Add spices, herbs, fruity combos to make your own blend
Bottling The Essence Of Summer
Despite erratic weather, summery crops are filling the kitchen, which today smells like ripe peaches and basil, a delectable combination. One of my favorite summer tasks is turning ripe fruit into savory vinegars to add spunk to salads and a sparkly snap to sauces and marinades. Besides the fabulous peach and basil combo (an experiment that seems VERY promising), I’m also making a few bottles of my favorite tangerine vanilla bean, both with a base of organic cider vinegar.
Though I usually make several dozen bottles for gifts, this year I’m settling on just a few. Family issues are adding up and I’m finding myself needing to back down from my usual (possibly excessive) enthusiasm. Moderation, now there’s an idea worth trying. So is self care, something that requires some creative exploration these days. The usual suggestions aren’t always satisfying, or not for long. When I find myself working puzzles with passionate intensity, it’s time to step away from the table. Walking is still helpful, especially when I’m also listening to birds singing and noting which plants they favor for seeds and bug snacks.
Garden Sharing
Small as my garden is, it’s fascinating to see how many birds and other critters are making themselves at home here. Watching them busily making their own living in the garden, it feels like that’s what a garden is actually for after all. All our human enjoyment is lovely, of course, but my deepest satisfaction now comes from seeing such a wide array of pollinators hard at work all day long. I love seeing birds sipping on nectar and nibbling on lettuce seeds as well as catching spiders and aphids.
About That Vinegar
There aren’t a lot of fancy tricks to making fruit vinegars; for starters, choose a base vinegar that will let the fruits and herbs shine, cider being my go-to. Use a non-reactive saucepan made of stainless steel or enamel, not copper, cast iron, or aluminum. Let each fruit vinegar batch mellow in a large glass jar for at least a week before the final straining and bottling in smaller sterile containers. Labeling the batch jars with the timing schedule definitely helps ensure a pleasant end result. Store fruit vinegars in a cupboard or the fridge, as warmth and light can cloud them and may encourage funky bacterial growth.
Peach & Basil Vinegar
3 cups organic cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups peeled, chopped peaches
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, add peaches, remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Put basil in a half-gallon glass canning jar, pour in hot vinegar and fruit, cover and infuse in the fridge for 7-10 days, tasting daily until it’s just right. Strain through several layers of cheese cloth, muslin or a coffee filter into smaller sterilized bottles and seal. Refrigerate or use within 3 months. Makes about 3 cups.
Nectarine & Vanilla Bean Vinegar
3 cups cider vinegar
2 cups finely chopped ripe nectarines
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, add nectarines and vanilla bean, remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Pour it all into a half-gallon glass canning jar, cover and infuse in the fridge for 7-10 days, tasting daily until it’s just right. Strain through several layers of cheese cloth, muslin or a coffee filter into smaller sterilized bottles and seal. Refrigerate or use within 3 months. Makes about 3 cups.
Got from scratch pineapple (with piloncillo and vanilla bean), and strawberry from our fruit working currently – mother from some of last years stock – great fun to do!
The vanilla bean is magical with certain things, and pineapple sounds lovely!