Canning jar of appropriate size for your recipe with a plastic lid, or a metal lid lined with a piece of natural wax paper
Fresh herbs (see below for suggestions)
Vinegar of choice
Labeling materials
Straining cloth; either muslin cloth, tighter-weave cheesecloth, cotton gauze fabric, or a clean old T-shirt
Flip-top bottle or used glass vinegar bottle to store your finished vinegar
This recipe is a celebration of spring! Therefore, I encourage you to gather whatever seasonal herbs feel most exciting to you. I’ve listed a number of possibilities below; you can combine them in any proportions you desire—just be sure to pick enough to loosely pack a Mason jar of your choice. One suggestion is to gather a handful of each or any of the following herbs, freshly picked and not dried. Or try making your own version from whatever darlings are springing up in your garden and fields.
Violet, leaf and flowers ( Viola spp.)
Dandelion, leaf and flowers ( Taraxacum officinale )
Stinging nettles, leaf ( Urtica dioica )
Cleavers, leaf and stem ( Galium aparine )
Chickweed, herb ( Stellaria media )
Plantain, leaf ( Plantago spp.)
Purple dead nettle, leaf and flowers ( Lamium purpureum )
Mint, leaf ( Mentha sp.)
Garlic mustard, leaf ( Alliaria petiolata )
Creasy greens, leaf ( Barbarea verna )
Please be 150% sure of your identification before gathering any plants.
If you aren’t familiar with some of these wild herbs, you can substitute emerging herbs from your garden, like lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis ), spearmint (Mentha x spicata), and bee balm ( Monarda didyma ).
Wash your fresh herbs, chop them coarsely, and combine them in a sterilized glass jar (choose any size based on how much vinegar you’d like to make). Note that the proportions are not exact; the tighter you pack the herbs, the stronger the vinegar will be flavored.
Top off with your vinegar of choice—completely cover the herbs with vinegar. It may be helpful to tamp them down with a sterilized kitchen instrument.
Cap with a plastic lid or a regular mason jar lid lined with natural wax paper (to avoid corrosion of the lid by the vinegar).
Label the jar with the name of the herb(s), date, and type of vinegar. Cover the label with clear packing tape.
Place in a dark cabinet for four to six weeks.
Strain through a cloth—either muslin cloth, tighter-weave cheesecloth, cotton gauze fabric, or a clean old T-shirt. Be sure to press out all the vinegar when you strain by either wringing out the herbs in the cloth or pressing out the plant material with a potato ricer or similar press.
Pour the strained vinegar into a sterilized jar with a plastic lid, and label with the ingredients and date.
Store in the refrigerator and use within six months to one year.
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