You don’t have to be a great chef to make great tasting oils and vinegars. Simply place your flavorings in a bottle, pour the liquid on top, and place the bottle by a window to mature.

When fully matured, filter the liquid and pour it into exquisitely shaped glass bottles. Add fresh fruit, herbs, or spices to signal the flavor of the contents and enhance the bottle’s decorative allure.

Flavored oils and vinegars are fun to make and a wonderful addition to any pantry. Bring out the best in your salads with a vinegar or oil spiced with fresh herbs or ripe fruits. You can follow a recipe or as you gain confidence, create blends of your own.

Store flavored oils and vinegars in antique or cut-glass bottles tied with raffia or ribbon and decorated for an attractive display. Decorated bottles make ideal housewarming or hostess gifts. Add a label or tag to describe your special mix.

You’ll need:

16 oz. vinegar or olive oil
Vinegar flavorings: 2 onions, 1 c. mixed fresh herbs
Oil flavorings: 4 chiles, 1 t. peppercorns, 2 sprigs basil
Mortar & pestle or knife; fork
16 oz. glass jar
Straining cloth
Decorative glass bottle

Oil and vinegar can be flavored in different ways. Select from the ingredients listed, or experiment with your own flavorings.

Suggested Vinegar Flavorings
For best results, start with 16 oz. of white or cider vinegar and add one of the following ingredients;

...1 c. of fresh herbs (rosemary, sage,thyme); peeled shallots
...2 T. mustard seed
...1 long stem tarragon
...1/2 c. whole raspberries
...1/2 c. hulled strawberries and 1/4 c. basil

Suggested Oil Flavorings

For best results, start with 16 oz. of pure virgin olive oil and add one of the following ingredients:

...4 chile peppers; 1 t. black peppercorns; 1/4 c. basil
...6 garlic cloves; 1 t. black or Asian peppercorns

General Guidelines

Buy the freshest and highest quality ingredients you can afford.
...Be sure that glass containers and tightly fitting lids are thoroughly cleaned before using.
...All vinegars are corrosive. Use only cork, plastic, or glass lids.
...After flavors are mature, store oils and vinegars in cool, dark place.
Vinegar stays fresh for long period of time; flavored oil lasts a few weeks or months, depending on ingredients used.

FLAVORING VINEGAR

1. To make herb vinegar, place fresh herbs and peeled onions in mortar and lightly crush with pestle, or crush on chopping board with flat side of cook’s knife. Place crushed ingredients in clean glass jar with wide neck.

2. Slowly heat about 16 oz. of vinegar in enamel or glass pot until warm.
Pour into glass jar over herbs and onions, filling vinegar to top.
Tightly seal container and place vinegar in sunny window.

3. Let vinegar mature for 2 weeks; shake daily and taste periodically. If desired, add more spices and allow to sit longer. When vinegar has reached desired taste, filter through straining cloth.

4. Pour flavored vinegar into carefully cleaned bottle. Add fresh spices and herbs for decoration and flavor. Seal bottle.

FLAVORING OIL

1. To make chile pepper oil, prick several chile peppers with a fork to release flavor. Place black peppercorns, basil, and chile peppers in a lidded glass container.

2. Pour oil up to top of jar and seal tightly. Place bottled oil in sunny window for 2 weeks to mature.
Shake bottle every day. Strain oil, then pour into clean bottle.
Add fresh chiles and reseal.

I sure would like any comments you have about these crafts. And let me know if you make one of these vinegars or oils and how it turned out!!