Vinegars...Winter and Spring healing...

As the winter months are coming to an end, in some places that is. I find myself wanting to gather anything alive and green that can be smashed  into a clean canning jar and pour Vinegar over it and see how it tastes in about  6 weeks. I’m a Wise Woman at heart and find that if you can take parts from a tree, or dig in the dirt or snip off glorious herbs to make tasty vinegars,   so be it. There are many herbs that can be made into a vinegar. Why vinegar you may ask? Because it is tasty, nutritious and soothing.  When it is hot out I put a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or mint or rose petal vinegar with a little herbal honey  in to a small amount of warm water just to melt honey then poor over crushed Ice. Refreshing and lovely.

~ “Apple cider vinegar is an effective medium for extracting the mineral richness of plants. Most vitamins, some alkaloidal  components and many essential oils also dissolve in vinegar as well.” ~Susan Weed

Well there you go. From what I have found is that when an herb is placed in the warm vinegar it starts to break down and all the nutrients are easier to be absorbed by my body. This way I can get the needed goodness of these wonderful plants.

~Fill your jar with fresh leaves, flowers or roots. Then fill with vinegar, label and cap. Use fresh plant material only. Place a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper over the rim of the jar before you cap, the vinegar will corrode the metal lid if you do not do this.

The herbs I have used are spearmint, peppermint, catnip, bee balm, sage & it’s lovely red flowers. I have used rose petals, and rose hips, lavender, and calendula.  This time of year it is “Pine Time” balsamic vinegar, the herbal way. Oh my Goodness, Yummy. Gather Long white pine needles they come in a bundle with a brown sticky end. Stuff your glass jar full and top with Apple cider vinegar. Top with your lid and place on the shelf for about six weeks. Yummy.

You can also layer your favorite eatable flowers such as calendula, rose petals, violets and such  into layers with mints and sages and such, to make beautiful yet healing vinegars.

Experiment, it is a trial and error process. Enjoy~