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Making Herbal Vinegars
Be sure to start with high-quality ingredients to insure a successful venture.
1. Cut your herbs in the morning after the dew has dried
2. Wash and dry your herbs, picking out any blemished leaves.
3. Use pasteurized vinegars with an acetic level of at least 5%. Medium-priced vinegars that are not too sharp in taste are a good choice.
4. You must use non-reactive equipment because of the acidity of the vinegar. Glass, plastic, porcelain or enamel-covered steel containers, wooden or plastic spoons and a plastic funnel.
5. Use coffee filters, cheesecloth, muslin or a nylon jelly bag to strain flavored vinegars before bottling.
6. To sterilize bottles, fill clean bottles with boiling water and let them stand about 10 minutes. Empty the bottles and allow to cool until the steam is no longer visible. Sterilize corks by boiling and allowing to cool
Clean all equipment thoroughly before starting.
Wash in hot, soapy water and rinse well in hot water.
For the initial steeping of the herbs, use approximately 1 cup of chopped herbs for each 2 cups of vinegar. Store this mixture in a tightly closed jar or bottle (remember, non-reactive lids! )in a dark, cool place. Shake or stir occasionally, and begin to taste after about a week. Continue to steep the herbs until the vinegar reaches the intensity you want. If you still want a stronger flavor after a month, strain the vinegar, add fresh herbs, and continue.
When the vinegar reaches the desired flavor, strain it until clear. This make take several strainings. Then it may be transferred to sterilized bottles.
Place a few sprigs of fresh herbs (the same herb(s) you used in the steeping process) and other flavoring ingredients into the sterilized bottle. Arrange the herbs attractively in the bottle. You can try to anchor your herbs so that they don't all float to the top when you add the vinegar. Some ways to do this is to twist lemon peel spirals around the stems, anchor with cloves of garlic, etc.
Pour the strained vinegar into the bottle. Seal tightly. You can use corks in the bottles, or porcelain stoppers. Corks are porous, and must be sealed with wax.
To do this, melt paraffin or sealing wax in a clean can in a pan or water over low heat. Do not leave unattended! To make the seal easy to open (and for an attractive look) center a 4" piece of ribbon over the top of the cork. Secure with tape or rubber band near the bottoms of the ribbon. Dip the bottle upside-down into the wax repeatedly, letting wax cool slightly between applications. Remove tape or rubber band.When you want to open the bottle, simply pull up on the ribbon to remove wax.
Label your bottles with the flavor of vinegar and the date it was bottled. You might want to use decorative labels if giving the vinegars as a gift. Tie raffia or ribbon around the neck and attach a recipe for using the flavored vinegar. What cook would not consider themselves lucky to receive such a delightful gift?
It's best to store vinegars in a cool, dark place. If stored this way, they should retain their quality for up to 6 months. Once opened, discard after 3 months. Discard at once if vinegar is moldy, or has an odd odor or flavor. These vinegars might look beautiful displayed in a sunny window, but that would be the worst thing for them!
Periodically adding fresh vinegar extends the shelf life by keeping the herbs or other flavorings covered in vinegar prevents them from molding.
Herbal combinations to flavor different types of vinegars:
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Apple Cider Vinegar:
~Dill, bay leaves, and garlic
~Horseradish, shallot, and hot red pepper
~Dill, mustard seeds, lemon balm, and garlic
~Tarragon, chives, lemon balm,shallots, and garlic
~Garlic, basil, whole cracked nutmeg, and whole cloves
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Champagne Vinegar:
~Lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, lemongrass, and lemon zest
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Malt Vinegar:
~Tarragon, garlic chives, whole cloves, garlic or shallot
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Red Wine Vinegar:
~Thyme, rosemary, hyssop, fennel, oregano, and garlic
~Basil, rosemary, tarragon, marjoram, mint, bay, dill seed, black peppercorns, whole allspice berries and cloves
~Lemon thyme, rosemary, and black peppercorns
~Rosemary, savory, sage, basil, bay and garlic
~Cilantro, sage, rosemary, bay, and hot red pepper
~Garlic, jalapeno peppers, and black peppercorns
~Basil, oregano, garlic, and black peppercorns
~Mint, rosemary, bay sage, tarragon, garlic and whole cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, allspice berries and mustard seed
~Thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil
~Sage, parsley, and shallots
~Burnet, borage, and dill
~Cilantro, hot red pepper, and garlic
~Lemongrass, lemon verbena, lemon zest, and green peppercorns
~Cilantro, garlic, and fresh ginger root
~Marjoram, burnet, and lemon balm
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Sherry Vinegar:
~Basil, rosemary, tarragon, dill, sorrel, mint, chives, and garlic
~Parsley, thyme, rosemary, and bay
~Rosemary, oregano, sage, basil, parsley, garlic, and black peppercorns
~Shallot, thyme, and bay
~Sage, whole allspice berries, cloves and cinnamon stick
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White Wine Vinegar:
~Basil, parsley, fennel, and garlic
~Tarragon, elder flowers, spearmint, lemon balm, shallot, garlic, and whole cloves and peppercorns
~Dill, basil, tarragon, and lemon balm
~Thai basil, and hot red pepper
~Oregano, cilantro, garlic, and hot red pepper
~Mint, lemon balm, and lemon basil
~Rosemary, thyme, marjoram, savory, lavender, bay, garlic and hot red pepper
~Orange mint, coriander seeds, garlic, and orange zest
~Marjoram, burnet, thyme, tarragon, parsley, and chives
~Tarragon, anise hyssop, hyssop, and lemon balm
~Basil, chives, garlic chives, tarragon, borage, and burnet
~Parsley, lovage, chervil, savory, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, shallots, and black peppercorns
~Tarragon, lemon thyme, and chive blossoms
~Mint, and cardamom seeds
~Orange mint, and orange zest
~Dill, mint, and garlic cloves
~Borage, dill, and shallots
~Tarragon, chervil, borage, watercress, garlic, and hot red pepper
~Savory, tarragon, chervil, basil, and chives
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