Homemade Vinegars
 

We have a lot of apple trees, so every fall, we make gallons of apple cider, applesauce, apple syrup and apple cider vinegar. I've started to experiment with other vinegars too...s/a apple peel vinegar, berry vinegar and malted barley vinegar. People always comment on my collection of large, glass containers above my fridge with the various colored concoctions brewing. It looks like a "mad scientist" lives there. :D Now that I'm on a roll, I'd like to make other vinegars. Any suggestions?

~ C

I just did a search for

Making vinegars at home

and lots of things came up.

I've not made any myself but have heard of pineapple, peach, raisin, citrus and mint. Also a mixture of rose, lavender and rosemary to be used as a hair rinse.

raisin...now that's an idea. I've heard of alcoholic beverages made out of raisins, but not vinegar. I have a lot of raisins right now. Maybe I'll try a batch. Thanks!

~ C

Have you made 4 Thieves Vinegar? My original recipe had Rue in it, but Later versions I have seen do not have the Rue in them. My favorite bottles are the ones with a ceramic and metal bail on them. I think I first saw the 4 Thieves recipe in an old copy of Organic Gardening magazine. I no longer have a garden or orchard, and have given away most of my canning supplies. When you are searching for supplies, may I suggest Mtn. Rose Herbs in Oregon. I wish you much success in your brewing.

No, I haven't heard of 4 Thieves vinegar. I was a subscriber of OG for many years, but I didn't save the copies. I'll try to find it online. Thanks.

~ C

My aged and ageing brain finally dredged up another memory of herbal vinegars. Herbal Vinegar by Maggie Oster is the name of the book, still sold by different suppliers and probably also in your local library system. In a previous post to this query, I mentioned that more modern recipes for 4 Thieves Vinegar do not contain Rue. Rue is not a good idea for human consumption. The original vinegar was used to wash down the thieves to disinfect them as they broke into homes of victims of the Plague. Later versions were prized for salad dressings.

I make a basil/garlic vinegar each year. It is very good on steamed greens. I use regular white vinegar that is brought to a boil and pour it over sliced basil and garlic placed in bottles. The bottles I use are the canner type of beer bottle (Grolsh).
I also made raspberry vinegar once by pouring hot vinegar over frozen raspberries and left it in the cupboard for 2-3 months. It was delicious!
Hope this helps.

I did a little experimenting with leftover strawberry top trimmings that I then dropped into some homemade, apple-cider vinegar. It has a little more ways to go, but so far, it smells heavenly. The color has turned a prettyreddish brown.

~ C