Thursday, July 3, 2014

Vinegar fit for a Midsummer's Night Dream!





Adventures in flowers continue!

According to Wikipedia:

Vinegar is a liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid (CH3COOH) and water. The acetic acid is produced by the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria.[1] Vinegar is now mainly used as a cooking ingredient, but historically, as the most easily available mild acid, it had a great variety of industrial, medical, and domestic uses, some of which (such as a general household cleanser) are still promoted today.

How positively un-poetic!

I do love a vinegar - besides the basic white, so vital for cleaning, I have a whole stash of flavoured vinegar for cooking.

And while I adore a good champagne vinegar, my heart has, heretofore, belonged to balsamic vinaigrette, the older the better.

But thanks to Martha Stewart, vinegar is about to become a little more romantic...

In the July issue of Martha Stewart Living, Martha included a recipe for a lovely herb blossom vinegar:

infused-vinegar-md110410-003.jpg


Infuse distilled white vinegar with various herb blossoms, such as elderflower, chive, and Thai basil, to make vinaigrettes and sauces. First, fill a glass container half- way with washed, cut blossoms, then pour white vinegar to the top. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for three days. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the blossoms, and pour the vinegar back into the bottle. It will have taken on the delicate taste of the herb, plus a blush color. Garnish with leftover herbs if you plan to serve immediately, but be sure to remove them before storing in a cool, dark place for up to a month.

Well of course I had to try it!





I will share the results in the next few days, but isn't that divine looking?

It looks like something that Puck would splash on his salad out in the woods while making mischief (or something that the Littlest Rascal might splash on those stinging nettles..)

Surely it will make the menu on some fairy romp in the back yard?



Really, a meal out of doors is the most divine aspect of summer.  It is often hard to achieve here without a bug net, thanks to the mosquitoes and black flies, but the mere thought of it makes me all happy inside, as per these images:





If these are too fancy for you, a picnic is always just the thing...



I will bring the vinegar!

Have a great day! and Happy 4th to my American friends!

Stay safe out there!

xoxo wendy

28 comments:

  1. I use white vinegar in my laundry and to clean, and use Braggs apple cider vinegar (diluted) on my face and hair. Have only been doing it fir a couple of weeks, but it makes a huge difference. I would love some lavender vinegar, so my face doesn't smell like feet after I apply it!

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    1. it would be easy enough to do with Lavender I think!

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  3. i have to check my Martha Stewart Living for the tecipe:) It looks divine!
    Sorry to bother you again,but the password you gave me didnt work.

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    1. It's right above - stole it from her website Ina. You tried summer! ? you need the exclamation mark.

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  4. What a fabulous looking concoction. I look forward to your review!

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  5. Hello Wendy,

    Our friend put us on to the tip of using strong basic vinegar for cleaning bathroom and kitchen taps. They really do sparkle and shine after this treatment.

    However, flowery vinegar is a new departure. Yours looks so pretty in its bottle, far too lovely to use, perhaps! Certainly, it will look so much more decorative on the table than a commercial bottle of brown malt vinegar, seen in every fish and hip shop in England.

    Yes, a Midsummer Night's a Dream with flowery vinegar.......we shall await your verdict!

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    1. I am going to use some this weekend, so will let you know!

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  6. I loathe vinegar and Balsamic and all vinaigrettes but your bottle is beautiful, much more charming than a ship in bottle.

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    1. What do you have on your salad? Lemon, perhaps?

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    2. I love vinegars! I do often just much a plain dressing of olive oil and lemon juice - so fresh!

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  7. That comes out such a pretty color. I have made tarragon vinegar, but never herb flower, and have used wine but not distilled. I love sherry vinegar, especially in a French lentil and vegetable salad.

    No picnic today-- hurricane on the way!

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    1. I know! I saw the Pops did their fireworks last night!

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  8. Our outdoor meals always include citronella candles in demoted glasses - not on the table near the food, but strategically placed nearby. This summer I'm trying citronella sticks, will report later.

    Demoted glasses - when you bought 6 or 8 and suddenly you notice that only 1 or 2 are left, so you have to get more glasses because summertime is a thirsty season and the remains of the old set are demoted.

    I don't have a graceful touch with infusions, but I want to hear how yours turn out.

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    1. Love demoted glasses! Noble new purpose, though, do let us know if these work. I'd rather not eat coated with Cutter's Backwoods.

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    2. I have demoted clothing, so I can totally relate to the glasses! I am about to go cut down most of my peonies and bring them in the house. The tropical storm will be the end of them!

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    3. You are getting 5 inches of rain, so they say on weather channel!

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  9. Where I grew up we had honey vinegar and I never knew anything else until late... I use at home a lot of it and another locally produced vinegar with honey and thyme. But the healthiest of all is Apple Cider vinegar... Have you used white vinegar for your experiment?

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    1. Yes, you use plain white vinegar so the resulting vinegar only tastes of the blossom. Apple cider is so good for you!

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  10. Hi Wendy, I do most of my cleaning with vinegar, great stuff! The flower vinegar looks so pretty, I'm sure it will be lovely on salads.

    Hope you manage to stay somewhat dry today, I hear that Arthur is headed your way! Have a good weekend!

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    1. It is still sunny here - but tomorrow is supposed to be a wash!

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  11. Love vinegar, the taste, the smell the everything. You know now, it being extolled as the new health thing, esp kimchi and anything pickled. Kevin being the health food king has just had saukraut (sp?) for breakfast. Love the look of those flowers in the bottle. I am going to Trader Joes right now to see if they have peonies, I need those in my life

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    1. well too bad you weren't around the corner! I have 5 vases full in the house! with the remnants of the hurricane surviving, I knew they would be a mess tomorrow night so decided I should enjoy them at least!

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  12. The flowers in the vinegar look so pretty, I wonder how it will taste on a salad? I'm a big fan of balsamic too.

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  13. I mainly use vinegar to make fruit fly traps lol. A bowl of water + some apple cider vinegar + a dash of dish soap. I haven't needed it yet this year, but it's just about that time of year when we start getting them.

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  14. Your vinegar bottle looks so rustic! Beautiful! I used to make mine infused with herbs, but the flowers look so much prettier!

    I have 2 bottles of vinegar in my house: 1 balsamic for dressings and 1 white for cleaning my windows and mirrors. :)

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  15. Just included that lovely photo of you and DaniBP in my summer frock post today, linking to you, hope that's okay, I love that photo

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Kindness is a virtue...