You Grow Girl™

By Susun Weed Notes on making herbal vinegar It is vital to really fill the jar. This will take more herb or root than you would think. A good selection of jars of different sizes will enable you to fit your jar to the amount of plant you've collected. I especially like babyfood jars, mustard jars, olive jars, peanut butter jars and juice jars. Plastic is fine, though I prefer glass. Always fill jar to the top with plant material; never fill a jar only part way. Pack the jar full of herb. How much? How tight? Tight enough to make a comfortable mattress for a fairy. Not too tight and not too loose. With roots, fill jar to within a thumb's width of the top. For maximum strength herbal vinegar, snip or chop herbs and roots. For maximum visual delight, leave plants whole. Regular pasteurized apple cider vinegar from the supermarket is what I use when I make my herbal vinegar. Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar can also be used. Note that unpasteurized vinegar forms vinegar "mothers." Vinegar mothers are harmless. (Actually, they're of value. I've seen vinegar mothers for sale for fancy prices in specialty food shops.) In a jar filled with herb and vinegar, the vinegar mother usually grows across the top of the jar, clinging to the herb, and looking rather like a damp, thin pancake. Rice vinegar, malt vinegar, wine vinegar, or any other natural vinegar can be used, but they are much more expensive than apple cider vinegar and many have tastes which overpower or clash with the taste of the herbs. I don't use white vinegar, nor do I use umeboshi vinegar (a Japanese condiment). The reason that most recipes for herbal vinegar tell you to boil the vinegar is to pasteurize it! I do not find it necessary to heat the vinegar as it is already pasteurized and the final vinegar tastes better if the herbs are not doused with boiling vinegar. Back to Beginning 1 2 3

Susun Weed, green witch and wise woman, is an extraordinary teacher with a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and health. Ms. Weed's four herbal medicine books focus on women's health topics including: menopause, childbearing, and breast health. For more please visit www.susunweed.com.