Making Herbal Vinegar

It’s nice to have herbal vinegars on hand to boost the flavor of our favorite dishes, and since our growing season is just getting started, it’s a good time to make some.

It’s simple to make and can add a wonderful shot of summertime flavor to salad dressings, marinades, gravies, and sauces.

I also like to stock up on herbal vinegars in fall, just to preserve some of that summertime flavor for use in winter dishes. 

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 vinegar; and varieties to try include carnation, clover, elder flowers, lavender, nasturtium, primrose, rose, rosemary flowers, thyme flowers, and sweet violets.

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

Pour warmed (not hot) cider or wine vinegar (30 – 40 seconds works in our microwave) 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. 

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