parts of sage and I admit to using large garlic cloves. That's it - easy-peasy.

A word about David.  I follow his blog and read his books.  I had the great good fortune to go to France and there were two books that I read just before going (and I was SO happy that I did) David's The Sweet Life in Paris and Paris Was Ours by Penelope Rowlands. The photo above is of his latest book and I so appreciate his writing style (and of course his fabulous recipes) his great sense of humor and the fact that the book is recipes and stories just makes it all the better.

Stay tuned on Wednesday I will feature two simple but good recipes using David's Italian herb rub recipe - guess I forgot to tell you what the "real" name of this rub was, Italian herb rub. David's nickname the "stash" has become part of our lexicon, as in "let's put the stash on the lamb chops, etc."

Resource

Cute jar containing last year's stash, HomeGoods
Ball Jars, grocery, garden and home stores
Kraft label on jar, Avery Martha Stewart at Staples, free templates that work with M/S word are online at Avery.com
Herb Garden Stakes, Antique Farm House
My Paris Kitchen, by David Lebovitz,My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories
The Sweet Life in Paris, by David Lebovitz,The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City
Paris Was Ours, Paris Was Ours 
Mezzaluna, Stainless Steel Rocking Mezzaluna Knife with Wood Handles, 10 Inch