Vinegar

Vinegar!

/ sbaskitchen / Leave a comment

I hadn’t planned on this post, but as mentioned in my previous post, I am on a cleaning /decluttering mission.  This weekend just gone I was on a mission to clean out the larder…  You know those jars of goodies that have been preserved/canned but never used – they need to go?  So with much welcomed help from Gary, all jars have been emptied, cleaned and ready for refilling.

It was during this purge that I reached for my vinegar jars, believing that the much neglected mothers would have all dried out and shrivelled up.  Ughh the task ahead to clean those jars!  Then, low and behold, I found something alive… Ugly?  Absolutley! – but I was sooooo excited!

I discovered that the sherry in the jar I’d started twelve months or so ago, and although dramatically reduced, it hadn’t totally dried up – and there sitting on top was the mother, alive and well.  Did I mention that I was sooooo excited!  I couldn’t believe it.  I immediately took the jar to the kitchen, took out the little coffee pot and filter, purchased specifically for this purpose, and started to strain the vinegar away from the mother.

Filtering the sherry vinegar
Filtered sherry vinegar

 

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Fig Vinegar

 

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Fig Vinegar

I’m always on the lookout for new recipes using figs, and was delighted to find this recipe for “Sweet Fig Vinegar” in Salt Sugar Smoke by Diana Henry. Her recipe suggested using a little balsamic vinegar for a richer result, and reducing the amount of sugar if doing so, but she didn’t give any specific quantities for this. She also used fresh figs. Given that it was not fig season when I made the vinegar, and I had a stash of figs in the freezer (thanks to the generosity of friends) I made it using frozen figs and took note of the quantities of ingredients used, so that I could replicate the recipe if I was happy with it. I was happy – delighted with it, and now I can share it with all

Category: Condiments
Quantity: 500 ml (approx)
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 10 figs fresh or frozen
  • 75 g dried figs chopped
  • 300 ml cider vinegar
  • 100 ml balsamic vinegar
  • sugar
Instructions
  1. Quarter the fresh/frozen figs and place them in a largish jar, along with the dried figs.

  2. Add the vinegars and crush the fruit using a potato masher or similar.

  3. Cover and leave to stand in a cool dark place for a week. During this time, mash the fruit two or three more times.
  4. Pour the fruit and vinegar into a jelly bag suspended over a bowl and allow to drip overnight.

  5. The next day, measure the liquid, and for every 300ml of liquid, add 200g sugar.

  6. Place the liquid and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil gently for 5 minutes.

  7. Remove from heat and pour into warm sterilized bottles and seal.

  8. When cool, label and date.

Notes
  • Store in a cool, dark place.
  • Keeps for at least a year.

 

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