Tag: canning

How to Make Infused Vinegar + 3 Easy Recipes to Try Now
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There are so many ways you can use fresh herbs from your garden, but this is my new favourite! Herb-infused vinegar gives you practically unlimited flavour combinations that you can use on salads, as dips, or even by the spoonful. Here’s how to make herb vinegar, plus a few of my favourite combinations to get you started.

I love love love herbs. They are a delicious, beautiful, and healing part of my garden that has become integral to my daily life.

I’m always looking for different ways to get more herby goodness into my life, which is why I have started making herb-infused vinegar more and more lately.

These vinegars are amazing to use with cooking, adding so much flavour even long after the herbs themselves are gone. If you have extra herbs and want to preserve their flavour in a fun way, give one of my herb vinegar recipes below.

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You can use all kinds of vinegar and herbs to make custom flavour combinations.

DIY Herb Vinegar

Don’t think I’m the originator of this fabulous idea, however. Herb vinegar is a traditional herbal preparation method that has been used for hundreds of years. Not only will it preserve the flavour profile of the herbs, but it will also keep the health benefits intact as well.

These infused vinegars are a great alternative to an alcohol-based tincture if you want an herbal extract that doesn’t contain alcohol. Plus, these kinds of vinegar are delicious!

There are so many different tasty kinds of vinegar out there and endless combinations of herbs that you can use to create a custom artisanal vinegar blend that’s all your own. I have a few favourite recipes that I’ll share below, but I hope you use them as a jumping-off point to get even more creative with your herb/vinegar mixtures.

These vinegars can be used for cooking as well as herbal recipes and tinctures.

What Kind of Vinegar Should I Use?

In addition to the many health benefits of herbs, vinegar itself can also have positive effects.

It is a good idea to invest in quality vinegars (especially fruit vinegar like apple cider) to get the most healthful and delicious infusion.

Plus, the flavour profile will change immensely depending on which type of vinegar you use as the base. Here are a few options to try:
- Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples and is often used in natural wellness recipes (such as fire cider).
- Rice vinegar is a delicate, lovely vinegar made from…you guessed it, fermented rice! This type of vinegar is commonly used in Asian cooking.
- White vinegar is one of the most inexpensive and most-used types around. The flavour tends to be sharp and intense, so I typically will not use this one on its own. You can easily use a 1:1 ratio of this with another vinegar.
- White wine vinegar often gets confused with white vinegar, but this type is made from fermented white wine and is quite a bit sweeter.
- Balsamic vinegar is arguably the most popular type of vinegar. This sweet, thick vinegar is dark in colour and pairs nicely with fruits as well as herbs for infusion.
Apple cider vinegar is a great choice to make infused vinegar for salad dressings.

Tips for Infusing Vinegar

It’s best to make your initial infusion in a large Mason jar, then strain out the herbs when pouring it into a sterilized vinegar bottle.

Making infused vinegar is somewhat quick, too. The herbs will start to flavour the vinegar in just 24 hours, but the taste of the herbs will become more prominent after a few weeks.

There’s no rule as to when it must be ready by. Instead, let your sense of taste be your guide when determining if your herb vinegar is ready or not.

Use fresh herbs for your infused vinegar to get the best taste.

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 your custom infused vinegar starts getting used as salad dressing and bread dip, I’m sure it won’t last that long!

Once infused, you can strain out your herbs and place your infusion in a vinegar bottle.

Infused Vinegar Combinations to Try

You can pack really any herbs that you want into the infusion. Some of the combinations that I love are:

Parsley, Rosemary, and Sage Infused Vinegar

Pack a handful of parsley, rosemary, and sage in a jar with ½ rice vinegar and ½ white wine vinegar for a rich flavoured vinegar that’s a bit sweet and perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.

Fennel and Citrus Infused Vinegar

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 with mandarin slices and toasted almonds.

Tarragon and Garlic Infused Vinegar

Fresh tarragon sprigs and garlic cloves are all that is needed to make this fine vinegar, which is usually reserved for gourmet grocery store shelves. Use delicate white wine vinegar to ensure the sweet but earthy tarragon flavour has a chance to shine.

Add a custom label and fresh herb sprig to make this the perfect hostess gift!

Herb Infused Vinegar FAQ

What is the shelf life of herb-infused vinegar?

When using fresh herbs, the shelf life is about six months to a year after you infuse and strain the herbs.

