Herbed Vinegar, a Homemade Treat

Herbed Vinegar, Simple to Make and Fun to Share

Whether herbs grow in a special garden, as companion plants for vegetables, or in containers, these hardy, versatile plants are delicious, flavorful ingredients welcome in any kitchen.  Fresh or dried, herbs add nutrition and interest to almost any dish.  One of the easiest ways to preserve fresh herb flavor is to make herbed vinegar.  In addition to enjoying herbed vinegar in your own kitchen, the infusion makes a special gift that will please recipients.

Shiso basil adds color and flavor to herbed vinegar

While herbs are in season and abundantly producing, harvest fresh leaves and blossoms in morning hours, when herbs pack the strongest flavor punch.  For a beautiful pink vinegar with Italian flavor tones, use the following recipe:

Herbed Italian Vinegar

Fill a large glass jar with herbs, such as basil, oregano, parsley, garlic and onion chives and thyme that enhance the flavors of Italian dishes.  Shiso basil, with its dark purple leaf, will turn the vinegar a lovely shade of pink, as will mature garlic scapes and onion chive blossoms.  When the jar is about one half full of herbs, fill it with white vinegar, leaving about two inches of headspace.  Wipe the mouth of the jar clean and tightly secure a lid.  Place the jar out of direct sunlight and agitate the contents daily for two weeks.  After two weeks, strain the vinegar through cheesecloth or a coffee filter and discard the solids.  Fill pretty bottles with the herbed vinegar and add a sprig of fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, to the bottle.

Simple to make, herbed vinegars add zing to almost any dish and are wonderful to use for pickling recipes.  Experiment with different vinegars, herbs and spices.  Borage blossoms also make a light pink vinegar and impart a delicate cucumber essence.  For a lemon-flavored vinegar, use fresh lemons, sliced in half, along with lemon thyme, lemon balm, lemon verbena.  Add Thai peppers and basil to rice vinegar.  Whole peppercorns add a bit of zip to any recipe and fresh berries or other fruits work well for sweeter infusions.  I like white vinegars for showcasing color, but cider vinegars also make delicious herbed concoctions. 

Garlic scapes enhance Italian herbed vinegar with color and flavor

Note:  Metal jar lids and rings will rust if they are in contact with vinegar.  I save plastic lids from mayonnaise jars and use those for vinegar infusions.  Also, small condiment and other pretty bottles are great to recycle for herbed vinegars.  Remove the labels, run the bottles through the dishwasher and fill with vinegar.  Make your own labels for a special touch.