Herbal Vinegars

When making herbal vinegars, the sun tea method works the best for me. When using herbs the fresher the better.

Wash herbs and pat dry. Place herbs in a large, sterilized, glass jar. Half gallon canning jars are perfect for this job. Cover herbs completely with apple cider vinegar. If the herbs are not covered completely they will rot. Place a paper towel over the opening. Secure with a rubber band. Place jar in a cool area out of direct sunlight. Let steep 2 weeks. Strain through a fine sieve. If the vinegar is not strong enough add more herbs and repeat until the vinegar is as strong in taste as you desire.

After the last strain through a fine sieve, bottle vinegar in fancy bottles or jars and cap. Label with name and date. Best used within 6 months.

Remember the stronger the taste of the herb the less time it takes to withdraw the flavors. Also strong tasting herbs go with heartier cuts of meat.

The possible combinations are endless. Here are some of my favs.

Garlic goes with almost any herb combination. The zest of citrus fruits go well. Try different oranges - the blood orange, honeybells, or other varieties give different nuances to the vinegars.

Herb combos
Pineapple sage, chive
Ginger (sliced), sage, chive
Tarragon, chives
Lemon thyme, chives, basil
Lemon balm, chives, lime mint
Orange mint, lime mint, lemon thyme, pineapple sage
Lavender, orange peel,

Any combination works as long as you like it. Use your imagination (and taste buds)!

Applications
Salad dressing, marinades for chicken,pork, lamb, beef, fish; fruit salads.

Here are a few sites with some great info.
http://www.io.com/~wilsone/herbalvinegar.htm
I like the idea of trying different vinegars also. I haven't tried this yet. Maybe this year!
http://glenbrookfarm.com/herbs/herbvinegars.html
http://botanical.com/site/column_susun/susun_vinegars.htm