To make oregano oil, you need the following ingredients:
– Oregano leaves and flowers –
dried, crushed, or chopped
– Oil
You’ll also need:
– A clean glass jar with an
airtight lid
Although wild oregano is more potent than any cultivated oregano, as I’m in South Africa and it grows in Eurasia and the Mediterranean, I had to make do with what was in my garden.
Harvest the oregano by snipping off the branch just below the leaves. The best time to harvest is just before the plant flowers, as this is when it is at its most potent.
I decided to use fresh oregano for this recipe, so I started by stripping the leaves and flowers from the stems. The easiest way to do this is to hold the tip of the branch between your finger and thumb and then run the fingers of the other hand along the stem.
I first tried crushing the flowers with a pestle and mortar. While this was effective, it was time-consuming and required too much muscle power. I decided to chop the leaves instead, which proved much quicker but equally successful.