Forma Living

Here is my little Do-it-yourself holiday gift idea for 2010... herb infused vinegar and flavored oil.  A perfect holiday gift to bring to all the end of the month holiday gatherings with friends and the best part is they are pretty easy to make.   And of course anything food related rates high with me.  Also, it's great to be able to give the herbs that you grew all summer to friends and family.

These instructions are just for flavored vinegar.  The vinegar should be refrigerated after it is made and it has the best flavor when used within 3 to 4 months.  For the olive oil I choose to by flavored oil from We Olive.  You can make a flavored oil too, but they are only good for 3 weeks.  We Olive has many flavors to choose from, all from California, and the best part...  you get to sample them all.  Try the Blood Orange, it's so yummy! 

Materials:

• 2 Small Bottles
• twine or ribbon
• gift tags
• stamp (optional)
• Fluid Chalk Ink Pad (optional)
• printable label sheets (optional)
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 1 teaspoon of peppercorns
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 1 quart of your choice of vinegar: cider, white distilled, rice wine, white wine, or red wine

Step 1:    Place the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a 2 quart ceramic or glass bowl.

Step 2:   Bring the vinegar to a boil. Pour the vinegar over the herbal mixture in the bowl.  Cover and let the mixture stand for two days.

Step3:    Strain the mixture and decant into a sterilized bottle. Add one to three sprigs of the herbs of your choice.   Seal the bottle with a cork or   lid. Let stand for two more weeks before using.

When I got these cute little bottles into my shop, my first idea was to use them as wedding favors/seating cards at J and my, date-as-yet-undisclosed, big day.  Wouldn't they make great little favors for a rustic wedding?