December 22, 2024

VIDEO: How to Preserve Herbs, Vegetables and Fruit in Vinegars as Holiday Gifts


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Making flavored vinegars is a great way to capture the aromas of herbs and other home-grown produce. They made beautiful, tasty gifts, and best of all, they’re very easy to make.

You can exercise your creative flair when making vinegars, but to get it right and ensure food safety you’ll need to follow a few golden rules. Our short video will show you how to prepare and bottle your own infusions to create flavor combinations that will transform mealtimes.

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14 thoughts on “VIDEO: How to Preserve Herbs, Vegetables and Fruit in Vinegars as Holiday Gifts

  1. It should be noted that this is what is done in the classical professional kitchen with produce that is past its prime…those raspberries were table ready!

  2. Try making your own vinegar. This works for red wine, white wine or champagne. Any wine type of can be used. I like using a jug wine, such as a barbarone; it is inexpensive and makes a wine vinegar that is better than any store bought.

    Pour the wine into a one-gallon jar, up to 3/4 full. (The acetobacter need air.) Cover the mouth with cheese cloth or a paper coffee filter. I found there was an issue with evaporation because of the size of the opening, so cover 75% of the opening with plastic wrap. This will allow air into the jar, and reduce evaporation.

    Place the covered jar in a warm area away from direct sunlight. And wait. (The cooler the storage area, the longer the process takes.)

    So where do the acetobacter come from and what are they? What they are is a bacteria that feed on the alcohol in the wine. Their waste product is . . . acidic. It can be found floating freely in the air. You could just wait around for it to eventually find its way into your jug, or you can jump start it by adding a splash of compatible vinegar from you cupboard.

    Even though the store bought vinegar is pasteurized, often a few bacteria survive the process. If you ever noticed your store bought vinegar become slightly cloudy, it is because some bacteria are still present and have started to multiply. Agitate the bottle before adding a tablespoon or so of vinegar to your wine. (You can continue to add the dregs from last night's dinner, throughout, just don't over fill the jar.)

    You will notice your wine become cloudy and a mass begin to form. That mass is known as "mother of vinegar" and is a "colony" of acetobacter. Once you have mother, you can use it to seed your next batch of vinegar. I suggest that you only use red mother for red wine vinegar, white mother for white vinegar, etc.

    How do you know when the vinegar is ready? Two ways; by taste/smell, (the acetobacter are harmless) and by titration. When tasting your vinegar, compare it to your store bought vinegar and make a judgement call. Does it taste right/smell to you? Titration is the scientific process for determining the acid level in vinegar (and other things) and enables you to determine the exact percentage of acid, present. It can be done easily in your kitchen and makes a fun science project for the kids. The step by step process can be found on line.

    Ok, now you have home made vinegar; what next? Filter it. Strain it several times, starting with something like a kitchen strainer with larger holes, and finishing with cheese cloth or a coffee filter. The idea is to remove the mother as completely as possible. Then, pasteurize it to destroy any bacteria still floating about. (Instructions can also be found, you guessed it; on line.)

    Once filtered and pasteurized, bottle it and seal it. Use empty wine bottles, old vinegar bottles or what ever. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. I keep some in the fridge for ready use.

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