When I give herb-infused vinegar as gifts, I like to add a fresh sprig after I infuse it for aesthetics. However, the vinegar is only good for about a month before it will spoil, so keep this in mind.

Should I store my herb-infused vinegar in the fridge?

You can store it in the fridge to help it last longer, but it’s definitely not necessary. I store mine in the cabinet, and it’s completely fine. It gets used well within the six months.

What is herb-infused vinegar used for?

I use my herb vinegar as salad dressings or as a bread dip. You can also add it to vegetables while cooking, or in place of vinegar any time it’s required in a recipe for added flavour.

As you can see, making your own infused vinegar is a simple DIY that any gardener can take advantage of! Which one will you try first?

Love Herbs? You Might Like These Posts
DIY Herb Infused Vinegar

Use your garden herbs and make an easy herb-infused vinegar. The combinations are endless- here’s how to make a batch of your own!

Cook Time5 minutes

Infusion time1 day

Total Time1 day 5 minutes

Course: Seasoning

Cuisine: miscellaneous

Keyword: herbs, vinegar

Servings: 32 tbsp

Calories: 3kcal

12-16 oz vinegar of your choice

1-2 handfuls herbs of your choice

In a large mason jar, add herbs and vinegar. Muddle with a wooden spoon.

Let it sit about 24 hours, then strain out the herbs and pour the vinegar into a sterilized container.

Enjoy as salad dressing, bread dip, or by the spoonful!

Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 3kcal
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Stephanie Rose

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October 22, 2024
The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. – Garden Therapy
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If you like old-fashioned fermented sour pickles then you will want to learn this recipe. Real deli-style pickles cost around $7 per jar in my area, but I can make 10 pounds of organic sour pickles for just $20! And they’re perfectly crunchy, and full of garlic, don’t you worry.

Many years ago I acquired some beautiful old pickling crocks and I was eager to put them to use. After lugging home a giant bag of fresh cukes, I followed a recipe for pickling them in the crock. It was a disaster. My brine turned into a stinky, moldy mess and the cucumbers turned out soggy. I ended up throwing out the whole batch, discouraged.

Each year, I would see ten-pound bags of pickling cucumbers and a bouquet of dill in the arms of people leaving the farmers’ market. Green with envy, I asked the market vendor to please give me some tips on making sour pickles so I could try again.

I did my best to remember the recipe and ran home to try it right away. I’m so glad that I did because this is now my go-to pickle recipe that I can’t wait to make year after year.

And now I’m sharing it with you! This post will cover…

Garlic, fresh dill, and spices help give the pickles their delicious taste.

Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe

I did not invent this recipe, but it seems to be the most commonly used methodology out there, and it works every time without fail. The pickles are garlicky, crunchy, and delightfully sour.

Ingredients

See recipe card below for exact measurements.

Jump to Recipe
- Fresh-picked pickling cucumbers
- Kosher salt
- Boiling water (non-chlorinated or filtered)
- Cold water (non-chlorinated or filtered)
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh, flowering dill
- Coriander seed
- Whole black pepper
- Chilli peppers (optional)
Equipment

Make It!
1. The key to crunchy pickles is to be sure that you are using very fresh cucumbers. They should go from farm to canning jar in no more than 24 hours, and it’s essential to keep them chilled if you aren’t picking right away. Size doesn’t matter for flavour, just for preference.
2. Fill the sink with cold water and wash the cucumbers well. Remove any discoloured, bruised, or soft cucumbers. Be sure to get cucumbers that are not waxed.
3. To make the brine, bring 16 cups of water to a boil and add 2/3 cup of kosher salt. It’s important to use water that is non-chlorinated or filtered because you don’t want the minerals or chlorine to prevent fermentation.
4. Stir the salt to dissolve. Set the brine aside to cool while you pack the jars.
5. A cucumber has two different ends: the stem and the blossom end. Cut the blossom end off the cucumbers, or cut off both if you can’t figure it out. You can also slice the cucumbers if you choose. I like them whole.
6. Divide the garlic, dill flowers, dill leaves, spices, and optional chilli peppers among the jars.
7. Pack the cucumbers into the jars tightly, leaving enough headspace that the brine will cover them. The idea is to pack them into to jar so tightly that they won’t float up when the brine is added. You can also press a cucumber lengthwise across the upright pickles to pin them down.
8. Add the cold water to the brine to cool it down more. It should be at room temperature before pouring it on the cucumbers.
9. When cool, pour the brine over the cucumbers, herbs, and spices. Screw a plastic canning lid loosely onto the jar and set them on a counter to ferment.
10. “Burp” the pickles daily by loosening the cap and letting the air escape, then replacing the lid (loosely) again.
11. After three days, check the pickles for flavour. Keep fermenting them on the counter until you get the sourness you like, then move them to the fridge to slow down the process. Consume the pickles within a month.
Consume your pickles within 30 days, as they’re preserved through fermentation only.

