My family doesn’t like store-bought salad dressing because it just tastes like oil with some flavoring. It drags the freshness of salad down, and there never seems to be enough flavor. I’m sure there are some exceptions, but I’ve never found a salad dressing that made salad shine as it should. The solution is homemade salad dressings.

The key component to salad dressing is the acid base, meaning, vinegar or citrus. A fresh, sharp acid base infused with sweet and savory makes for one great dressing. One of my favorite acid bases for salad dressing is pure lemon juice, but I also like making flavored vinegars. After Thanksgiving when I find cranberries at 19 cents a bag, I make cranberry vinegar. In the summer, I make blueberry vinegar, and herbal garlic vinegars.

You can mix fruit and herbs, such as blueberries or strawberries and basil, cranberry and orange, tarragon and garlic — the possibilities are endless. Herbal vinegars are a smart way to employ a bounty of herbs and fruits to enjoy through the winter. And flavored vinegars are the perfect “putting up” project for the novice preserver.

There are different methods for preserving flavored vinegars, many which seem non-essential to me. Some people simmer their vinegar, infuse it in the sun, or even can it for storage. As a main preservant, flavored vinegar doesn’t need to be canned unless you are planning on keeping them for more than six months, and I wouldn’t can flavored vinegar at all unless it was infused with fruit.

My technique is simple, and quick.

If using berries, crush, and fill a clean jar 1/3 full. Pour vinegar over crushed berries. For herbal/garlic flavored vinegar, simply fill a clean jar 1/3 full of washed and dried herbs along with a crushed (not minced) clove of garlic. I would add one garlic clove per pint. In both instances, place a piece of plastic wrap over the jar’s mouth and fasten with lid. The vinegar will corrode metal, so the plastic wrap acts as a barrier. Store vinegar in a dark place, and shake every few days. In a month, your vinegar should be ready to strain and store in a clean bottle fitted with either a cork or plastic lid.

Which type of vinegar used for your infusions depends on your ingredients and personal taste. The only vinegar I would not recommend is straight white vinegar. When I find a deal on white or red wine vinegar, I snatch several bottles up because they are typically more expensive. Apple cider vinegar is a fine base I use most often.

To make salad dressing, the general rule is 1/3 part acid, and 2/3 part oil. For an Italian flair, I put together my own dry mix for salad dressing.

Mix:

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a jar.

Combine 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 cups olive oil and 1 tablespoon of water. Add 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing mix to liquid mixture and shake in a covered jelly jar.

Flavored vinegars are not only great for meal preparation, but they make beautiful, festive gifts. You can buy delightful little bottles on Amazon, or at thrift or dollar stores, to display your culinary creations.

Use this summer’s bounty, and make your own flavored vinegars. Who knows, your family’s new favorite meal offering could be the salad.

Laura Woolfrey-Macklem is a former North County resident who produces the Preserved Home blog. Visit www.preservedhome.com. Send questions and comments to [email protected].