How to Make Pine Vinegar

PIN IT

White distilled vinegar is an amazing cleaning ingredient in many homes. The simplicity and versatility of white distilled vinegar has proven itself as basically irreplaceable in my pantry and small cleaning stock. However, I don’t always want to smell the seemingly sour stench of pure white vinegar. Little did I know, scenting vinegar with natural herbs and plant material was so easy and effective in making the vinegar scent more mild and welcoming!

The process to make an herbal vinegar is called infusion and the most difficult part is the waiting time until the vinegar absorbs all of the available plant oils.

What is an infusion?

An infusion is where you take plant matter & an extracting medium (in this case vinegar), and let them steep together until the oils and nutrients have dissolved into the liquid. I like to think of it like a tea that you steep for a long time. 

Looking for more recipes using vinegar? You might be interested in trying this Pickled Red Onion recipe.

Why make Pine Vinegar

Aside from the beautiful Christmas tree like smell, evergreen foliage and resin has long been well known for its antimicrobial/antibacterial properties. Adding it to your vinegar may give the vinegar an extra boost to your cleaning solution.

Precautions 

White distilled vinegar is an acidic substance. While it is safe enough to consume in small portions, there are some surfaces that do not fare well when undiluted vinegar is used as a regular cleaning agent (especially when it’s not thoroughly rinsed off). 

In personal experience, most laminate countertops do well with vinegar solutions but some tiled surfaces do not. 

If you choose to use vinegar on a surface of tile or stone, I recommend making a test spot and rinsing the spot well with pain water. 

When to use Pine Vinegar

Pine vinegar can be used in almost any application that you use white distilled vinegar for. You can use pine vinegar as an additive to an all purpose cleaning solution as well as a “fabric softener” for laundry. 

When you use vinegar with a cleaning solution like a DIY all purpose spray, I suggest using a tablespoon or two per quart of liquid. If a tablespoon per quart is too much for your liking, you can add more water and cleaning solution to your mix. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could try using pine vinegar in salad dressings!

Ingredients and Tools for Pine Vinegar

Fresh pine needles – harvest enough to fill the jar of your choosing.

Glass jar – I like to use canning jars but any upcycled, air tight jar will work. 

White Distilled Vinegar – you will need enough to cover the pine needles you harvest. 

Parchment paper (optional, but highly recommend) – if desired, use a square of Parchment paper in-between your jar lid and vinegar infusion. Doing so will lessen and residue and corrosion that the vinegar may do to the canning lid. 

Directions 

Harvest enough pine needles to fill most of the jar you’ve chosen. 

If you’ve chosen pine needles from a recently broken branch, remove just the needles and add to your jar. 

Once filled, add enough vinegar to cover all the pine needles. 

Secure the lid of your jar and shake well.

Place the filled jar in a cool, dark area of your home. 

Shake the jar every other day for a week. Continue to shake once a week for 4 weeks.

After 4 weeks, or your desired steeping time, strain vinegar into a new jar for storage. 

Use as desired.

FAQ:

When should I harvest pine needles?

Since all pine trees are a part of the evergreen family, they can be harvested all year. If you are looking for a high resin content, consider harvesting in the spring and early summer as that’s when most of the pine resin flow is heavier.

What kind of pine should I use ?

You can use just about any variety of pine available. Keep in mind that each variety may provide a slightly different scent and herbal property. Where I live in the mid-west, both red and white pines are widely available so that is what I use.

What are ways to use pine vinegar?

Pine vinegar can be used in almost any application that you use white distilled vinegar for. You can use pine vinegar as an additive to an all purpose cleaning solution as well as a “fabric softener” for laundry. 

Did you try this? Share your creations in the comments or by tagging @MissysHomestead on Instagram.