Strawberry Vinegar
Summer fruit is coming in hot and sometimes it’s hard to eat it fast enough. But, we are not letting any strawberries go to waste! Let’s make some Strawberry Vinegar for today’s project during Quick Pickling and Preserving Week.
Homemade Vinegar
To be clear, we are not making vinegar from scratch. That’s another recipe for another day. But! We are making a homemade fruit-infused condiment and it is delicious.
Fruit-infused vinegar carries the aroma of the fruit from which it was made. It is tart like vinegar should be but is also slightly sweet.
How to use it?
- Salad dressings
- Marinades
- Pickling Vegetables
- Reduction Sauces
- Cocktails (yes, really!)
The fruit: strawberries, including the tops.
Nose to Tail
Nose-to-tail eating usually refers to using every part of an animal, not just the choice muscle cuts. It includes bone marrow, liver, and organ meats. This style of eating allows nothing to go to waste, providing for more complete nutrition.
What does this have to do with our strawberries? We are also using them nose-to-tail, or rather stem-to-tip. The whole shebang.
Normally, strawberry tops are removed and discarded. But you and I are thrifty and nothing-goes-to-waste kinds of people, aren’t we? So, we are leaving those green leafy tops intact.
Plus, they’re pretty!
Lessons Learned
- The reality is you can use any type of vinegar you want to make this strawberry version. However, distilled white makes the final product pretty astringent. A better choice: white wine, rice, or white balsamic.
- There is some waste when you make this recipe, it’s true. The strawberries are discarded after the steeping. Your choices include 1) composting them or 2) not using the entire strawberry but just the tops to make it.
- Label the mason jar clearly. Certain family members may think it is a fruity drink and be unpleasantly surprised. Whoops.
Hat Tips
Thanks go to Pam Greer at Sidewalk Shoes for her strawberry vinegar recipe and to Stop Food Waste for their strawberry top version!
Strawberry Vinegar
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 ounces
Ingredients
- 1 dry pint strawberries, rinsed and cut in half
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar or sweetener
Instructions
- Place the clean berries in a clean 1-quart size mason jar.
- Heat the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan until it just reaches the boiling point.
- Add the vinegar to the mason jar, pouring it over the strawberries. Allow it to cool slightly, then screw on the lid.
- Set it somewhere cool and dark (like pantry or fridge) and let steep for 5-ish days.
- Strain the vinegar into a clean jar or bottle and discard or compost the strawberries.
- Refrigeration is optional, but I like to keep mine in the fridge. This will keep indefinitely but the fruit flavor may fade after 6 months.
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