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DIY Chilli Salt Edible Gifting

Over the summer our local supermarket was selling off a bunch of live chilli plants, and even though I really don’t like chilli – except in hot chocolate – I love the splashes of red against the deep green leaves and I love the brightness it introduces to my kitchen. The plant itself is one of those that gives more the more you take from it, so we’ve had a healthy harvest of chillies over the last few months, and I’ve been giving them away to anyone who’d have them. I did decide to keep a few though, because I wanted to give one of my chilli-loving friends a little gift of chilli salt.

We use Himalayan pink salt which I tend to bulk buy as it lasts forever, and we use salt for some non-food purposes that make good gifting ideas too, and I can crush it as we need it. I also wasn’t sure how dry the chilli gets itself just by lying on the windowsill, so I popped them in the dehydrator for a few hours till the chillies were properly dry. (They crackle when you snap them.)

I also put the chillies into the Thermomix (food processor) first so they can be chopped up before I add the salt because I didn’t want the crystals to be broken down too fine.

Just one note here – when you’re blending this up in your food processor, make sure to cover any airholes (in a safe manner). If the air fills up with chilli salt, it’s not a whole lot of fun on your nose or throat or eyes!

I’ve decorated empty herb and spice and other jar lids with washi tape to make it prettier and as these will go into a festive food hamper, I’ve done them in Christmassy colours.

 

DIY Chilli Salt
Author: Keeper of the Kitchen
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 350g
Ingredients
  • 300g Coarse Himalayan Salt
  • 20- 25 small chillies, dried
Instructions
  1. In a food processor chop the dried chillies till they are as fine as you’d like them
  2. (Thermomix: PUT THE MC IN PLACE, 10 seconds/speed 5)
  3. Add the coarse pink salt and mix again. Don’t make it too fine.
  4. (Thermomix: MC still in, 10 seconds/speed 5)
  5. Use a funnel or similar to pour into dry containers and keep sealed.

 

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Peppermint Salt Scrub Recipe

peppermintI really love this Peppermint Salt Scrub for being both refreshing and having only a few ingredients, all of which you can find in your kitchen, and with names you can pronounce, like… salt… and oil. Now, if you have a sensitive skin you may want to test a patch of this Peppermint Salt Scrub first, as it can dry the skin out a little (although the oil should balance that out for normal skins). You should use it as a body scrub, but salt crystal are probably a bit harsh on the face.

A salt scrub is deliciously soothing, and will leave your skin titillating and radiant looking.

Sweet Almond oil has calming and anti-inflammatory has calming and anti-inflammatory properties, it moisturises, restores and softens skin.

Peppermint essential oil is used to relieve skin irritation and itchiness and also helps to reduce skin redness, where inflammation is present. It is used for dermatitis, acne, ringworm, scabies and also relieves itching, sunburn and inflammation of the skin, while at the same time having a cooling action. Peppermint oil should be used sparingly in pregnancy, when breastfeeding or on children under 7.

I was making this for Christmas, so wanted to make a candy cane effect you often see in DIY products on Pinterest, but I didn’t see the point in using organic salt, peppermint essential oil and an organic sweet almond oil, and then add a red food colouring… so I used dehydrated beetroot instead. This is non-essential. You can leave it white. Or you can make it all coloured, nice and pink for Valentine’s day would be good.

Peppermint Salt Scrub
Recipe Type: Beauty
Cuisine: Non-Food
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 cup
A quick and easy DIY beauty product, a very simple gift, and a lovely way to pamper without the chemicals or great expense
Ingredients
  • 1 cup organic rock salt (not fine salt and definitely not table salt)
  • 1 cup sweet almond oil
  • 6 drops peppermint essential oil
  • Optional dried beetroot powder to colour
Instructions
  1. Add all the ingredients to a bowl.
  2. Mix
  3. (If you are doing layers, halve the mix, add the beetroot and mix again. Dish tablespoonsfull into the container, alternating white and pink/red)
  4. Scoop into a clean glass container.
In the Thermomix:
  1. Put everything in the bowl
  2. Speed 2/Reverse/ 30 seconds
  3. (If you are doing layers, halve the mix, add the beetroot and mix again. Dish tablespoonsfull into the container, alternating white and pink/red)
  4. Scoop into a clean glass container.