This Pine Needle (Pinaceae) recipe makes a wonderful alternative to Balsamic Vinegar. Deeply scented, Pine vinegar can be used in salad dressings, as a hot drink to help ward off seasonal colds. It goes well with fish when added to sauces etc.
For this recipe I used Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) which has a warming orange citrus flavour which makes it great for those Winter-time gifts to friends and family.
Note: All species in the Pinus genus are edible, but some have more flavour than others, so taste a bit of the pine needle before you decide to harvest.
Pine Needle Vinegar Recipe Ingredients
- 500ml glass jar with rubber lid insert
- 500ml organic apple cider vinegar
- Handfuls of Pine Needles (chopped and bruised)
Pine Needle Vinegar Recipe Instructions
- Take your clean, sterile glass jar and add enough Pine needles so the jar is packed tight.
- Pour 500ml of raw organic apple cider vinegar over your jar with pine needles in, and fill to the top. Screw on the cap.
- Leave in a darkened cupboard for six weeks, then use at your discretion.
Makes: 500ml
Just wondering why the vinegar has to be boiled.
TIA
Like Teanut I am wondering why the vinegar needs to be boiled, cooled down and then used. It would make sense if it had to be poured over the pine needles while still hot. ?
Thanks in advance for responding.
Teanut & Daniela – I have no idea what my thinking was when I created the recipe back on 20th October 2009… given that it was 8 years ago 🙂 Suffice to say that I wouldn’t do that these days, and would simply chop the needles and pound them with a pestle in a mortar, then simply pour over room temperature vinegar. I might even warm the vinegar a little just to help extract the flavours from the pine needles… time to re-visit this recipe and craft a new one.
Oh, and all my recipes are simply suggestions… please don’t slavishly follow them. If you think something needs tweaking, then tweak it. As the old punk saying goes… “You are your own authority”.
When you say “cider” vinegar, are you referring to apple cider vinegar? Thanks – this is intriguing!
Christine – Yes cider vinegar is the same as apple cider vinegar
Indeed – I wouldn’t boil the vinegar. You will kill the “plant” that actually makes naturally fermented vinegar. I have a nice French ceramic vinegar pot which I use for left over wine (how is that possible?). Over time the plant grows quite big and the taste is far superior to factory vinegar. Often when you buy organic vinegar you can see strands of something in the bottom of the bottle. That is the start of your vinegar plant. Don’t kill it! Be sure to cover vinegar with a fine meshed cloth, tightly fitted. The plant needs oxygen, but fruit flies love vinegar and can spoil the whole batch.
Great comments Letitia. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Yes all things pine are a very attractive idea, do share more.
This is a new one for me. What is Pine Vinegar used for? Sorry I sound so uninformed.
Jacqui – I use it in salad dressing. And I also make a drink using a tablespoon in a mug of hot water. It’s really up to your creative imagination how to use it.
That makes sense. Here in the US, brewing kombucha creates what is called the “mother” which you call the plant.