Courtesy photo/M. Karin Matray

Homemade herb vinegar is a wonderful holiday gift, according to Red Bluff Garden Club member M. Karin Matray. Recipe is in the accompanying article.

Courtesy photo/M. Karin Matray

Homemade herb vinegar is a wonderful holiday gift, according to Red Bluff Garden Club member M. Karin Matray. Recipe is in the accompanying article.

Back when our children were very young and I was not working outside the home, I became quite the crafter. Out of interest and economy, I attempted to make all our gifts for family birthdays and the holidays. I made soap balls and baked goods; I crafted cutting boards and cutesy ornaments. I made the usual gifts from the kitchen – cheese balls, spiced tea, and pastries. It was my “back to the earth” period.

One gem of a recipe that I still turn to in the fall is a recipe for herb vinegar. It was originally shared with me by an elbow partner in a holiday cooking class and I still work from my hand- written notes, scribbled on the back of the class handout, stained with coffee splashes. I usually set up the vinegar making assembly sometime in the fall so the mixture has time to cure before holiday gift giving time. It’s always been popular with recipients – both for its decorative and its culinary value. I am pleased to share it with you.

Several empty wine bottles (clear glass works best) – cleaned of all labels and contents; corks that fit the bottles.

Inexpensive white wine – I use the gallon bottles of Chablis or white table wine. Wine quality is not important here, because you are making vinegar.

White vinegar – again, I use common household vinegar.

Herbs freshly harvested from your garden – dill, rosemary, oregano, and thyme work well; mint for lamb dishes; parsley and basil will not hold up to the hot vinegar.

Cleaned garlic cloves and/or hot spicy peppers (serrano, habanero, cayenne – any small pepper with color)

Household paraffin and pieces of red crayon or red candle wax.

Scald the bottles and corks in the dishwasher or in a very large pot with boiling water to ensure they are clean and sanitary. Dry.

Pour the vinegar and wine into a large pot and bring to a boil. You want a ratio of 2/3 cup of vinegar to every 2 cups of wine to fill one empty bottle. Adjust recipe to the number of bottles you want to fill. Allow to cool.

Wash and trim selected herbs. Stuff a few springs into each dried, clean bottle. A chopstick works well for arranging herbs in the bottle. Add a couple of garlic cloves and/or a pepper or two.

Using a funnel, fill the bottles with cooled vinegar/wine mix.

Melt household paraffin in a clean tin can over hot water. Add pieces of red crayon or candle to color.

One by one, dip the bottles into the colored wax, slowly rolling as you lift to coat the cork with the melted wax. Allow to cool and set.

Repeat the dipping process until you are satisfied with the wax coverage.

Label with a decorative self-adhesive label.

Voila! You have lovely gifts of herb vinegar that will make delightful salad dressings, sauces, homemade mayonnaise, meat, and fish marinades. Bon appetit!

The Red Bluff Garden Club is pleased to again host its annual luncheon at Rolling Hills Casino on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 .pm. Our guest speaker will be Jennifer Jewel, host of the NSPR program “Cultivating Place” and popular garden author and podcaster. The luncheon will offer participants a wonderful meal, a silent auction, and drawings for door prizes and original centerpieces. Tickets are $45 a person; please contact Judy Paul at 530-200-5013 for tickets.

The Red Bluff Garden Club is a member of Cascade District, California Garden Clubs, Inc., Pacific Region Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc. The club meets at 1 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month, in the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 525 David Ave., Red Bluff.

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