today my 3 year old and I harvested a bunch of basil and are steeping it in cider vinegar to make basil vinegar for Christmas gifts. We also broke up some marjoram, thyme, oregano, and more basil that we'd had drying to make Italian blends for gifts too. My kitchen smells so yummy!!!!!!!

-- Beth Weber (talmidim88@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000

Answers

Oh Beth that sounds wonderful!!!!! Now I'm going to have to start an herb garden next year! Thanks for the boost.

-- Carol (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), September 27, 2000.

This is something I love to do with herbs. I braided bailing twine, but you could use whatever. Put up a tree limb over a doorway going into the kitchen. tie the braid to either side of the limb. Tie, I use floral wire, bunches of herbs to the twine, dried flowers or peppers would work also. To dry the herbs, it's best to put a rubber band on the end of the bunch, that way when they dry, the band still holds. Yarrow, sage, lemon grass and other herbs that don't crumble are best. I put a small wind chime, in the middle of the limb, that my husband got for me. If you didn't want to use the herbs, I guess you could spray them with hair spray to keep them from "shedding".

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), September 27, 2000.

Beth do you use a coffee filter to strain your vinegar & then put in a few herbs for the beauty of them being in the bottle/ when it is time???? I hunt at garage sales for nice bottles to make my herb vinegar & herbed oil! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), September 27, 2000.

Ooooo...I just love herbs!We have a large herb garden that consists of culinary,fragrant,household herbs and a few just for medicinal purposes.I have always been intrigued by herbal vinegars but haven't made any because,quite frankly I don't know how to use them in cooking.I've come across a few recipes but not as many as I'd like.Any ideas on the usage of vinegars?

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), September 27, 2000.

Use basil vinigar in potato salad, and it's is essential in four bean salad.Nick won't make it without it anymore. Just replace the quantity of regular vinegar in your recipe.Lemon balm vinerar is a good skin rinse for acne prone faces. Italian mix vinegar I use as base for salad dressing.Same with salad burnet,for cuke flavor.

just some of the uses,experiment with them in recipes that call for vinegar. That's mainly what I did. Enjoy!

-- sharon WT (wildflower@ekyol.com), September 28, 2000.

I have used red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar in place of red wine (when I'm out) when deglazing a pan. It makes a pretty decent sauce if you add some chicken broth to it.

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), September 28, 2000.

I don't use much vinegar, but I love to make herb flavored olive oil for dipping homemade bread in. I alsao use the flavored oil for stir frys or Italian dishes.Yum.Yum.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), September 28, 2000.