If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know I’m a big believer in food as medicine.  When my family started eliminating processed foods and foods that our bodies were not reacting well to (meat, dairy and gluten being three big ones) and we adopted a diet consisting of lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, we saw a dramatic turnaround in our health.  (You can read about our story here and here.)

Well, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to take this concept of “food as medicine” even further, specifically in the area of herbs. While I do a lot with herbs, I’d like to explore more ways to incorporate herbs into our diet as a way to improve our health.  This leads us to today’s blog topic:  Making Herbal Vinegar.

Both Fire Cider and herbal tinctures made with apple cider vinegar can be viewed as forms of  “herbal vinegar”  but today, I’d like to focus specifically on herbal vinegar we use to enhance our food.

What is Herbal Vinegar?

Herbal vinegar is a flavorful vinegar that has been infused with herbs.

What are the Benefits of Consuming Herbal Vinegar?

• Vinegar has the wonderful ability to draw minerals out of plants (this is also why apple cider vinegar can be used in place of alcohol when making herbal tinctures.)

•  Herbal vinegar can be a great way to get more minerals into your diet.  Minerals are necessary for growth and development and to maintain good health and a good immune system.

• Using apple cider vinegar for your herbal vinegar further increases the benefits. Apple cider vinegar increases your body’s ability to absorb and digest minerals. Did you know, a spoonful of apple cider vinegar on your broccoli or greens can increase your calcium absorption by about one-third?  You can even make your own apple cider vinegar easily using apple scraps.

 Choosing Herbs for Herbal Vinegar

Fresh herbs will make the best vinegar.   Choose herbs and combinations of herbs that you enjoy and will enhance your recipes such as:

• Lemon thyme /  thyme

• Sage

• Rosemary

• Parsley or Cilantro

• Tarragon

• Garlic

• Bay Leaves

• Cloves

• Cumin Seed

• Peppercorns

• Juniper Berries (here’s another use for the juniper berries you purchased for this recipe!)

• Dandelion root & leaves

• Chives

• Dill

• Basil & Lemon Basil

• Oregano

• Comfrey

• Neetle

• Raspberry leaves

• Chili peppers

• Lemon balm, Lemon verbena or Lemongrass

• Lavender

• Edible flowers such as nasturtium, violets, and calendula.

How to Use Herbal Vinegar

• use in place of vinegar in recipes

• as a substitute for lemon juice in recipes

• in homemade salad dressings (such as this recipe)

• in marinades and sauces

• in pickling recipes (such as this recipe)

• for seasoning cooked grains

• for seasoning vegetables (raw and cooked)

• drizzled over fish

• add a splash to soups or stews for extra flavor

• in stir fry

How to Make Herbal Vinegar

You Will Need:

• a glass jar with plastic lid

• 1 part fresh herbs, loosely packed or 1/2 part dried herbs (adjust as needed for stronger or milder herbs)

• 2 parts raw apple cider vinegar — I recommend this brand or try making your own using apple scraps!

Instructions: 

1. Wash and prepare the herbs.  Remove stems and chop if necessary.  (Garlic should be chopped.)

2. Place herbs in a clean glass jar with a plastic lid and store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks.    ** See recipe notes

3. After 4-6 weeks, strain the herbs from your vinegar and transfer your vinegar to a clean bottle.  Don’t forget to label and date your herbal vinegar.  Your herbal vinegar will keep for up to a year.

Recipe Notes: 

I specifically avoided giving exact measurements for this recipe.  Feel free to make as little or as much herbal vinegar as you would like.  I enjoy making small batches and experimenting with different herb combinations.   Rather than make one large batch, it fun to have a wide variety of herbal vinegars to choose from.  This recipe is easily translated into specific measurements: 1 cup fresh herbs (or 1/2 cup dried herbs) to 2 cups apple cider vinegar.

Avoid using metal near vinegar.  It will react and cause your lid to rust.

Enjoy!

–Jen

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Making Herbal Vinegar

Course

Condiments, Home Remedies

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 part fresh herbs or 1/2 part dried herbs
• 2 parts raw apple cider vinegar

Course Condiments, Home Remedies Servings Ingredients 1 part fresh herbs or 1/2 part dried herbs 2 parts raw apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Wash and prepare the herbs. Remove stems and chop if necessary. (Garlic should be chopped.)
2. Place herbs in a clean glass jar with a plastic lid and store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks. ** See recipe notes
3. After 4-6 weeks, strain the herbs from your vinegar and transfer your vinegar to a clean bottle. Don't forget to label and date your herbal vinegar. Your herbal vinegar will keep for up to a year.

Recipe Notes

I specifically avoided giving exact measurements for this recipe.  Feel free to make as little or as much herbal vinegar as you would like.  I enjoy experimenting with different combinations of herbs in small batches.  Rather than make one large batch, it fun to have a wide variety of herbal vinegar in small batches.

Avoid using metal near vinegar.  It will react and cause your lid to rust.

Recipe by Jennifer Prentice @ www.myhealthyhomemadelife.com

Recipe can be found at www.myhealthyhomemadelife.com/recipe/making-herbal-vinegar/

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