A couple things are left in my garden.  Some leafy greens and herbs mostly.  I didn’t get enough use out of my tarragon this summer, but a week or two ago I made tarragon vinegar and my family went through a bottle before it even had time to cure properly.  Luckily my mother-in-law makes vinegar from wine that my father-in-law produces.  So I made up several more large bottles to take us through the year.  The vinegar tastes bright like summer, and I’m sure it will be welcome when we tire of the cold.

I’m not one for experimenting with flavored oils and vinegar, although maybe I should be.  I never think of using them when I’m following a recipe, and so they haven’t become a part of my improvisational technique either.

But tarragon vinegar is  different.  I tried it first at my grandma’s house (who has a keen palate and is peppy enough to land a husband 30 years her senior.)  It was one of those “oh!” moments.  And now it’s my favorite vinegar for a simple green salad.

So I was making tarragon vinegar, and my mother-in-law decides to try a complex recipe in which I had no interest.  But today when I tasted it, I had to hand it to her, it smelled like I was sitting at an Italian restaurant, having my server freshly grind black pepper onto my dish.  I hope she lets me use a little to experiment.

tarragon vinegar- empty a bottle of white whine vinegar into a clean bowl.  Rinse and pat dry enough fresh tarragon sprigs to fill the bottle.  Use as much as will fit easily.  Pour the vinegar back into the bottle with a funnel.  Cover and let sit 2 weeks.  Repeat the process, taking the old tarragon sprigs and replacing them with a couple of fresh ones (optional).  Use in a vinaigrette, or simply with olive oil, salt and pepper to dress a salad.

Italian herb vinegar- follow instructions for tarragon vinegar, but instead of tarragon, for every 6 cups of vinegar add 1 peeled garlic clove, 3 sprigs fresh basil, 4 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig oregano and 25 nasturtium blossoms.   Cover and let set aside for 2 weeks.  Remove herbs, replace with a sprig or two of fresh herbs.