Making Herbal Vinegar

Herbal vinegar is an easy project that can be done at any time of year that fresh herbs are available. It’s good to have these kinds of vinegar on hand to boost the flavor of our favorite dishes, and they can be particularly nice to use during the colder months when there are no fresh herbs coming from the garden.

Like homemade vanilla extract, they are simple to make and will add a wonderful shot of summertime flavor to salad dressings, marinades, gravies, and sauces. Just remember, it takes from two to four weeks for them to age, so don’t wait too long to start.

I like to save interesting bottles with nice stoppers to use for making herbal vinegar. They make great, inexpensive “Do-It-Yourself” gifts from the homestead. For more Gifts From The Homestead ideas, scroll down to see our bloggers collaboration and links on how to do each one!

Both herbs and flowers can be used to make herbal vinegar, just select from your favorite flavors listed below to give them a try. 

Herbs To Try:

Herbs that make good vinegar include basil, bay, dill, fennel, garlic, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, and thyme. 

Flowers To Try:

Flowers can also be used to make herbal vinegar; and varieties to try include carnation, clover, lavender, nasturtium, primrose, rose, rosemary flowers, thyme flowers, and sweet violets.

Shopping List:

• Bottles to hold the number of herbal vinegars that you intend to make (I find that bottles that will hold 8 – 9 fluid ounces make nice size vinegar)
• Freshly harvested herbs for the variety of vinegar you wish to make
• Cider or wine vinegar to fill the number of bottles you are making

Herbs and Bottles for Herbal Vinegar

Instructions for Making Herbal Vinegar:

• To make the vinegar, cut fresh, perfect looking herbs; and lightly bruise before loosely packing into clean bottles (as mentioned above, I save interesting looking bottles with nice caps for this purpose). 

Bruised Herbs Inserted in Bottles

• Pour warmed (not hot) cider or wine vinegar (30 – 40 seconds works in our microwave to warm the vinegar) over the herbs to fill and cap the bottle.
• Set the vinegar in a sunny window and shake daily for two weeks, then taste for flavor.   If a stronger flavor is desired, strain the vinegar and repeat the above steps with fresh herbs. 

Aging Herbal Vinegar

• Once the desired strength has been achieved, store as-is or strain through cheesecloth and rebottle. 
• Add a fresh sprig of the herb for identification and visual appeal (see below).  Dressed up with a nice ribbon and tag, they make a nice hostess gift. The ones shown above are in process and are (from right to left) mint, lavender, basil, thyme, dill, and sage.

Finished Herbal Vinegar

That’s it, that’s all there is to making herbal vinegar! Once you get going with single herb vinegar, then there’s a whole other level – blended herb vinegar. You can easily and inexpensively try any combination of herbs to add new and exciting flavors to your cooking.

Other Gifts From The Homestead:

Gifts You Can Make in an Hour or Less

• Creative Cookie Packaging Ideas || Rootsy Network
• Create a Giftable Indoor Herb Garden Kit || Not So Modern
• Two Holiday Chai Tea Blends: The Perfect Fall or Winter Gift || Healing Harvest Homestead
• Soup in a Jar: the Perfect Comfort Gift || Dehydrating Made Easy
• Snickerdoodle Cookies || Nancy On The Homefront
• Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (with printable gift tags) || A Modern Homestead
• How to Make & Give Homemade Hot Cocoa Mixes || Homespun Seasonal Living
• How to Can Homemade Salsa || Not So Modern
• Make Gift-Worthy Bread Mix In A Jar – Great for Your Own Pantry Shelf Too! || Oak Hill Homestead
• Make Your Own Lotion Bars || Learning and Yearning
• Easy Homemade Bath Salts Recipe || Better Hens and Gardens
• Peppermint Foot Salve || The Self Sufficient Home Acre
• SPF Lip Balm Recipe || Our Inspired Roots
• 3 Bedtime Bath Teas for Kids || Homestead Lady
• DIY Flaxseed Neck Heating Pad for Soothing Muscles || Joybilee Farm
• No-Sew Scented Sachet Bags With 5 Herbal Recipes || Rockin W Homestead
• Fall Air Freshener DIY || Feathers In The Woods

Gifts You Can Make in a Day or Less

• Easy Applesauce Recipe For Canning or Eating Fresh || Hidden Springs Homestead
• How to Make Hot Process Soap Complete Picture Tutorial || Healing Harvest Homestead
• Crockpot Apple Butter with Canning Instructions || A Modern Homestead
• DIY Quilted Mug Rug || Flip Flop Barnyard
• Feathers & Hugs – How to Create a Psalms 91 Throw || The Farm Wife
• DIY Flower & Veggie Row Markers || The Self Sufficient Home Acre
• Make Your Own Veggie Hod || Nancy On The Homefront
• Horseshoe Farm Sign – Fun DIY Gift for the Horse Lover || Homegrown Self Reliance
• Apple Pie in a Jar: Greatest Fall Gift || 15 Acre Homestead

Gifts You Can Make in a Week

• Easy Primitive Throw Pillow Tutorial || Hidden Springs Homestead
• How to Make a Rag Quilt || Flip Flop Barnyard
• Make Your Own Plant Pots and Baskets || Homestead Lady

Special Gifts That Take One Month to Create (but are well worth the wait)

• Making Herbal Vinegar || Better Hens and Gardens
• Elderberry Elixir – A Delicious Immune Boosting Gift || Homegrown Self Reliance
• How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract || Farming My Backyard
• How to Make Strawberry Wine Step-by-Step || Stone Family Farmstead
• How to Make Cold-Process Soap from Scratch || Oak Hill Homestead