What you need: • Large glass container for steeping (1 gallon or more, such as those used for sun tea)
• Small glass jars or bottles with lids or corks
• Fresh herbs
• Vinegar (red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• Ribbon, gift tags, labels for decoration
What you do: 1. Make sure your container is clean and sterile. Run it through the dishwasher, if possible. 2 . Add plenty of herbs to the container. Tamp them down a bit, but don’t pack so full there’s no room for vinegar. 3 . Pour the vinegar over the herbs and seal the top. If your container has a metal lid, put a piece of plastic wrap between the two to prevent the vinegar from corroding the metal top. 4. Let it sit, preferably in a dark or low-light area such as a pantry. It will take a few days if you use the heat method or at least two weeks if you use the room-temperature method. 5. Strain the vinegar before putting it into pre- washed, decorative bottles. Toss or compost the herbs you used for flavoring. 6. Add a sprig or two of fresh herbs to the bottles for decoration.
7. Add an attractive label or gift tag.
MORE ONLINE Pat’s Garden Travels visits two college campuses lush with native trees and shrubs. She also provides a seasonal to-do list and answers your gardening questions, including how to protect your plants from frost—all at californiabountiful.com.
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