Julie Kleck—vinegar lead for the Filoli Herb and Vinegar Workshop volunteers—creates Filoli’s innovative herb-infused vinegar recipes, which are produced and bottled weekly by the workshop during Filoli’s growing season. Fresh herbs from the Filoli gardens infuse the vinegars with unique aromas and tastes.
Ingredients
- 1 glass bottle (12.7- 16 ounces) with airtight lid or cap
- 5–6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2–3 leaves Berggarten sage
- ½ teaspoon mixed peppercorns
- 1 slender cinnamon stick
- 2–3 whole cloves
- 2–3 cardamom pods
- Scant ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1½–1¾ cups apple cider vinegar of choice
Preparation
1. Wash thyme and sage in 1 tablespoon unscented bleach mixed into 1 gallon water to kill any bacteria. Layout the herb bundle using thyme sprigs and sage.
2. Spoon peppercorns into the sterilized bottle through a funnel. Drop the cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice into the bottle.
3. Wrap sage leaves around thyme and twist the bundle into the neck of the bottle. Use a plastic chopstick to force the remainder down into the bottom.
4. Use the funnel to pour in enough apple cider vinegar to fill to the top.
5. Let the herbs and spices infuse for 2 weeks before using the vinegar, and then keep them in the vinegar to continue infusing until the bottle is done.
