Pineapple sage flower vinegar is a delicious addition to the kitchen pantry. Learn how to harvest the sweet flowers and infuse them in vinegar.
Pineapple Sage Flower Vinegar – Photo © The Gourmantic Garden
Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is a herbaceous perennial that produces red edible flowers in the cooler months. Rub the leaves between your fingers and you’ll find they have the aroma of ripe pineapples. The flowers have a sweet nectar with a floral flavour that can be captured in infusions such as in vinegar or honey.
Pineapple Sage Flowers – Photo © The Gourmantic Garden
For the infusion, apple cider vinegar is my vinegar of choice, providing the right level of acidity to complement the nectar-like notes of the flowers. Try pineapple sage flower vinegar as a salad dressing, a marinade for meat or vegetables or for quick pickling.
Pineapple Sage Flower Vinegar Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pineapple sage flowers, freshly harvested and cleaned
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
Equipment
- glass jar with plastic lid
- fine strainer
- cheesecloth
Method
- Harvest open pineapple sage flowers early in the morning and make sure they’re clean and free from ants and other insects.
- Fill the jar 1/3 of the way with clean pineapple sage flowers.
- Add apple cider vinegar and cover with a plastic lid as metal lids will eventually corrode. If you don’t have a plastic lid, place a coffee filter or greaseproof paper in between the lid and the jar and secure tightly.
- Shake the jar and leave to infuse in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
- Shake the jar every 3 to 4 days. The vinegar will change colour in approximately a week.
- Leave to infuse for 3 weeks then strain using a fine strainer lined with cheese cloth.
- Bottle the infused vinegar and store in the fridge. Compost the solids. The vinegar will keeps at best for approximately three months.
You may also like… Pineapple Sage Flower Honey
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag @the.gourmanticgarden on instagram.
