Herbal vinegars.

To: herblist <herbs.teleport.com>
Subject: Herb Vinegars
From: Russell Hansen <Russell.Hansen.qed.qld.gov.au>
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 11:26:08 +1000

Hi everyone,

I've let my bugeoning herb garden go to pot (so to speak). All the plants have outgrown themselves and the weeds are taking over. I know I should be shot, but with 30-40 degrees (celcius) heat here, gardening is the last thing on your mind. Now the weather's cooling down, I'm in a mad panic to salvage what has survived.

So, I know herb vinegars are a good way to preserve some herbs. The only thing is, I don't have a lot of uses for herb vinegars, so I'm looking for suggestions. I don't really like salad dressings, but I'm open to any other suggestions for using vinegar.

From: Mindy mvinqvist.mta.ca

> I don't really like salad dressings, but I'm open to any other suggestions for using vinegar.

Well, I have a suggestion, please don't think it's stupid or wasteful, and I haven't tried it myself, and if you're going to make the vinegar anyway and might not use it all in cooking... (oh all right, enough disclaimers)...but if diluted vinegar is a good hair rinse, wouldn't diluted herb vinegar be equally good but smell better?

Just a passing thought.

Any recipes that come to mind right now for vinegar wouldn't be suitable for herb vinegar as the flavor would be overpowered by the other ingredients (ie my rib sauce recipe would just not work). Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

From: jeason.midway.uchicago.edu (James Eason)

> I don't really like salad dressings, but I'm open to any other suggestions for using vinegar.

You can give it away as gifts (some of us would like to have some!). You can use it to clean with, those whose scents you approve of. You can substitute it for lemon or orange juice (at least theoretically) in sauces Bearnaise and hollandaise and maltaise. You can sell it to glitzy restaurants who like to put "locally grown Lemon Verbena vinegar" on their menus (yes, this actually works; the more recherche herbs are better, so long as they taste okay).

You can exchange it for zucchinis; )

From: jeason.midway.uchicago.edu (James Eason)

>> You can use it to clean with, those whose scents you approve of.
>How do you do this? Do you make your own cleaning solutions and add herbs? Can you share a recipe?

Good heavens, no! I'm too lazy to USE cleaning solutions, let alone MAKE them!

Just suggesting a way of making use of herbal vinegars. I actually do put lavender into distilled white vinegar (the cheapo kind in the big white plastic jugs) and use it to clean wooden floors, mirrors, and such things as I clean with vinegar. And, from other messages on the list, apparently you can use it in your hair. (BTW, I have a small bottle of lavender shampoo from France that cost $8.50, an absolutely outrageous sum, but it smells wonderful. I'm going to try to duplicate it this summer, and have been grateful for hints on this list.)

From: information-junkie <wallacec1.TIGER.UOFS.EDU>

Last year I made lavender vinegar. It's nothing I'd want to use for cooking, but I do use it for cleaning. Vinegar happens to be a great glass cleaner, and the house smells wonderful when I use the lavender variety. I also use it for laundry--a dash in the rinse water.

Carol

From: Karyn Siegel-Maier HerbalMuse.aol.com

You are correct....herbal vinegars do make excellent hair rinses. They cut excess oil if you have very oily hair, add shine and highlights (especiallyif you let your hair dry in the sun) and can ward off dandruff. They also serve as a nice rinse for your face (especially if you have dry areas) ...just dilute in half with warm water.

As for culinary uses - I use vinegars in rice. Instead of adding 2 cups water per each cup of rice, I use a combination of vegetable or chicken broth, white wine, and a few splashes of an herbal vinegar. You can also use vinegars as a marinade for vegetables, meats (especially before grilling!), or even add 1-2 tbls. with baking soda to pancake batter! This will make them rise and turn out fluffy, but use a vinegar of mild flavor (such as dill or caraway).

From: Stone_Haus_Farm@prodigy.com (MRS PAT E SWEETMAN)

Vinegar is reat for hair rinses...I use white (cheap) vinegar in a wine bottle. Use the zest of a couple of lemons. Let it set for a few days and use a cup in a pitcher of water for the last rinse in my hair. It is great for my VERY premature grey hair...gets rid of any yellowing that happens.

With this same vinegar I use it and baking soda to clean the rust out of my bathtub and if I use wine vinegar instead of the cheap stuff I can use the same vinegar in the pot roast or coles slaw.

Needless to say this all sometimes comfounds my extemely linear husband.

And lavender vinegar is the BEST after shower splash in the summer time.

Vinegar is a natural deodorizer and it feels really ood in the summer time to splash this on after a shower on a hot day.

I use cranberry/cinnamon vinegar everyday in the runners/arthritis tonic we take...

We could have a whole week on vinegars and the uses of them and types.

A cinnamon/allspice/clove apple cider vinegar is great as a marinade or use part instead of water when cooking pot roast.

From: Karyn Siegel-Maier HerbalMuse.aol.com

>Last year I made lavender vinegar. It's nothing I'd want to use for cooking, but I do use it for cleaning. Vinegar happens to be a great glass cleaner, and the house smells wonderful when I use the lavender variety. I also use it for laundry--a dash in the rinse water.

We use vinegar to clean the bathroom (tiles and the commode)...it's antiseptic and deters mold in the shower. We also use it to clear slow drains. Adding vinegar to the wash not only brightens (especially if you add borax or washing soda) but softens the water and reduces static cling in the dryer!

From: danielle benning <dbenning.inforamp.net>

Just a quick suggestion - herb vinegars are a great addition to simple marinades for beef and poultry.

From: danielle benning <dbenning.inforamp.net>

As for vinegars, you can use just about any herb. One of the purple basils will make a beautifully colored vinegar. My favorite is made with rose petals. Cut the white heels off the petals of a fragrant rose and pack them into vinegar. In a couple of weeks, strain out the petals. Use the vinegar with walnut oil to make a salad dressing for boston lettuce.

From: Stone_Haus_Farm.prodigy.com (MRS PAT E SWEETMAN)

Hi Jenny--General info about vinegars...

Warm the vinegar in a non-aluminum pan to just below simmer. NEVER boil the vinegar. Some people just do the combinations for the vinegar, put it in a bottle in a sunny window and let it steep for a couple of weeks.

Always used sterilized jars.
Make SURE no metal is touching the vinegar
After the vinegar is the flavor you want it remove the debris and either put fresh in (for looks) or not and store it in a cool dark place.
It will stay pretty for about a year.
Lavender vinegar does fade sooner.
If the flavor is too strong dilute it and allow to sit a few more days.

With fruit vinegars they need to steep for abut 3 weeks. But they only last 3 to 6 months without refrigeration. With refrigeration they last the longest.
You can use fresh or frozen fruit.

A GREAT way to use fruit vinegars is: base (Fruit vinegar)--2 T a little sugar, ice cubes and finish with a club soda, ginger ale, and a littel white wine if you like. Trust me on this one...it is wonderful in the summer time. Just don't tell your friends they are drinking vinegar.

Uses for fruit vinegar are more limited than regular vinegars, but you can substitute it anywhere it calls for lemon juice in recipes. I use fruit vinegars most always when I am deglazing a skillet.