Lemon Garlic Mint Vinegar

4 sprigs fresh mint
3 large clove garlic
1 1 1/4 inch wide spiral lemon rind
1 quart white wine vinegar

Place all three solid ingredients into a sterilized bottle. Add vinegar to completely cover the rest of the ingredients.

Cap bottle, label and let stand in a warm, bright area for about 10 days (but not in direct sunlight), before using.

The vinegar will keep for about 2-3 months stored in a cool, dark place.

Makes 1 quart.

Mixed Herb Vinegar

1 pint red wine vinegar
1 pint cider vinegar
2 peeled halved garlic cloves
1 branch tarragon
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 small stalk sweet basil
6 whole black peppercorns

Pour red wine and cider vinegar into a quart jar. Add garlic, herbs, peppercorns and cover. Let stand in a cool place, out of the sun, for three weeks. Shake occasionally. Pour into bottles and stop with cork.

Mixed Herb Vinegar

2 Tbsp rosemary -- dried
2 Tbsp thyme -- dried
2 shallots -- peeled and sliced
1 T parsley -- dried
3 Whole peppercorns
2 C red wine vinegar

Place rosemary, thyme, shallots, parsley and peppercorns in a clean quart jar.

In an enamel saucepan, bring vinegar just to the boiling point. Pour over herbs.

Cap jar and let steep for two weeks or more at room temperature.

Strain vinegar and pour into a sterilized jar. Add a sprig of rosemary or thyme.

YIELD: 2 Cups

Orange Vinegar

1 quart white vinegar
1 cup sugar
Orange peel from 1 medium orange (orange portion only)

In a large a large sauce pot, place vinegar, sugar and orange peel, bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Transfer vinegar and orange peel to a 1-quart jar. Cover tightly.

YIELD: 1 Quart

Oriental Vinegar

2 cups rice wine vinegar
6 whole black peppercorns
1 piece fresh peeled gingerroot 1 1/2"x3/8"
1 1 inch strip lemon zest
1 stalk lemon grass (14-15 inches)

Combine the vinegar, peppercorns, ginger, and lemon zest in a clean and dry 16-oz bottle.

Trim the bottom of the lemon grass, remove the outer leaf, and cut it in half crosswise.

Add the lemon grass to the bottle. Seal with a cork and steep for 1 week.

The vinegar should be ready to use immediately after steeping, with a shelf life of at least 1 year.

YIELD: 2 cups

Peach Vinegar

2 c White wine vinegar
1 lb Peaches, stoned and cut into 1-inch cubes

Put the vinegar into a medium, nonreactive saucepan and warm over low heat just until it begins to give off vapor (do not bring to a boil). Stir in the peach cubes and cook for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into a sterilized 1-quart Mason jar and allow to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Place a sterilized seal on top of the jar, screw on the ring, and shake a few times to mix. Store the jar out of direct sunlight and away from heat for 5 days, shaking it periodically, while the mixture steeps (the vinegar will absorb most of the pigment from the fruit). Strain the contents through a fine sieve into a 4-cup glass measuring cup.

Discard the fruit residue and rinse the sieve. Rinse the Mason jar and return the strained vinegar to the jar. Dampen a flat-bottom coffee filter and fit it into the sieve. Rinse the measuring cup, place the sieve on top, and pour in the vinegar a bit at a time, allowing it to drip into the measuring cup. Transfer the vinegar to flasks, bottles, or cruets. The vinegar should be ready to use immediately, with a shelf life of at least 1 year.

YIELD: 2 cups

VARIATION: To make Peach Mint Vinegar, place 1 sprig fresh mint in the container before pouring in the vinegar. Fill, seal, and let steep out of direct sunlight and away from heat for 1 day before using.

Perfect Herbed Vinegar

2 sprigs fresh sage, thyme, rosemary or other pungent herb
2 long spirals lemon rind
4 teaspoons white peppercorns
1 quart white wine vinegar

Place herbs of choice, lemon and peppercorns into sterilized bottle. Add white wine vinegar. (You can divide the recipe into 2 bottles of 2 cups each, halving the ingredients between each bottle).

Place in a sunny window for 2 weeks; after 2 weeks, the vinegar is ready to use.

You may choose to filter the mixture for long term use or for eye-appealing gifts. Pour mixture through several coffee filter papers, discarding the herbs, peppercorns and lemon spiral.

