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1
Rinse basil, stems and all, and shake off excess water.
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2
Add to vinegar in a quart jar, tupperware, or bowl with a cover (avoid metal).
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3
Let sit, shaking once every couple of days or so, for 4 ?
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4
6 weeks to allow the basil flavor to infuse the vinegar.
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5
Taste, and when the vinegar tastes good to you, strain the basil through a jelly bag or colander lined with cheesecloth.
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6
Funnel the vinegar into lovely, sterilized bottles, label and store (you can water-bath can this into jars if you like, but I think it is overkill.
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7
It is vinegar, after all.....Yields about 2 and 3/4 cups vinegar.
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8
It helps to use a vinegar that you like the taste of, initially (I would have used 3 cups of white wine vinegar had I not run out, but the resulting basil vinegar was quite tasty).
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9
Red wine vinegar would give an interesting flavor, I think, but would obscure the beautiful color of the purple basil.
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10
Homemade vinegar, infused with homegrown basil, would make an especially wonderful gift.
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11
This works fine with frozen basil as well (although it might get a bit mushy and need careful straining at the end), in case, in the height of August, you stuffed an entire sack of basil into the freezer because you couldnt muster the engery forone more batch of pesto.
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12
Not that I would ever do such a thing.Green basil, of course, works just as well, as do many other herbs.
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13
Its a great way to finish out the herb garden and have some interesting vinegars to cook with over the coming year.
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14
STOREAt cool room temperature, preferably protected from light, indefinitely.
