Showing posts with label vinegar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vinegar. Show all posts

9.13.2024

Spicy Lemon Pepper Vinegar


Lemon Pepper Vinegar. Story is I grew these peppers thinking they would be a bit hot and fruity. Well here is the definition of these hot little devils. 

" Hot Lemon chili peppers, botanically classified as Capsicum baccatum, are an heirloom variety that belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family. The brightly colored peppers are spicy, ranging 15,000 to 30,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, and are known for their steady burn mixed with intense, fruity flavors"

Prior to ever knowing the heat of these beauties I decided to make a Red Wine Vinegar with them once they had dried out !


The instruction for drying is on this post. But wait you can do this when the peppers are fresh. Why not !

This is super simple the tools you need are mote then likely in your pantry. Get a bottle and you all know I save my bottles.

Tools

  • Peppers (Dried or Fresh) 
  • Bottle or Container
  • Funnell
  • Gloves for your hands if using fresh peppers
  • Red Wine Vinegar (You can make you own)


Have everything ready. Start by making sure your bottle is clean. Place the amount of peppers into the bottle. After tasting my finish product three would have been more than enough. It was Spicy ! 

So many peppers have so many different effects on flavor. I put a few to many thinking the taste of the Red Wine Vinegar was strong. Well indeed it was but those peppers yikes. Note the tops of my peppers remain. I do this to keep all the seeds inside the pepper.


Alright now grab you Red Wine Vinegar. I will usually use my home made vinegar but as I have just arrived in my new home in the forest I have yet to brew some up.









Alright and now you can pour the vinegar into the bottle. Leave a little room at the top about an inch. This is just for safety. Nothing is going to bubble or change. Once this is done you can seal the bottle with the cap and put in a cool pantry or cupboard for a least three weeks. 




So there you have it. I have used mine for chili's and other recipes that call for Hotter than S***** seasoning. But I have made others here is a link to the Tarragon Vinegar I made. Yumm on fish !

9.09.2020

Recipe for Homemade Vinegar


Making vinegar you ask? Why would anyone want to make their own when it is so cheap to buy. Well my friends that Balsamic top grade vinegar is costly. Once you taste your homemade vinegar you will never turn back. The other wonderful thing is once you have the "mother" to make the vinegar you can use that for years to come. Some of the best vinegars makers in France claim to be using the same mother they started with over 40 years ago. 




I bought the book in the above picture over 4 years ago and have enjoyed making vinegar for myself and friends. Also Homemade Vinegar makes wonderful Holiday or Hostess gift. There are a few things you should know before you start. You will need a Mother of Vinegar. You can get this on line or take some Braggs organic vinegar from the store and the slimy stuff on the bottom of the jar is the mother. I buy mine for specific flavors and once I have it it is good forever. Making different flavors of vinegar is universal and almost identical.  




The basic rules are for you to combine fermented liquid (beer, wine or hard cider) with the "mother" at a ratio of 1 to 3. That turns out to be an 8 ounce bottle of "mother" plus 24 ounces of fermented liquid. There are tools you will need. Here is a simple list.

*** Use only wine without added sulfites*** Organic



I know that you can not find wine in USA that do not have sulfites. I purchased mine from a wine store that has European Wines. In Europe they ban the use of sulfites in wine. If it says it has any it will be natural sulfates. The sulfites added to American wines are a synthetic food additive. All wines have it but Organic and natural wines have none added. 


Tools

  • A large glass or ceramic jar
  • Vinegar Mother
  • Fermented liquid
  • Cheesecloth and a rubber band
Five easy steps

  • Wash the jar you are going to be using. 
  • Combine the "mother" and alcohol in the container. Cover with a double layer of cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Store in a dark place for 3 weeks. Light will disturb the process and you will not get good vinegar.
  • After 3 weeks, dip a ladle or a spoon into the vinegar and take out a small amount. 
  • Put a few drops on a piece of white bread to taste it. Bread diffuses the intense harsh flavor of the vinegar. It also makes sure your throat does not burn from the high acid level. If your vinegar is not ready yet, come back every few days to see if you like the flavor.
  • Strain your vinegar with a cheesecloth, jelly strainer, coffee filter or paper towel. You want to reuse the solid's this is your "mother" 
        

Here are two pictures of the vessel once the empty one after we strained the vinegar. As you notice it is grungy but that is good. Also this to the right is a picture of the "mother" that is left from the Red Wine Vinegar. I know it looks gross but it is what it is. 





