In my May 27th post I shared the first part of the preparation process for my yearly Chive Vinegar. Today it was time to finish.
One thing you may notice, is that I am using a Rhum Bottle for my vinegar decanter. Why? I always try to find a “second” use for items that pass thru my hands. I don’t understand buying a fancy jar, if I can save one from going to the garbage or even recycling depot. Alcohol bottles are awesome for these types of purposes , as they are usually heavy duty, fit for storing food stuffs, and often designed nicely.
Even tho’ it’s hard to spoil vinegar kept in the fridge, I still always sterilize my bottle with my canner.
Lid on the canner, and boil 5 minutes. Cap as well.
To prevent my living space from getting unbearably hot in summer weather, I am up at 5 am to bring everything up to a boil. Makes life much nicer not to feel like you’re living in the Amazon all day, with the heat and steam of the hot water bath.
One of the downfalls of living in a small travel trailer (180 sq ft total living space), is the poor lighting it has. I have found hanging my mag-lite from the microwave above the stove makes a huge difference, especially for winter and early morning cooking.
As my Chive Vinegar has been “steeping” in the fridge and is cold, I cool my freshly sterilized jar upside down for a few minutes, to prevent the glass from cracking.
Sieve to keep the plant material out, and funnel to make the transfer of liquid, seamless.
Why don’t I just keep it in the pint jar? It’s a messy pour, where as the Rhum Bottle makes for a splash-less measure.
Oh, that jewel tone makes my taste buds water! This is so good in marinades, salad dressings, cucumber salad, really anywhere vinegar is called for in a recipe (well maybe not wacky cake lol)
And a thank you to earth and the universe for my bounty. Back into the fridge she goes.
Mint Tea Progress
In my May 22 post, I shared the start of my Mint Tea drying process. The mint is well dried now, and ready to be “put up” (a term applied to the process of preserving Vegetables, Fruit and Herbs for the winter months). The Tarragon I started drying about a week after I hung the mint, is still not ready for its jar.
A quart jar of homemade mint tea lasts me about 3 weeks in the winter months. I enjoy adding freshly cut ginger to mine, and am pretty sure it’s my favorite tea. Yes. Yes it is 😏.
Much of my plant remains go into the compost pile, but some herb stems, as in the mint, I crush up and put back on to the surface of the garden. The oils and scent are a deterrent to many unwanted pests, and the dry material is good for the soil.
Time to start getting the second half of this jar filled, that means another round of drying. 💫
enjoy 🐾☕️