Create unique and delicious vinegars with your favorite fruits. I will show you how easy it is to create a quick vinegar without a fermentation process in a day.
My fascination about fermentation
I love making everything from scratch. I am particularly obsessed with the fermentation process involved in making miso, kimchi, yogurt, and different types of vinegars. These foods are rich in enzymes and probiotics that nourish our bodies, promoting gut health and overall well-being. Fermentation is one of the oldest and time-honored food preservation techniques, and despite the advent of technology that keeps food fresh for longer periods, it is still popular, especially among those interested in healthy living and deliciousness.
Making fermented foods is a simple process, but it requires patience and basic knowledge of how fermentation occurs. Vinegar is an excellent example of a product of the fermentation process. I started making my own vinegars out of pure curiosity, with a desire to create unique vinegars that are not available in supermarkets – something gourmet and one-of-a-kind. Since then, I have made pineapple, mango, red grape, and mejihol date vinegars and have learned a lot from the experience. Currently, I am eagerly but impatiently waiting for my Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar, which is one of my favourites, and banana vinegar.
How to make a quick fruit-infused vinegar
While it is worth making your own vinegar through a proper and longer fermentation process, I hope to teach you how to do so in the future. In the meantime, I can show you a quick and easy trick to make vinegar.
Process and Ingredients Explained
To make fruit-infused vinegar, clean and cut soft-fleshed fruits, such as any types of berries such as blue berries, black berries and raspberries and add them to a sterilized glass jar with a neutral-flavored vinegar. Store it in the fridge for a couple of days to a week and strain it when it achieved your desired flavours and colours Enjoy your homemade designer and gourmet vinegar that can’t be bought in stores!
☑️ Vinegar: For vinegar, choose neutral or mild-tasting ones like white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar with Mother is a good option for health enthusiasts. Most commercial vinegars are heat-treated and don’t contain Mother. Homemade vinegars made through proper fermentation contain Mother and are beneficial to health. Use soft berries for quick infusion and hard fruits like apples for longer fermentation. If you are interested in what is ‘Mother of Vinegar’, check out the website.
☑️ Fruits: Soft-fleshed fruits are ideal for infusing vinegar with the beautiful natural flavors and amazing colours of fruits within a short period of time. Berry fruits like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, as well as citrus fruits such as mandarins, grapefruits, and oranges, and even bananas are great for making quick and beautifully vibrant vinegars. To ensure the best results, use ripe but still firm bananas. Banana is particularly one of my favorites because its subtle sweetness mellows the sharp taste of vinegar. If you are using berries, make sure to crush lightly with a fork before adding vinegar.
Video Shorts
Ingredients
- Banana
- Grapefruit
- Apple cider vinegar (with Mother) or White or neutral flavoured vinegar
Instructions
To make banana and blood orange vinegar for salad dressing, follow these steps:
1. Cut ripe bananas into small pieces and place them in a glass jar. (see note)
2. Pour apple cider vinegar into the jar until the fruits are fully submerged.
3. Close the lid and keep the jar in the fridge for a few days, or until the aroma and color of the fruits have infused into the vinegar.
4. Repeat the same process for blood oranges.
5. After a few days or a week, strain both the banana and blood orange vinegars.
6. Use the vinegar to make your favorite salad dressing.
Notes
- If you use berries infused vinegars, lightly crush berries with a fork before adding vinegar. This will helps better to ooze out the beautiful colour of berries you use.
