Homemade Herbal Vinegars and Baskets: Great Holiday Gifts

Nothing is as beautiful, nor delicious as herbed vinegar. The other night I was running low on many things, since I don't go shopping until the weekend. No salad dressing was in the house. I had the oil, but no vinegar. Then it hit me. I had tons of vinegar. Decorated bottle after bottle set on my counter and atop the corner shelves. About 3 years ago I made herbal vinegar in decorative decanters. They were so pretty it became a compulsion to find new and old bottles to make it in. I did give away quite a few at Christmas but kept many for my own decoration.

I lifted the cork from one of the bottles marked basil and held the mixture up to the light. There was no mother of vinegar (the scum you sometimes find on old vinegar), so I immediately went to the computer and Googled for shelf life.

According to The Vinegar Institute, vinegar ranks right up there with Twinkies. They did a study and found that that vinegar really doesn't spoil and has an almost indefinite shelf life. It seems that the acid in it keeps it always self-preserving and it doesn't have to be refrigerated.

The website: http://www.versatilevinegar.org/faqs.html has a multitude of more information on vinegar. Anyway my question was now answered. A resounding yes, vinegar can be kept at least 3 years and now we know that if civilization is wiped out; cockroaches, Twinkies, and vinegar will remain. I poured the vinegar with some olive oil, inspecting it completely as it ran into the cruet. It smelled delightful and looked pristine. I added the oil and shook. It was delicious dressing. The aging only enhanced the flavor.

You can give wonderful vinegar gifts to the gourmet with very little effort. If you are on a budget, go to a second hand shop or charity resale shop for the bottles. Someone always donates the beautiful glass decanters. These are inexpensive gifts and if your recipient is like me, they will be prominently displayed, at least until an emergency.

Herbal Vinegar:

The recipe is simple. You have a fast way and a slow process, whichever one you need of works. Let's start with the fast process which only takes 2 weeks to cure.

Sterilize a wide mouth jar that you will be temporarily using. You will need to sterilize the others later when the vinegar has cured. You will need a 1 1/2 to2-quart jar for this mixture.

Take 2 cups of vinegar and heat until boiling in a microwave. Crush 1 � C of fresh herbs (with garlic use 2 cloves) and pour the boiled mixture over it. Mush it around a bit and then pour in two more cups of vinegar (straight from the bottle). Close the lid. Store this out of the sun and shake it periodically for two weeks. Strain it and put it into a decorative bottle.

When you are straining it, you can use cheesecloth or a strainer. It is a lot easier if you have a large measuring cup to strain it into then transfer it into decorator jars. Keep the mixture out of the direct sunlight or it will cloud. Don't use powdered spices in it. Whatever you do, don't use metal, either in the bottle lid or processing tools.

You can use dried herbs, I never have since I've had an herb garden, but you will use about half the amount of herbs.

The slow processing way, curing time 3 to 4 weeks.

Take about 4-8" sprigs of the herb that has been washed and patted dry, and place it in the sterilized container. Pour the vinegar over it. Wait 24 hours and check it. The vinegar level should be lower, add more. Use in 3 to 4 weeks. I've used this one also and it works equally well. I simply like the idea of boiling the vinegar. It seems more sterile.

If you are making gifts, the simplest and best is usually to make basil/garlic vinegar. Adjust the garlic to your taste. I've always been pleased with apple cider vinegar, but red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar add a great deal of elegance to a gift. I haven't ever used white distilled vinegar, but I understand that you can add lemon zest* peeled in a spiral and it is excellent.

Get Creative:

Put sprigs of fresh herbs, whole peppercorns, hot peppers, onions, garlic on a skewer, cranberries, and/or mustard seeds in the jar and fill it to the brim. Use various types of combinations of herbs. Parsley and lacey herbs add greatly to the mixture. Wash them, pat them dry, adjust for color and taste, but make it a creation that looks attractive. Pour in the vinegar.

If you don't make herbed vinegar this year, grow an herb garden for next year. By all means, plant cinnamon basil. The seeds are hard to find in the stores, so I doubt you will have a lot of luck finding the actual herb. The smell of this is magnificent. It's like the old Teaberry gum. This is great for adding to chili. Try some of the unusual varieties of thyme and basil. Each has a distinct flavor yet has some of the same qualities as the spicy globe or Genovese that we normally use. Next year you can gift wonderful and really inexpensive herbed vinegars. If you don't have a garden, your biggest expense will be the herbs.

Make a Basket:

Put a decanter of your herbed vinegar in a basket with a whole garlic, sea salt, lemon pepper*, cruet, and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil.

*The recipe for lemon pepper is in my article titled "Homemade Seasonings and Butters as Gifts for the Family Cook."