Herbal salt: the 5-minute gift
6.12.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Stefanie Lechthaler
Big family but no time? Trust me, I have the solution to your problem: homemade spice mixes.
Everyone already has everything. Or can buy what they need themselves. Coming up with a halfway useful gift idea borders on a Christmas miracle. But don't worry. This time I'll save you from the biscuit baking misery.
Hello Grandad, this Christmas we're making ... (drum roll) ... herbal salt
And to make sure that the jars don't end up as dust catchers on the kitchen shelf, I opt for two flavours that are unlikely to go down well. A spicy paprika and a Mediterranean herb mix.
All I need is herbs, a mortar, small jars and string and labels to label the jars.
Spicy Christmas
I fill the first jar with a slightly spicy mixture of spices that goes well with jacket potatoes or processed cheese. To do this, I grind peppercorns and chilli flakes in a mortar. Once the pepper has been ground, I add salt, smoked paprika powder, garlic powder and a little ginger powder and grind everything again until a homogeneous mixture is formed.
You can vary the amount of chilli flakes depending on the spiciness tolerance of your recipient. In fact, you are free to choose your own flavour combination anyway. No garlic - no problem. More garlic instead of black pepper? Sure, why not. Just be more cautious with overly intense flavours such as ginger or nutmeg. The latter could even give your loved ones an unintentional drug buzz.
I also recommend adding salt to the herbal mixture. This reduces the moisture in the jar and makes it easier to dose the herbs during seasoning. However, if your gift is more of a raclette or fondue flavouring, you can simply reduce the amount of salt.
Mediterranean cucina à la Switzerland
A little dolce vita on these cold days can't hurt. As a powder, the herbs go wonderfully with salads, 3-minute eggs or as a seasoning on a quick avocado toast
I grind oregano with salt until there is only a fine green powder in the mortar. Then I add the garlic powder and a pinch of nutmeg and chop the sun-dried tomatoes into tiny pieces. I add these to the spice mix at the very end together with the rosemary.
Thyme or sage would also go well with this. And if you also like it slightly stinky, then a dash of onion powder should not be missing from the mix.
A little more flavour for the spices
So that the recipients know what's in the jars, I label them. To do this, I print a few gift tags with the cutting plotter.
Of course, you can also simply cut the tags out of thick paper yourself. An even simpler option is to write on black tape with a white Sharpie and stick it directly onto the glasses.
Markers
Quantity discount
EUR2,78 per piece for 3 units
Edding Permanent marker Ready White Industry Pen E-8046
1 x
If you want to bring a second, quick gift to go with the spice, then my interior design colleague Pia Seidel has just the thing for you: the self-made vase.
Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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