June 2003 - Gardening - A Bottle of Home Brew Spice up your life with an herbal vinegar The balmy days of June have arrived, and in gardens everywhere, bumper crops of herbs are proliferating in the Carolina sun. Perhaps one of the most satisfying aspects of cultivating herbs is sharing them with others. And while a fragrant presentation of fresh-cut herbs is an easy, yet memorable gift, there is another relatively simple presentation with many uses. As a condiment, in a marinade or even poured into the bath, a richly infused herbal vinegar is a special touch. The vinegar preserves the flavor of the herbs by drawing out the essential oils, a process that can be accomplished in about a week. As far as which herbs to use, experimenting is half the fun. Start with your favorites by themselves and mix the finished products together. This will give you a good idea as to whether or not the combination will work when "brewed" in tandem. Here are the basics: Bruise or chop a combination of fresh herbs, or crumble up dry herbs, and place them into a mason jar or a clear bottle (old, single, malt Scotch bottles work great due to their interesting shapes and the fact that most are corked). Quantity-wise, for dressings, think about 4 Tbsp. of fresh herbs per cup of vinegar, or 1 Tbsp. of dried herbs per cup. If you will be using the vinegar to add to marinades or to pep up a bath, simply fill the entire container with herbs and then top off with vinegar. Once prepared, let it sit on a sunny windowsill for a week or two. Voilà - you're ready to add zest to any dish or a touch of refreshing aromatherapy to your bath. The heat from the sun will help the vinegar draw out the herb's oils, and this process can be accelerated by heating the vinegar on the stove before adding it to the jar. Be sure, however, not to let the vinegar come to a boil. Color can also be infused into your herbal vinegar by adding the flowers of chives (pink), sage (rosy-red) or lavender (purple). A few other details to keep in mind: Use a quality brand of vinegar. The best choices are white wine and red wine vinegars. Distilled white vinegar will also do, but is probably better suited as a bath vinegar than it is for consumption. Also, if you are using a mason jar with a metal lid, make sure the vinegar does not touch it. You can use a liner of waxed paper if you want to fill the jar. And finally, be sure to give the jar or bottle a shake whenever you think of it. To test and see if it's done to your liking, try a taste by dipping a piece of white bread directly into the vinegar. When it is finished, transfer the herbal vinegar into a clear or decorative bottle using a small funnel and a coffee filter. This will help to remove any flotsam that may have accumulated in the "brewing" jar. If the vinegar will be used as a gift or to decorate a windowsill, it's a good idea to filter it twice. Try these in the kitchen Once you use herbal vinegar as a salad dressing or drizzle it over your favorite potato dish, you will find it very hard to go without it and will soon have a whole shelf for your vinegar collection. A few combinations include: Garlic and basil (tasty on practically anything) Garlic and chives (puts the "oh!" in potatoes) Tarragon and lemon balm (try on chicken or fish) Sage and chives (great on chicken) Basil, savory and garlic (beefs up beef) If using garlic in your creation, be sure to remove the garlic cloves after 48 hours of brewing. This will help keep them from overwhelming the flavor of the herbs. Try these in the bath Many people enjoy infusing their baths with sachets of dried herbs, but the added benefit of using herbal vinegar is that it is very beneficial to your skin. Vinegar cleanses the pores and restores the natural acid balance that healthy skin has. Add between 8-12 ounces of any of the following combinations to a hot bath: Rosemary and basil (invigorates and tightens pores) Oregano and sage (soothes sore muscles) Lavender and lemon balm (stimulates blood circulation)