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Rosemary Vinegar

Photo Credit
Patty Sanders
Patty Sanders
Category
Salad Dressings
Course
Salads
Preparation Method
Other
Credit
Patty Sanders, Herbalist
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With only two ingredients, our Rosemary Vinegar recipe is not only simple to make but also has SO many uses in the kitchen and as a natural remedy. Rosemary aids memory, soothes joint pain, and even fights germs. Try this easy way to add flavor and healthfulness to your daily life.

One of the most straightforward recipes for using this herb (or any herb) is this 19th-century hint for making flavored vinegar: Pour plain vinegar over herbs in a bottle and let it sit for a month or so. 

What could be easier?

Rosemary is an amazingly available plant all over the world, and you can clip rosemary from your own live plant or use dried rosemary from the spice drawer.

Uses for Rosemary Vinegar

  • Rosemary aids memory and concentration, is an anti-inflammatory, and supports the circulatory system (low blood pressure)—plus, it stimulates fat and starch digestion. 
  • In the kitchen, it’s great to add a splash (or more!) into salad dressings, sauces, soups, stews, marinades, pesto, hummus and more! Try drizzling on grain or rice dishes, cooked greens, and sandwiches.
  • Use rosemary vinegar to soothe your body. Adding 1 cup to a bath will sooth muscles as well as irritated or red skin (especially if you were in the garden!). You could use as a facial toner as well; if needed, dilute a facial toner down.
  • Finally, rosemary vinegar can be used to clean up the kitchen, bathroom, and house. Just put in spray cleaners. The house will smell wonderful, too!

See the simple recipe below and watch herbalist Patty Sanders make this simple recipe and share health tips!

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons of dried rosemary
2 cups of apple cider vinegar (preferably with the mother)
Instructions

Note that you’ll also need a regular mason jar (or pantry jar), parchment paper, labels/masking tape, a pen, and a rubber band.

  1. Coarsely grind rosemary with a mortar and pestle, then add to the mason jar.
  2. Pour vinegar over the top of the herbs to cover. Leave 1/2 inch at the top of the jar.
  3. Stir ingredients.
  4. Cut parchment paper according to the size of the jar opening and add a rubber band to secure it and then add the lid.  OR, use a food-safe plastic lid. (Vinegar reacts with metal lids and will cause them to corrode over time.)
  5. Label!
  6. Cover and place away from direct light or heat (room temperature) for 4-6 weeks.
About The Author

Patty Sanders

Patty Sanders is a certified herbalist and professional nutritionist for Purdue University Extension. Read More from Patty Sanders
 

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Comments

In Patty's 1st picture above, there are 2 pint jars of the rosemary vinegar- 1 with fresh rosemary and 1 with dried rosemary. So the rosemary vinegar can be made with either fresh or dried rosemary. However, neither the recipe, nor the video, includes the amount of fresh rosemary, only dried. For this recipe, I intend to use the 3-1 ratio (fresh to dry) recommended by some in the comment section. This is also the ratio I normally use for any herb in any recipe. Hope it works for you.

Lucy Powell (not verified)

1 year 6 months ago

I have made this tincture but it seems to have grown discs in the jar? Is this normal or more importantly do I need to throw away? Please help

Yo también tengo 2 discos. Parecen hongo Scooby, y me puede interesante saber qué hacer con ellos

Hi, Lucy. By “discs” do you mean that the rosemary has all stuck together and formed circles? If this is the case, you can shake it and it should be fine. As long as it isn’t growing mold. Also, if you used apple cider vinegar with the mother, it may appear that things have stuck together. Again, give it a shake.

mae Ells (not verified)

2 years 9 months ago

Do you use Organic ACV or Distilled when making your Rosemary vinigar.

I only use organic and I make sure it comes with the mother.

dave (not verified)

2 years 10 months ago

Does anybody have any ideas on how to start rosemary from seeds? I bought a rosemary and put it in the garden, did well till winter and it died. Next year bought a big pot and brought it in the house for winter. It died. These past three years I have been trying to start rosemary from seed in potting soil and nothing happens. nada. zero. I have used different seeds, soaked them overnight and even said kind words to them but nothing. If anybody has suggestions, I am all ears.

Rosemary is a tender perennial, so depending on your climate zone, it will not survive winter.

I have found it difficult to overwinter rosemary. It likes moist air but drier soil. I suspect it does not like forced air indoor heating that dries out the air. I have heard you can mist the plant periodically to provide the humidity it likes. Next year, I am going to try putting it in a shallow tray on top of some pebbles so it does not sit in the water, and keep water in the tray to add some humidity. You will still have to water it occasionally.

As back up, you can also take cuttings so if one dies, maybe you'll have a cutting or 2 that survives. Best do this early in the season with new growth than later in the season.

This isn't a new question, so forgive the answer. I have worked with seeds to grow herbs for YEARS and by far, the most singular stubborn seed I have dealt with is rosemary seed. I read somewhere once that rosemary seeds have a ratio of about 1-20 for sprouting a plant that can survive. I have had success. But it varies and I haven't been able to repeat it consistently. My SUGGESTION is to read up on it and follow the advice of the experts regarding depth and watering. My contribution is to use LOTS and LOTS of seeds and hope for just a few plants to spring up. I don't worry about planting them close together or even on top of one another, as most of them don't take root anyway, but when I started, I planted like 10 to a large pot and expected something to happen -- and it didn't. Most years, I try to grow my own from seed. About half the time, it works. The other half, I get a young plant at the local nursery. If properly tended, a rosemary plant can survive a Tennessee winter, but that doesn't always happen at my house, so...

I’ve had my rosemary bush for years, I usually let it grow wherever. How, the lower stems at the bottom will plant themselves in the ground and root themselves. I get a new plant. I’ve learned that most all plants will reproduce on there own regardless of seeds. “ I call them baby’s “