Make a DIY herbal salt with yarrow for a fresh and unique seasoning you can easily grow and harvest year after year.
Yarrow’s particular flavor lends itself well to use in an herbal salt. Combine fresh yarrow with other aromatic herbs to create a unique seasoning that can add an interesting depth of flavor to any dish. Use as a 1-to-1 substitute for plain salt in your recipes.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh yarrow leaves or flowers (your choice, although I like to use equal parts of both), stems discarded
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup rosemary leaves
- 1 cup coarse salt (kosher salt is best)
Directions
- In a food processor, combine all the herbs and blend until finely chopped.
- Add the salt and pulse until combined with the herbs.
- The herbal salt can be refrigerated as is or laid out on baking sheets and allowed to dry on the counter for at least 24 hours.
- Once dried, herbal salt can be stored in the cupboard, where it’ll keep for 1 year.
Growing and Gathering
Yarrow leaves can be harvested starting in spring, and flowers should be picked as soon as they begin to bloom in early summer. Pick plenty of yarrow flowers to dry and use all year. If you harvest enough, you’ll be able to include some in your bug spray next spring!
Since yarrow is a perennial herb that spreads by seed as well as via underground stems, once you find a nice patch, you’ll be able to harvest from this same area for years to come. I cut entire stalks of yarrow and leave them to dry on screens.
They can also be gathered into small bundles and hung to dry anywhere with good airflow and out of direct sun. I find yarrow bundles very pleasing to the eye when hung from the fireplace mantle or in the kitchen. Once dried, the leaves and flower heads can be stripped easily from the stems.
Your local greenhouse or plant provider likely offers a few varieties of ornamental yarrow for your garden. Some of these herbs have been bred for large, long-lasting, and colorful flowers, whereas others have been developed for drought tolerance, although any yarrow variety will thrive in hot, dry conditions. Grow yarrow in a full-sun area to encourage stocky plants and larger, longer-lasting blooms. If you choose to grow yarrow from seed, the seeds will need to be stratified to improve germination.
Excerpted from Herbs in Every Season (Timber Press) by Bevin Cohen.
Originally published in the June/July 2025 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and regularly vetted for accuracy.
