Vinegar does an excellent job of extracting the mineral content from plant material. Infused vinegars also make tasty additions to salads, marinades, and more.
These are basic instructions for preparing an herb-infused vinegar.
Some of my favorite vinegars were made with wild spring onions; bee balm leaves + flowers; rosemary + thyme + garlic, and more. Experiment with the herbs you love!
Ingredients:
- Vinegar of choice (I like organic apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, and white wine vinegar)
- Mason jar with plastic lid, or metal lid with wax paper
- Fresh or dried herbs of choice
Place chopped herbs in mason jar. If using fresh herbs, I fill jar halfway with plant material. If herbs are dried, I fill 1/5 - 1/3 of the jar. Top off jar with vinegar. Seal with lid; if using a metal lid, place wax paper between jar and lid to prevent corrosion. Shake daily (or as often as you remember) for 2-4 weeks. Strain out plant material and compost.
Place vinegar into glass jar or bottle for long-term storage. I prefer to ditch the metal lid + wax paper at this point; vinegar can eat through the wax paper. Find yourself a plastic lid, or pour your herb-infused vinegar back into the bottle the vinegar came in.
Store vinegar in cool dark place for up to a year. If using fresh herbs, you may wish to refrigerate due to the herbs' addition of water to your concoction.