Preserving of whatever sort is not as widely practised today as it once was when the still room was the place where the flavours and aromas of summer were laid down and stored to brighten drab winter diets. Herb and floral vinegars are a good and easy way to revive this tradition and are worth making both to pep up your summer salad dressings and to add a bit of home made zing to your cooking all year round. They also capture many of the medicinal qualities of the plant, which then can be used liked a food - a very effective way to use herbs in you life, for example nettle vinegar is a good source of calcium and a teaspoon added to salad dressings can be very beneficial.
It is relatively easy to make these delicate gourmet flavourings from your garden. Of course you should use only non-poisonous plants and fragrant flowers, such as the elderflowers now revealing their creamy whiteness in the hedgerows, the vibrantly coloured nasturtium, beautifully old-fashioned clove-scented pinks and the voluptuous petals of deeply red and pink scented roses. (If using roses, remove the white heel of the petals, as these are bitter). Amongst the leafy herbs that make good vinegars are basil, bay, dill, fennel, lemon balm, majoram, mint, tarragon and thyme. If you would like to use some of the flowers of these herbs in your vinegars, then you get the best of both worlds. The purple leaved varieties of some of these have the added attraction of producing a deep ruby, bronze or purple vinegar that is as much a tonic for the eye, as it is for the taste-buds.
If you fancy making some, loosely fill a glass jar or bottle that has a tight-fitting lid with your chosen flowers or herbs (bruising the leaves will help impart the flavour to the vinegar). A jar or bottle that has previously contained pickles or mayonnaise will do very well, as the lid will be acid resistant. Fill up with warm, but not hot, cider or wine vinegar and screw the lid firmly down. Place on a sunny windowsill or a warm place for a couple of weeks, shaking daily. After this time, test for flavour and if you want something of a more robust character, strain and refresh the vinegar with fresh leaves or flowers and repeat the process. When you have the required intensity of flavour - that will depend on you - strain using a couple of layers of clean muslin, rebottle the vinegar and seal tightly. Don't forget to label and date. If, for decorative purposes, you would like to add a sprig of the fresh herb to the bottle do so, this will also intensify the taste.
Use with some care at first as the taste of these vinegars can be more intense that you might anticipate. These vinegars can be used in salad dressings, the floral ones will give a certain something to summer fruit dishes or with meat dishes that are cooked with fruits and the herby ones can be added to sauces and all sorts of savoury dishes - the only restriction is your culinary skill and imagination