Herb Infused Vinegar

Herb Infused Vinegar

'Tis the season of gift giving and in honor of being gifted a wildly out of control lovely rosemary plant from a co-worker, Victoria, with her hint of "you could make rosemary vinegar" I decide that is exactly what I would do; make healthy, herbal vinegar to have handy for the that extra special something to give a dear friend or loved one this holiday season. (Spoiler alert family and friends-now you know what is coming your way!)

 

In late spring/early summer I made chive infused vinegar especially for my son, Ainslie. I wish I would have saved the photos to share now, it was so pretty, and tasty too! Along with the gifted rosemary, I had a few hardy herbs left to harvest from the garden bed before the snow we have coming very soon. 

After harvesting the herbs, I rinsed them and let air dry. I discarded any parts that were not good for use. While the herbs dried, I sterilized the jars. 

I used a variety of vinegar for certain flavor effects. The Rosemary & Cranberry infusion has a rice vinegar mix as rice vinegar adds a mellow sweetness that is complimentary to the tart berry.  White wine and champagne vinegar are great and recommend vs distilled white vinegar. They pare well with chicken and fish dishes. Red wine and balsamic vinegar adds depth to red meat dishes. They all are used for salads. Let's not forget to mention apple cider vinegar~oh, the versatility of it. There are many types and uses of vinegar, and that is something we can explore in another post. For now, let's get back to this wonderful infusion of today's choice.

I used a stripped sprig of rosemary as a skewer for the cranberries. You could use any strong stem or wooden skewer. I just wanted the extra flavor of rosemary and am making good use of the leaves for another gift (Rosemary Infused Salt-oops, spoiler alert, again). Waste nothing! 

As I heated the vinegar mixtures to almost boiling, I placed herbs as desired into the jars. I gently poured the vinegar over herbs and closed jars, air tight. After they cooled down I placed them in a cool, dark area for infusion of two weeks. In two weeks I will strain each jar and remove the herbs and berries as they will go bad after a while. I will reuse some of the jars but for the larger amount of the mixed herb vinegar I will place in smaller, 2 oz "tasting or trail size" containers. 

Let your imagine go wild! Experiment with different types of vinegar, herbs, berries, and fruits. Search the web for recipes and different ideas. Share what you find interesting or make-we would love to see!

Who would of thought a simple gesture of giving a plant would inspire fun and creativity? I am using my good fortune to share and pass on to others! I am excited to hear the uses people find for these wonderful infusions! 

Be healthy, be well, be happy! And, be sure to share your ideas!