Herbal Vinegar

Herbs give a wonderful flavor to vinegar. Use herbal vinegar as a base for salad dressing or marinade.

Ingredients:

Lots of fresh herbs - Parsley, Sage, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Mint, Lovage, Dill, etc.

Fresh scallions and garlic

Fresh Fruit - Lemon and Lime peel, berries, peaches

White Wine vinegar

Pint Mason Jars

Bamboo Skewers

Wash the herbs you intend to use and set them aside.

Prepare the Mason Jars by pouring boiling water into them. Pour off the water and let the jars air dry.

Prepare the fruit you intend to use by placing it onto the bamboo skewers. Peach slices, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Break off the end of the skewer so that it will fit into the Mason Jar.

For lemon or lime, cut the peel from the fruit in a continuous spiral, so that the peel is in one piece when you are done. Save the inside of the fruit for juice.

Pour the white wine vinegar into a pot and heat it to a gentle boil.

While the vinegar is heating, begin packing herbs into the Mason jars. Here are some suggestions.

Sage, Oregano, Thyme, and Garlic

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (well why not?)

Lemon peel, lime peel, and mint (mint is good with any of the fruits)

Strawberries and mint

Lovage, Sage, Scallions, and Dill

Basil, Oregano, and Thyme

When I say pack the jar, I mean PACK it! About one third to one half of the total volume of the jar should be herbs or fruit.

Try to find fresh herbs. Many supermarkets and farmers markets now carry them.

Ladle the boiling vinegar into the packed jars. Try to cover the herbs with vinegar. Let the jars cool.

Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar before screwing on the lid. This will prevent the lid from becoming corroded.

Put the jars away in a cool place for about two weeks.

After two weeks, remove the herbs and the fruit from the jars and replace them with fresh herbs and fruit. Again, put a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar before capping it.

That's it! Vinegar keeps almost indefinitely without refrigeration, so no special storage is needed. Also, the longer this stuff sits, the better it tastes.

Try using the fruited vinegars as a base for a delicate vinaigrette dressing, or for marinades of chicken and fish. The stronger flavors such as basil and sage are great for Italian dressing, or for marinating beef and pork.

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