Making Flavored Vinegar (2809)

Making flavored vinegar at home is an easy and satisfying way to add flavor to salads and sauces. Most start with either a white distilled vinegar or a white wine vinegar. Then you can add any of a variety of herbs or other seasonings to get the flavor you want. Among the most popular herb vinegars are those made with tarragon, dill or basil. Place several sprigs of the herb in the bottle of vinegar and let it stand until the desired flavor develops. Garlic may be added or used by itself in either white or red wine vinegar to add yet another flavor.

Chive blossoms in white wine vinegar make a lovely pale lavender product. Just place the blossoms in the vinegar, but remove after about one week when the lavender color and mild chive flavor is attained. Red raspberries in white wine vinegar make another beautiful and flavorful vinegar. This one should be allowed to stand in the refrigerator while the flavor develops. The berries can be removed after a week or two. Similarly, slices of fresh ginger root can be placed in white wine vinegar in the refrigerator for a week or two until the ginger flavor reaches the intensity you want. As you experiment with flavored vinegar, you might want to try a small amount made with hot peppers, cilantro and onions for a particularly spicy touch.

To satisfy your creative urge to make vinegar a more exciting ingredient in your family's salads, check with local herb gardeners for additional suggestions.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

Feel free to forward, post or reprint any of the "Solutions" in their entirely, but please credit http://www.solutions.psu.edu/ as the original source of information, and please do not change the content.