Herb infused vinegars are easy to make but they pack a big punch in the kitchen. Make them by simply pouring vinegar over a big handful of fresh herbs and letting it steep. Choose apple cider, white wine, white balsamic, and other good quality vinegars as your base. Simple white vinegar will be difficult to improve much no matter how many herbs you pack in.
It’s best to make your initial infusion in a large Mason jar then strain out the herbs when pouring into a sterilized vinegar bottle. The herbs will start to flavor the vinegar in just 24 hours, but it will become more prominent after a few weeks. Let your sense of taste be your guide when determining if it is ready or not.
Feel free to add a few herbs to the bottles to give it that homemade look, but they are best strained out after a month or so to prevent spoiling. However, once infused vinegars start getting used as salad dressing and bread dip, I’m sure it won’t last that long!
You can pack really any herb that you want into the infusion. Some of the combinations that I love are:
Parsley, Rosemary & Sage
Pack a handful of with parsley, rosemary & sage in a jar with ½ rice vinegar and ½ white wine vinegar for a rich flavored vinegar that’s a bit sweet and perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.
Fennel & Citrus
Add fresh fennel or crushed fennel seeds with the zest of one lemon, lime, and orange to apple cider vinegar. This bright and fruity combination pairs well with a spinach salad filled with mandarin slices and toasted almonds.
Tarragon & Garlic
Fresh tarragon sprigs and garlic cloves are all that is needed to make this fine vinegar usually reserved for gourmet grocery store shelves. Use a delicate white wine vinegar to ensure the sweet but earthy tarragon flavour has a chance to shine.
Once you have created your infused delights, pour into bottles with a spout and cap and package in wine boxes.
I used the Rustic labels for this project because they remind me of the Tuscan countryside. What a perfect match to label bottles of my Homegrown Herb Infused Vinegars. Wrapped up in matching boxes they look even better than the vinegars from the gourmet grocery!
Helpful Links
- Tall Labels • I chose the “Rustic” style in green, sage, and tangerine.
- Large Bottle Labels • I chose the “Rustic” style in green, sage, and tangerine.
- Fancy Square Monogram Labels • I chose the “Rustic” style in green, sage, and tangerine.
- Wine Boxes • I chose wine boxes in the color Kraft.
More homemade gift ideas…
Shop Our Food/Craft Collection:
• Food/craft labels
• Food/craft tags
• Canning Labels
Shop Our Holiday Collection
• Holiday Labels
• Holiday Gift Tags
• Holiday Coasters
• Holiday Wine Labels
• Holiday CD/DVD Labels
• Holiday Photo Cards – NEW!
• Holiday Note Cards
• Holiday Buttons
• Holiday Address Labels
• Holiday Postage Stamps
• Entire Holiday Collection
Stephanie Rose is a gardener who lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she has grown over 100 edibles, 400 perennials, and countless other plants in her small urban yard; a hobby that continues to grow with each season. Stephanie writes DIY garden projects, yummy recipes and crafty goodness at Garden Therapy where she hopes you will find something to inspire you to get outside for a little, well, garden therapy.
Can you recommend a source for the bottles and spouts?
Hi Hugh,
I bought mine locally from a gourmet food supply store, but here are some that I found online:
This is similar to mine which was 16 oz: http://amzn.to/UNK8wG
This one is smaller (8.5oz) but comes with a cork which is nice: http://amzn.to/TmkjCA
Here is a set of 2 bottles with plastic caps for the spout: http://amzn.to/SoU3Z9. Each bottle is 16 oz I think.
I hope that this helps!
~ Stephanie from Garden Therapy