Herb Infused Vinegars

My edible garden is starting to bloom around these corners!  Several of my herbs are happy as clams and showing their pretty blossoms.  Rosemary is still holding steady, chives are showing off right now, as are some of my sage and thyme plants.  As the weeks and months progress, additional sage varieties will blossom, peppermint will start showing it's colors and lavender will soon be in full swing.

I always enjoy snipping herb blossoms and using them in salads and other recipes.  One of my favorite ways of using herbs is infusing their blossoms in oils, vinegars, sugars and salts.  Today, I wanted to share a few photos of my process of infusing herb blossoms in vinegar.

It's very easy and gives such a nice added flavor to recipes that call for vinegar.  I start with gathering my supplies and sterilizing them (not necessary, but helpful).  Snip and wash your blossoms then pack inside a jar or glass bottle.  Fill the remaining space with vinegar, cover and refrigerate.  That's it!  Stir every now and them to mix the flavors.  The longer you let them steep, the stronger the flavor will be.

It's fun to experiment with different types of herb and vinegar combinations.  In these photos I used chamomile and lavender mixed with white wine vinegar, sage mixed with rice vinegar, thyme blossoms mixed with balsamic vinegar and chive blossoms mixed with red wine vinegar.

A few weeks ago, I tasted the most delicious raspberry infused vinegar, it was heavenly.  I also had a small piece of lavender infused caramel, which I'm so excited to try making later this summer when my lavender is in full bloom.

Have fun, and enjoy!