Here is a sample of the bottles I use. I save them all year long. It is always good as a food preserver to have them on hand. Save money and do not buy Goo Gone just soak the bottles in hot water with mild soap. I wait until I have enough to fill a small 5 quart paint bucket and sit them all up so they all get the warm water on their labels. Some will need a little help from a scouring pad. 



Well Good Luck with this adventure it is great to eo and once you start you will always have the "mother" base for your next bottle of vinegar. 

7.09.2017

Cherry-Mint Shrub



Cherry Mint Shrub yes this summer as long as I am preserving my jam's I will add a new shrub to the list. I just got my shipment of fresh cherries from the Washington State Fruit Board and NW Cherries. I am so honored and delighted to be a part of their program. A big shout out to them!






Ingredients

2 cups chopped cherries
1/2 cup fresh peppermint leaves
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup apple cinder vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar



Place the cherries, mint and sugar into a medium bowl. Stir to combine. I always give you little tips on the things we make and preserve. I will spend about an hour stirring and combining to make sure I get everything together and dissolved.

My hubby "Pa" cut the end of some old wooden spoons for me and I use them for all thing's. They are so great for the bottom of flat pans to get everything off the bottom that likes to hide.








Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 day. I switched the recipe up a bit. I will take the mixture out of the refrigerator and add the vinegar's the next day.















I will then return it to the refrigerator to sit for an additional day. I think that the longer it gets to sit together the better the combination is going to be. So far this method has worked for me and everyone is still alive! 

 Now you are ready to strain this lovely combo. Remove the cover and stir your ingredients. Place a piece of cheese cloth over your bowl and slowly pour the ingredients over the bowl.

* I secure my cheese cloth with a rubber band and wash your hands

I leave the ingredients to strain for about an hour then slowly remove cheese cloth so as to be able to hold it and squeeze it until all the liquid is in the container.






 Now you should have a beautiful dark liquid to pour into your mason jar. Look you can see me waving in the reflections. So cute I am! Once it is in a container secure the top and return to the refrigerator for one week to sit prior to using it.





 Enjoy this and all our Shrub recipes !






6.01.2017

Three Berry Shrub with Lavender


I am relatively new to the whole Shrub comeback. Perhaps I have just put so much time into the Jam World that all else has gone astray. I happen to have a beautiful Lavender bush or two in the yard and beside having it to scatter around the house for the smell and drying it out for recipes I never gave Shrub a second thought.

I did purchase a book all about Shrub and it's history and it is great. It is called Shrub (DUH) the author is Michael Dietsch.
It is great and the recipes are so scrumptious.





Ingredients

1 cup mixed berries
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup champagne vinegar
4 springs lavender





I adapted the recipe from one in the book. It is different ingredients but the same principle.

First place all your berries into a bowl and add the sugar. Stir to combine and smash a bit to get the process going. Make sure the sugar dissolves prior to covering for the berry nap time.

Place the Berries and sugar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.




Put your vinegar into a small separate bowl. Add your lavender sprigs to it and let it sit in a cool dark place for up to 2 days. Cover with a plastic wrap or cheese cloth either will do.

The point of the two bowls and the sitting is so the flavors join together prior to making a party out of them both.




It is pretty amazing how much of the vinegar the lavender soaks up. It is thirsty. After one day a full 24 hours you can add the vinegar to the berries. Let this sit an additional 24 hours n the refrigerator.



 I find that every time I open the refrigerator I try stirring and smashing the berries to get more juice.



Now is the time for you to strain your mixture.  Pour all your mixture into a strainer or a double layer of cheese cloth. You can even use a fine strainer. I have found that using a strainer like I use for my jelly is quite time consuming. It takes a couple of hours to strain through without help.

I encourage everyone to experiment with the process that works best for you. I have done my Shrubs several different way's.


When I used the jelly strainer I took it off when it was close to drained out and squeezed the dickens out of it. I then took the macerated fruit mixture and put it into a mason jar and froze it to use with another recipe.

I do not waste. I always try to find new way's to use stuff. Put your shrub into a bottle that has a secured top. I use a bottle that I use to keep vinegar in or what not. It has a small rubber gasket on the top to keep air out. Your shrub should be kept in the refrigerator and will stay good for up to 6 month's





Here you see a beautiful drink of soda water and shrub I added some Dehydrated Lemons and Blood Oranges. Oh yes and the snap pea's I made a Quick Pickled Snap Pea's fresh out of the garden.

