Spirited Vinegars

Enlarge Image Image Gallery

ONE OF THE JOYS of growing and using herbs is the connection and continuity it provides. For example, when I pick and use sage, I know that others have cooked with it for thousands of years, to say nothing of using it to promote wisdom, long life, and good health. So, too, is the connection I feel with vinegar. To some, vinegar may be just a sharp-tasting liquid for pickles and salads, but for me, vinegar not only opens history’s doors, but also improves the flavors of many foods and provides a creative outlet for using herbs, spices, fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Herb and flower vinegars soften my skin and hair, offer a safe, all-purpose household cleaner, and make great gifts besides.

Among the oldest foods and medicines known to man, vinegar is one of those provident occurrences without written record of its first appearance. Since vinegar is the next natural step after alcoholic fermentation, no doubt it occurred when someone let wine sit too long. We do know that the earliest written references to wine and vinegar were about 5,000 b.c., with vinegar a commonplace medicine in Babylonia at that time. Over the centuries, vinegar became indispensable as a way to preserve and enhance foods as well as a curative and cosmetic.

Today, vinegar may not be considered essential in daily life, but a trip to the supermarket shows that it still holds great appeal. Even the most modest grocery will have plain distilled, apple cider, and red and white wine vinegars, while gourmet shops will have any number of flavored vinegars, none of which can compare to what herb gardeners have been making for years. Amazingly easy to make, flavored vinegars are often the first project for beginning herb garden­ers, yet even seasoned herb gardeners continue to make them because they have merit beyond ease. Redolent with herbs and other flavorings, these vinegars offer an opportunity for creativity both in the making and in the using.

Although making your own vinegar from wine is possible, it isn’t easy even with specialized equipment. Flavoring purchased vinegars, on the other hand, is virtually foolproof.

Choose a vinegar

The first consideration in flavoring vinegar is to decide what type of vinegar to use. The most widely available is distilled white vinegar, and although I’ve tasted excellent flavored vinegars made with distilled vinegar, generally I feel that the flavor is a little harsh. Apple cider vinegar is the second most common. The best of these, usually made from organic apples and fermented in wooden barrels, have a rich, fruity flavor. Check the label to be sure you’re not getting “cider-flavored” vinegar, which is distilled white vinegar with caramel coloring. Cider vinegar is good to use with intensely flavored herbs such as horseradish, hot pepper, dill, garlic, shallots, nasturtium flowers and leaves, and garlic chives as well as spices.