HERB VINAIGRETTE

A fast and easy way to boost any salad. Choose from any herb listed or mix and match flavours, makes about ½ cup.

In a bottle or jar mix and shake:

3 tbsp oil 1 tbsp wine vinegar
¼ tsp mustard salt & pepper to taste
½ tbsp garlic chives or 1 clove crushed garlic
3 tbsp fresh chopped herb,
Basil, chives, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, lemon balm, dill seed.
Experiment with favourite flavours and blends.

EASY HERB VINEGAR

Start with cider or wine vinegar. Pick enough fresh herbs to loosely fill a jar. Bruise the leaves to aid in the release of flavours and oils and place in your jar. Warm enough vinegar to fill the jar, be sure not to have the vinegar hot, just warm to touch. Seal jar with an acid proof lid, preserving jars and lids are perfect for this and the variety of sized allow for any amount you want to make. Place the sealed jar in a sunny window and each day for two weeks shake it up. After two weeks taste and check for the flavour you want, if you prefer a stronger taste, strain the herbs and repeat process with fresh herbs to infuse with more flavour. After process completed to desired strength the blend can be stored as is or strained through cheesecloth and poured into a nice bottle. Label the bottle or place a fresh sprig of the herb used in the bottle for visual appeal and identification.
If you have friends or relative who appreciate the fine development of fresh vinegars and vinaigrettes these make a great gift with little effort.
Depending on your choice of herb, sliced garlic can be added to the steeping vinegar blend for the first day then removed and 2 cloves can be placed in for the remaining 13 days.

Vinegars For Fruit Salads:
Floral vinegars are an intriguing addition to fruit salads on a hot summer day. Processed the same way as the herb vinegars above some to consider are: rosemary flowers, thyme flowers, clover, elderflowers, nasturtiums, rose petals, primroses, sweet violets. When preparing flowers, remove stems, and all green and white heels from the ends of the petals.

GRILLED OR FRIED TOMATOES

Slice firm red or green tomatoes, dip in a little flour and grill or fry in hot butter. Instead of flour try bread crumbs, you can mix in chopped garlic chives or any herb you like, try a little parmesan cheese in the crumbs for a wonderful side dish.

TOMATO SNACK

Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with a little brown sugar, salt, pepper and cider vinegar. A favourite passed to me from an elderly friend in 1975. She said her mother would make it with homemade herbed vinegars. Simple and tasty.

MELON, TOMATO AND BASIL SALAD

2 cups melon cubed or in balls, cantaloupe or honeydew
2 cups firm tomatoes, cubed or thin sliced (whole grape tomatoes are a nice choice for this recipe)
1 cup cucumber, peeled and grated or diced
½ cup chopped basil
1 cup plain yogurt

Salt & black pepper to taste
Toss melon, tomato and cucumber in a large bowl. In small bowl lightly stir basil into yogurt and blend well, season to taste. Pour over salad and enjoy.

Herb Butter and Herb Cheese

Using soft butter, margarine or cream cheese add finely minced garlic chives or any herb you prefer, mix thoroughly and refrigerate. Overnight is best to blend flavours.

Mix butter, minced garlic chives, grated chedder cheese and a strip or two of cooked and crumbled bacon for a great baked potato topper.

Mix, cream cheese, minced garlic chives, minced basil and a strip or two of cooked and crumbled bacon with hot pasta for a quick meal.

Any blend of butter or cream cheese with herbs, bacon, grated cheese.. can be made a day or two ahead for a fast work night meal.

HERBED CREAM CHEESE AND BUTTERS

Substitute butter in herbed cheese recipes and creamed cheese in herbed butter recipes for variety.
Any butter or herbed cheese recipe can be pressed into little molds for single servings or one larger mold. Ice cube trays are handy for individual portions. Pasta tossed with a herb butter or cheese mixture is a wonderful side dish, I find the ice cube portions perfect, and very handy, for these recipes especially when it is a last minute addition.
These blends are delicious on sandwiches, crackers, grilled meats and fish. Using your own fresh herbs is a great way to enjoy the full flavour from your own backyard.
Any herb suggested in a recipe can be substituted with your favourite flavour and aroma to be coordinated with your dinner for tonight.

Edible Blossoms

Some edible flowers are:

Basil chives marigold borage dandelion oregano
Chive blossoms can be divided into flowerets then sprinkled on Tomato- Cucumber Soup, over home fries, in any salad or meal you would use garlic in.