This has been the year that I have become enamored with herbs. From being used in my families cultural traditions for generations to their culinary uses and medicinal properties.
They take a simple meal and turn it into something exquisite and at the same time heal us from within and help aid our food in digestion.
Over the past few years of being involved in the “real food” movement I’ve come to realize that we often we try to pin point a certain food or a certain method of making something to help us heal our bodies from within and aid in digestion.
Whether by means of lacto-fermentation, methods of preparing our grains or healthy fats for brain development and cardiovascular health.
We jump on board and go “gung ho” for it.
Really, what we need is a whole balanced diet.
Again, I need to think back to my own family and what has kept them nourished for generations.
A diet in water, vegetables (especially dark leafy greens), whole grains, legumes, rich healthy fats, sustainable meats, seasonal fruit all with a dash of fresh or dried herbs.
Each of these things help in digestion. They all build upon the other by breaking down food and extracting nutrients, vitamins and medicinal properties.
When we’re eating a local and seasonal whole balanced diet, we should have a healthy gut flora.
In order to continue my life in a whole balanced diet, I’ve been growing more herbs at home and have recently started making herbal infused honey, herbal oils and herbal vinegars.
Herbal vinegars are very easy to make and go far beyond regular culinary uses. They can be used to soften, clear your skin or as a hair rinse.
Homemade Tarragon Vinegar
I decided to make a tarragon vinegar since I have a large pot of it growing on my patio. I’m excited to use it for bernaise sauce and in salad dressings, however, I was quite pleased to learn of some its medicinal properties.
Some of the interesting things I’ve learned about tarragon is that it promotes the production of bile by the liver which aids in digestion and helps speed the process of eliminating toxic waste in the body. It’s been known to be a mild sedative and been taken to aid in sleep and also extremely valuable in fighting intestinal worms.
After learning that, I’m going to start sprinkling tarragon leaves into my chicken feed or maybe even growing it in the backyard since it comes back stronger and larger every year.
Ingredients:
- 1 pint mason jar
- 1 cup fresh French tarragon leaves (4-5, 5″ sprigs)
- 2 cups white wine vinegar (you can use raw apple cider)
Method:
1. Fill a pint sized mason jar halfway with freshly picked French tarragon leaves.
2. Bruise the leaves a bit to release the essential oils.
3. Fill the mason jar with white wine vinegar or raw apple cider. Make sure to mix the leaves and add more vinegar to fill.
4. Close the lid and allow to sit in cool dark place for 2-4 weeks.
That’s it! Super easy.
You can make a variety of herbal vinegars and each can be used in many different ways.
So… what’s your favorite herb and how do you use them?
Always learning something new and useful to incorporate in our family diet. Do you think it would work with rosemary? (I have a pot of rosemary in my balcony which doesn’t get used as much as I’d like).
I love tarragon. I had a friend give me the recipe of chicken plus tomatoes and olive simmer in the stove with some black olives and a drizzel of olive oil. It is an amazingly easy dish that is company good. As in you could serve it to company and they would be impressed. It’s really a great little meal and the tarragon is what sets it off.
I hadn’t thought of making a vinegar out of Tarragon. What recipes will you use it in?
Chris Tarragon vinegar is awesome in coleslaw and potato salad instead of Cider or white vinegar.
tarragon vinegar is great in mayo & in a tarragon chicken salad!
you might also try making your own wine vinegar! If you leave wine in an open vessel covered w/cheesecloth for 2-3 weeks, you’ll have wine vinegar. I’m in the middle of doing this for the first time now & I think it has a little bit to go yet. But my first taste makes me think this will be way better than store-bought.
if you have a decently priced wine, I think this will be cheaper than buying it. Also (per Cooks Illustrated) the taste is better.
Jessie, thanks for the comment! I never thought to make my own red wine vinegar. Ahh… a revelation, lol! It’s on my list 😀
I know – crazy. We assume we just buy stuff at the store & it turns out making vinegar is super-easy. I’m doing white now & will do red next.
Lovely post. Of course you can also make your own vinegar as I do. I left old wine in a pottery crock for three months, now I have a good ‘mother’ starter culture. I put all my old wine in the crock and have my own wine vinegar from scratch.
Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I’m going to try to make my own red wine vinegar. I can’t wait!
Splendid, Diana!
A chef-friend gave me a bottle of this last year and I’ve so enjoyed it. Glad to know I now know how to make my own.
Oh, sounds great. I also would like to know how you plan to use your tarragon vinegar. Suggestions? Ideas?
Diana,
When you say we can use raw apple cider, do you mean apple cider vinegar, or actual apple cider? Sorry – this is probably a really silly question – but I have so much apple cider vinegar that I can use 🙂
Sounds amazing – can’t wait to dress my salads with it!
Thanks for stopping by Caitlyn. Yes, I totally meant apple cider vinegar. Thanks for catching that 😀
i have Tarragon flavored vinegar on the shelf for 30 years,is it safe to use ?
I’d probably start over 😉
I make what my Mother called ‘German Potato Salad’ and it has Tarragon vinegar and olive oil in it with bell pepper & red onions. Wonderful!
Can u make apple cider vinegar in the way u make wine vinegar? I have some cider that I’ like to use up.
I’m so excited to make this! But I have a Q…..after the four weeks do I remove the tarragon from the vinegar, or leave it in there? And whether you leave it in or not, would you add it to your cooking?