Life is good!

3.19.2017

Blueberry Lavender Shrub


This is the first Shrub I ever attempted. It is part of the FIJ Challenge I am participating in. All that information is at the end of this post. I have heard of Shrub's through my canning time but never attempted it.

What is a Shrub you ask? That is such a very complex subject that I will have to try to break it down. My answer is a bit simple but to the point. It is a fruit and vinegar based drink additive. It is simple to make and delicious to add to any beverage.




But the word Shrub itself is long lost relative of the Arabic word Scarab! 

It's complex but the history is fascinating.

I got the book Shrub by Michael Dietsch.

And that is where we will start with a simple and delicious Shrub going by the name

Blueberry Lavender Shrub. 




Ingredients

1 Pint of Blueberries
1 Cup of Sugar
8-10 Lavender Sprigs
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

To start I am lucky to have some beautiful lavender in my garden.


Wash your blueberries and lavender !




To start in 2 separate bowls. Place your blueberries into the bowl with the cup of sugar and crush then stir the two ingredient's to combine them.

Cover the bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can check it each morning and crush or stir as needed.




Next in the other smaller bowl put your vinegar and lavender sprigs.
Make sure the bowl is non-reactive store this in a dark and cool area. I use my pantry. No refrigeration necessary!







I did the straining a bit different than the book called out. I gathered all the necessary equipment. My stuff , the book, strainer and bottles the scrub will go into.

First I removed the lavender sprigs smooched them to remove any yummy liquid tossed the sprigs into the compost bin. I mixed my vinegar into the larger bowl with the blueberries and stirred it and let it sit for a few hours to mix together in merry mix-time!





I let this sit for 2 hours it was a happy mix ! I used my hands to mush more. I always glove up when doing any kind of preserving.






I don't care how many time I wash my hands I want to know nothing got into my jar's but the ingredients.



 Alrighty now it is time to strain.











Position your fine-mesh strainer over the bowl. Your bags should let most of the liquid go thru. It takes a while so leave it to drain naturally. This could take an hour.

















I smooched the bag. I found this time the looser I left the bag in my hands to smooch the better it released the liquid. 


 No sure yet what but something will come to mind. I waste nothing.







The smooch stuff that is left I put into a small bowl as you see right to the left. Oh and note the gloves LOL. I froze the smooch so I have time to decide what to do with it. I think to blend it and make a nice marinate might be great!  










I chose a couple of bottles to store it in. One is just the standard Salad Dressing bottle the other is one from my collection of bottles. I never throw away a good bottle. the uses are endless.

Well I sure did enjoy this Challenge from Food in Jar's. I still need to get some Jelly made. I will attempt this perhaps this afternoon.




Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Agricultural Extension Service for additional information and available classes.


10.04.2012

Tarragon Herb Vinegar

Making Flavored Vinegar is amazing and easy.
This is my time of year to do the easy stuff to get ready for gift giving time. Through out the year I clean and collect bottles and jars. By the time October get's here I am ready to fill them with all kind of stuff from the yard to kitchen.
The most famous method of preserving Tarragon is in vinegar. The vinegar leaches the delicate flavor from the fresh sprigs and allows it to be used in salad dressings and many other dishes requiring vinegar, including pickling.

As you know I save bottles all year to make gifts through out the year. For making these you can use the bottle the vinegar came in. I use different color of pepper corns in my vinegars. Because I do a lot of preserves and pickles I have a good variety of pepper corns. You can add a clove of garlic but I do not I want pure tarragon taste for salads.It is really fun to play with different ingredients but please do your homework before adding things you are not sure of.

Some of the bottles I saved

Now filled

 Equipment Used


1 bottle of good quality apple cider vinegar
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh Tarragon, washed and patted dry
3 or 4 pepper corns, optional
* Clean sanitized bottle

To Do

1. Place the fresh Tarragon sprigs in the bottle with pepper corns.
2. Fill the bottle with the vinegar and seal tightly.
3. Place the bottle on a sunny window sill for two weeks, gently shaking the bottle every day or so to  mix the flavors of the herbs
4. Add your own decorative label

STORAGE: These herb vinegars are quite attractive and can be stored on the counter top, pantry or kitchen cupboard.

USES: This flavored vinegar is great in marinades for meat and poultry, in salad dressings and many other recipes requiring vinegar.

The go to website I use for all thing preserve and get the answer I want without the advertising etc is Preserve Your Harvest  this site has the cutest labels also ... go there you will be hooked.