My Vinegar Collection

Thanks to the ‘Rona Virus Lockdown, we have time to inventory our surroundings. Yes, the homebound are taking on everything from their spice rack to their flower beds to their sock drawer. Some suffering from quarantine fatigue are into deep-cleaning their basement and garage. All our commendable efforts.

Now I’ve been reluctant to commence a major household project. I was in hopes the virus would dwindle quickly. I didn’t want to get caught in a task, that kept me at home while others were out dining and shopping. So I undertook just a small inventory.

The Collection

For sometime, my kids have make fun of what they call my “vinegar collection.” After they had their laughs, I decided to inventory my bottles and even promised to toss a few—though that is hard to do with a product that lasts indefinitely. Several bottles had a mere tablespoon of vinegar left in them, so they really shouldn’t count.

When I pulled all the bottles out of the cabinet and lined them in a row, I smiled. It was really quite a fine collection, that I’d unwittingly acquired over the years. There was red, white, golden, and black, apple cider, maple-bourbon, rice, malt. (Take a breath.) Champaign, several varieties of balsamic, and Chinkiang, a Chinese-made black vinegar that I couldn’t pronounce

If you like to make your own salad dressing, having an array of boutique vinegars will enable you to give a vinaigrette a subtle taste change. When it comes to vinegar, don’t let anyone intimidate you!!!