Herb Vinegars Make Great Homemade Gifts - here are a few ideas

Herb Vinegars

Use a very pale white wine vinegar or cider vinegar as the base, or for more robust flavors, use red wine vinegar.

The choice of herbs is yours. You can also add extras such as garlic, chili peppers, whole spices, and other flavorings to the basic herb. Try using herb flowers too, such as chives, or thyme, to give a delicate color to the vinegar. Other flowers to try are primrose, violet, rose petal, carnation, elderflower, lavender, nasturtium, pansy, and edible varieties of the marigold.

he following is an approximate guide to quantities of fresh herbs to use for 2 1/2 cups of vinegar:

tarragon - 2 stems
basil - 14 Tbsp
garlic - 4 large cloves, crushed
bay leaf - 10 leaves
elderflower - 1 cup flowers
rose petal - 1 cup petals
lavender - 1/4 cup flowers

Bring the vinegar to boiling point. Put whole sprigs or leaves of the fresh herb into sterilized, wide mouthed bottles or jars and pour the heated vinegar over them, leaving a 1/4 inch space at the top. Wipe the rims of the jars, put on the two piece lid, and screw down firmly. When completely cold, label the bottles or jars, and leave the vinegar to steep in a cool, dark place for several weeks. Then unseal the jars, and remove the wilted herbs, which will have discolored by now. Strain the vinegar into clean, sterilized bottles. Add a few more fresh herbs for decoration if you like.

Tarragon is famous, and invaluable for making certain egg and butter based sauces for fish and meat.

Basil vinegar is delicious for making into dressing.

Garlic vinegar has uses throughout the kitchen. Add a drop to sauces, soups, casseroles, and stir-fried dishes.

Be sure to tell the recipient of herb vinegars that they should store them in a cool, dark place to preserve their flavor to the maximum.