Rebottle, adding a new sprig or two of the herb of your choice, but omitting the peppercorns, which can darken the mixture over time.

Label and store in cool dark place for up to 6 months.

Makes 1 quart.

Provencal Vinegar

1 small sprigs fresh thyme
1 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1 small bay leaf
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 strip lemon rind
2 cups white wine vinegar

Combine herbs (thoroughly washed and dried prior to use), garlic and lemon zest in a sterilized bottle.

Pour into he vinegar to completely cover the lemon herbs and zest.

Seal, label and store in a cool, dark place for about 1 month before using.

This vinegar will keep for about 2-3 months stored in a cool, dark place.

Makes 2 cups.

Raspberry Vinegar

6 cups white wine vinegar
1 pint red raspberries

In a medium, nonreactive saucepan over low heat, warm the vinegar just until it begins to give off steam (do not bring to a boil). Put 1 pint of the raspberries into a fine sieve fitted over a sterilized 1/2-gallon clamp jar. Pour the warm vinegar over the berries and let it run into the jar, then add the berries to the jar. Allow the mixture to cool 20 to 30 minutes to room temperature, then seal and shake the jar gently. Set the jar out of direct sunlight and away from heat to steep for 4 days, shaking it every so often.

While steeping, the vinegar will take on a raspberry hue and the fruit will lose most of its color. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large batter bowl (with a handle or into a large, nonreactive saucepan. Rinse the jar and return the strained vinegar to it. Rinse the bowl or saucepan. Dump the fruit and rinse the sieve. Dampen a flat-bottom coffee filter, then line the sieve with the filter and fit it over the bowl or saucepan. Pour in the vinegar a bit at a time, allowing it to drip into the receptacle. Transfer the vinegar to flasks or bottles. The vinegar should be ready to use immediately, with a shelf life of at least 1 year. YIELD: 6 cups

VARIATION: For Raspberry Lemon Thyme Vinegar, place 1 sprig fresh lemon thyme in a flask or bottle before adding the vinegar. Fill, seal, and steep out of direct sunlight and away from heat for 1 week before using.

Raspberry Vinegar

3 cups fresh red raspberries, lightly crushed
5 tablespoons honey
1 quart red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler and set over boiling water. Turn down heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Ladle into a clean wide-mouthed jar. Seal and store for 3 weeks to allow flavors to infuse.

Strain through coffee filter paper placed in a funnel directly into sterilized bottles.

Press down hard on the fruit to extract as much juice and pulp as possible. Discard all solid remains. Seal, label and store until needed.

Makes 2 quarts.

Red Wine Vinegar

1 Cup Red Wine
3 Cups white vinegar

Mix the wine and vinegar together.

Let sit overnight.

Store in cool dark place.

Rosemary or Tarragon Vinegar

1 cup loosely packed fresh tarragon or rosemary
2 cups sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

Place the herbs in a clean, sterilized jar and use a spoon to bruise them slightly.

Pour the vinegar over the herbs and cover the jar tightly. Put the jar in a dark place at room temperature to let the herb-vinegar mixture steep.

Shake the jar every few days and taste the vinegar after one week.

If the flavor is not strong enough, let it stand for another 1-3 weeks, checking the flavor weekly.

If an even stronger flavor is desired, repeat the steeping process with fresh herbs. When the flavor is right, strain the vinegar into a different sterilized bottle; cap tightly.

Strawberry Vinegar

1 1/2 cups small ripe fresh strawberries, hulled
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

In medium-size jar, place berries and vinegar. Seal jar and let stand in a sunny window for 3 or 4 days or until vinegar takes on a bright red color. The berries will soften and lose their color.

Strain vinegar mixture into a 1-quart stainless-steel or enamel saucepan and discard the berries.

Stir sugar into vinegar and heat to boiling. Simmer over low heat 10 minutes.

Cool vinegar and pour into 1-pint bottle. Seal and store in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator.

Tarragon Vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
2 cups warmed vinegar
2 whole cloves
1 skinned halved garlic clove

Wash, then dry well the tarragon. Crush them to bruise them slightly. Add them to the vinegar. Place these ingredients in a covered jar.

After 2 weeks, strain and bottle the vinegar.

This makes a strong infusion that may be diluted later with more vinegar.