FAQ About Making Sour Pickles

Should my mixture be cloudy after it begins to ferment?

Yes! When you burp the pickles each day, this will happen. Many table salts will have anticaking agents which can cause the cloudiness, but it won’t affect the taste of your pickles. To avoid the cloudiness, use pickling salt. Hard water can also cause cloudiness, so I use non-chlorinated or filtered water.

Does putting a grape leaf in the pickles make them crunchy?

It’s very common in pickle recipes to adda grape leaf. It’s believed that the grape leaf slowly releases tannins which help to keep the pickles crispy. In my experience, a grape leaf isn’t need if you use super fresh cucumbers to make the sour pickles.

Why are these pickles only good for a month?

These pickles are preserved through fermentation, so I like to consume them within a month. I also store them in the fridge to prolong their life.

After thirty days, they’re likely still okay to consume, but they will get more sour the older they are. For less pickles, halve the recipe or adjust as needed.

More Pickling Recipes to Try
Deli-Style Sour Pickles

These fermented pickles are perfectly crisp, sour, and full of garlic. Yum!

Prep Time1 hour

Cook Time30 minutes

Fermenting time3 days

Total Time3 days 1 hour 30 minutes

Keyword: pickled, sour pickles

Servings: 10 quart-size jars

10 pounds fresh-picked pickling cucumbers

⅓ cup kosher salt

16 cups boiling water (non-chlorinated or filtered)

8 cups cold water (non-chlorinated or filtered)

10 cloves fresh garlic

1 bunch fresh, flowering dill

5 tsp coriander seed

5 tsp whole black pepper

10 chilli peppers (optional)

Use the freshest, unwaxed cucumbers possible, keeping them chilled when not pickling. Wash cucumbers well in the sink, removing any bruised or discoloured cucumbers.

Bring 16 cups of water to a boil and add in the kosher salt, stirring to dissolve. Use non-chlorinated or filtered water so the minerals or chorine don’t affect fermentation. Let brine water cool.

Cut the blossom end (vs the stem end) of the cucumber off. You may also slice the cucumbers if you prefer.

Divide the garlic, dill leaves, dill flowers, spices, and chilli peppers among the jars.

Pack the cucumbers tightly into the jars so they don’t float up once the bring is added. Leave enough headspace for the bring to completely cover them.

Add cold water to the brine to cool it down more. It should be at room temperature before pouring on the cucumbers. Pour brine on the cucumbers, securing them with a lid.

Set the jar on the counter to ferment. “Burp” the pickles daily by letting the air escape and replace the lid loosely.

After three days, try a pickle for flavour. Keep fermenting until they’ve reached the sourness you prefer. Move to the fridge to store, and consume within 30 days.
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Stephanie Rose

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September 4, 2024
DIY Stovetop Potpourri: It’s Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas
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It’s amazing how scents whisk you away to another world: a memory or place recognizable by how it smells. Even during those days that I haven’t had my oven working overtime, it’s nice to fill my house with the welcoming aromas of the holidays, so I made up a few jars of stovetop potpourri to have on hand for the occasion.

Stovetop potpouri, also known as simmering spices, are easy to make by combining any fragrant botanicals, spices, and herbs and adding them to boiling water. This releases an all-natural fragrant steam that scents the air in your home.

You can simmer them on the stovetop or even use a crockpot, and the possible scent combinations are endless. You could make comforting, cozy scents to bring cheer to a cold, dreary day, decongestants to help with a cold or flu, or festive fragrances that will have your house smelling like the holidays in a jiffy.

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If you’re making a bunch of stovetop potpourri, measure out your ingredients beforehand.

What Scents Smell Like Christmas?

Christmas has a smell, perhaps like hot apple cider mixed with pine trees, oranges, and clove. At least, that is what it smells like for me.

You can use fresh or dried ingredients to make this Christmas simmer pot. If you’re making them to use for later or as a gift, only include dried ingredients. Fresh ingredients are good to use right away.

