Preserving the flavours of the British summer (yes, apparently it is the summer) is something which excites me greatly.  It has been a bit of an obsession of mine for a few years now and this year I have been getting back into preserving these flavours with vinegar.

There is so much great British produce in season at the moment (Strawberries, raspberries, elderflower, rhubarb and gooseberries to name a few) that it makes sense to grab them while they’re in abundance and cheap, and preserve them for use later in the year.  Flavoured vinegars are a great way to do this.  They are fantastic in dressings/drizzled directly over salads, in savoury sauces, or to de-glaze a pan after you have cooked a steak or a pork chop. Bottles of flavoured vinegar also make for very nice gifts.

Below are two recipes. These can be used to preserve the two flavours detailed, but they also lay out a general method for flavouring vinegar. By following either of these methods, but altering the ingredients, you can be as adventurous as you like. You can pretty much preserve any flavour you wish by following the two slightly different methods below.  The only other point to note would be with  firmer fruit or other harder ingredients (such as garlic, horseradish or chilli), when you should heat the vinegar prior to pouring over the ingredients. This will help to draw out the flavour.

Try experimenting and please let us know if you have any unlikely successes.

Strawberry Vinegar

This method will work with any soft fruit.

Ingredients

• 1kg of Strawberries
• 600ml of vinegar (I used white wine vinegar, but you could use cider or red wine vinegar depending on what you want to achieve)
• Granulated sugar

Method

1. Put the strawberries into a bowl and crush lightly with your hands.
2. Add the vinegar, cover and leave for around 4 days. Stir occasionally.
3. Pour through a piece of muslin  suspended over a bowl and leave to strain over-night. Feel free to give it a squeeze, but you may end up with a more cloudy end product (which doesn’t really bother me, but may bother some).
4. Measure the liquid and then add to a pan over a low heat. For every 600ml of vinegar, add 450g of sugar to the pan.  Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Boil for 5-10 mins. Remove any scum which rises to the top.
5. Leave to cool and bottle. This will keep for at least a year.

Elderflower Vinegar

Upon writing this article elderflower is still available on mass from the hedgerows on roadsides or canal paths throughout the country. We are nearing the end of the season however and elderflower is only available until the end of June.  Not to worry though, as you can use the method below to make herb vinegars or to preserve the flavour of other edible flowers.

When picking elderflowers, do it on a warm and dry day making sure that the perfume is still strong. If you pick when wet the flowers will have very little flavour.

Steps 5 and 6 are optional. It is up to you whether you want this to be sweetened or if you would prefer a purer vinegar. I will probably do half with sugar and half without for different types of use.

Ingredients

• Freshly picked elderflowers
• Cider or white wine vinegar
• 1 orange (sliced)
• 1 lemon (sliced)
• Granulated sugar (optional)

Method

1. Cram as many elderflower heads into a kilner jar as you can fit with the lemon and orange.
2. Pour in the vinegar right to the top. Make sure the elder flowers are completely covered.
3. Leave in a warm place for 2-3 weeks shaking occasional.
4. Strain through muslin and either bottle or carry out the next step.
5. Measure the liquid and then add to a pan over a low heat. For every 600ml of vinegar, add 450g of sugar to the pan.  Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Boil for 5-10 mins. Remove any scum which rises to the top.
6. Leave to cool and bottle. This will keep for at least a year.