12 Days of Healthy Holiday Gifts: Flavored Vinegar
We're serving up fresh healthy gift ideas every day from now until December 12. Catch up on the previous gifts here.
I start brainstorming holiday gifts for friends and family almost as soon as Thanksgiving ends! I love to use my culinary inspiration to create handmade gifts for loved ones, and this year I am making flavored vinegars. The fun thing about flavored vinegars is that they are super simple, so you can literally make each one personalized for the recipient and their tastes without a lot of hassle.
- Use good white wine vinegar
- Find some cute bottles or jars (check out your craft store, or decorate jars you have on hand)
- Sterilize your bottles in boiling water for ten minutes.
Make up your own custom blend, or try these delicious combos. All recipes based on 16 ounces of vinegar.
- Tarragon Vinegar: Fill you bottle with vinegar and add 3-4 sprigs of fresh tarragon.
- Lemon and Chive: Fill your bottle with vinegar and add 2-3 pieces of lemon rind and a few sprigs of fresh chive
- Chili-Orange Vinegar: Fill you bottle with vinegar and add 2-3 pieces of orange rind and 2-3 small chili peppers (more if you like it hot)
- Garlic Vinegar: Fill your bottle with vinegar and add 2-3 cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of garlic chives or parsley.
- Raspberry Vinegar: Add 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries to the bottle then fill with vinegar.
- Winter Herb Vinegar: Fill bottle with vinegar, then add 1sprig fresh thyme, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 1 spring fresh oregano
- Summer Herb Vinegar: Fill bottle with vinegar, then add 2 sprigs fresh chives, 1 sprig fresh dill, 4-5 fresh basil leaves, a spring of fresh parsley.
The longer the vinegars steep the more intense the flavor. Make then sooner than later and they will be perfectly flavorful come holiday gift giving time. They last for 2-3 months (throw them out if they grow mold).
Katie Cavuto Boyle, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian, personal chef and owner of HealthyBites, LLC. See Katie's full bio »