Here are some ingredient ideas for Christmas potpourri that are probably already in your spice rack, refrigerator, or pantry:

Cinnamon sticks and star anise are great for their visual impact.

How to Make Stovetop Potpourri

To make the stovetop potpourri, mix all of your chosen ingredients together. Since this is all about scent and not taste, measurements don’t have to be exact. I usually toss in the ingredients as I see fit.

But here’s an overall guideline you can use to help you determine how much to add depending on the ingredient:
- 1-2 sprigs for fresh herb or evergreen clippings like mint, rosemary, cedar, or pine.
- 2 cinnamon sticks or vanilla beans
- 1 tsp extracts (i.e. Vanilla)
- 2 dried fruit slices (i.e. apple, orange, lemon)
- 1 tbsp of spices, whole or ground
When using whole vs. ground spices, you’ll find that ground spices release their scent faster. However, they do collect at the bottom of the pot, so you do need to stir them now and then to prevent burning. Otherwise, whole spices will release their scent, but it will just take longer.

When you’re ready to use your stovetop potpourri, add the mixture into a pot of boiling water. Simmer on low heat and enjoy the scent! You can leave the mixture simmering all day long if you add more water now and then as it evaporates.

6 Stovetop Potpourri Recipes

You can stir up endless combinations of stovetop potpourri. Here are some of my tried-and-true Christmas stovetop potpourri recipes.

It’s Like Snowflakes Melting on Your Nose

This blend is cool, crisp, and fresh, like a woodland stroll in a winter wonderland. This is great for those who enjoy the crisp smell of fresh Christmas trees.

Sleepy Time

These soothing scents will help you relax and get ready for bed. Make a pot of this Christmas potpourri while you and your guests are winding down for the night.

Add instructions to your stovetop potpourri gifts so the receiver knows how to use them.

Pumpkin Spice

Make the whole house smell like yummy pumpkin spice with this blend. Fair warning: guests will think you have a pumpkin pie baking in the oven!

Apple Chai

Hot apple cider and Chai tea both have the coziest, most comforting scents. This blend combines the two spices to honour the cozy winter drinks.

Cold Virus Relief

Perfect for when you’re feeling stuffy and congested. Simmer this spice blend on the stove and pop a eucalyptus shower steamer in your morning shower. You’ll be feeling better in no time!

You can use stovetop potpourri all throughout the winter season.

It’s Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas Potpourri

Last but not least, this is my go-to blend to put on the stove for Christmas day before everyone comes over. This comforting blend of spices and savoury herbs smells just like Christmas!

Combine fresh and dried ingredients if you plan on using a batch right away.

Stovetop Potpourri as a Homemade Gift

A package of ingredients for a Christmas simmer pot is one of my favourite gifts to give out during the holiday season, especially for hostesses. You can customize them based on the person and add some gift wrap to really personalize it.

If you’re gifting them, don’t include any fresh ingredients. Fresh ingredients are only meant for use right away.

For my stovetop potpourri packages, I put mine in 250 ml Mason jars. On top of the jars, I designed some labels and tags on Evermine. You can make your own, too, customizing the canning labels and favour tags.

I also have some free printable labels you can download and print yourself. They come in lots of colours and allow you to write down the names of your own stovetop potpourri blends.

To top it off, I tie around some twine. You can then wrap it or add a gift tag. I have some great recycled gift wrappings ideas you can try out.

The packaging is what makes the gift so cute!

Frequently Asked Questions About Stovetop Potpourri

Can You Use Potpourri in a Slow Cooker?

Yes! You can make this Christmas potpourri on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Add boiling water and let the potpourri simmer on low heat. The smell will quickly waft through the house and turn it into a festive wonderland.

Add water as needed when you notice the levels getting low. And never leave it plugged in and unattended.

How Long Does Christmas Potpourri Last in a Jar?

In the jar, you’ll need to use dried ingredients rather than fresh ones. When done this way, your stovetop potpourri will last as long as your dried spices and herbs are good for. Generally, ground spices last 1-2 years and dried herbs last up to 3. The date of your oldest spice in the blend is how long it will be good for.

But because you won’t be consuming the spices, it’s also okay to use old spices. The younger the spices, however, the more fragrant it will be.

Once boiled, your potpourri can last 3-4 days as long as you keep topping up the water. Never leave it unattended!

Make a couple of different variations of stovetop potpourri to try out. Find your favourite scent!

More Ways to Make it Smell Like Christmas
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Stephanie Rose

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October 20, 2023