Here are some ideas for herb vinegar, but don't limit yourself to these - use what appeals to you: Herb Vinegars Fill pretty bottles with wine vinegar or cider vinegar, add a large sprig of herb, seal and leave on a sunny windowsill for about 2 weeks. Remove the herb and replace it with a fresh sprig. Use the vinegar as desired in cooking or for hair rinses etc. To make vinaigrette, add oil. Try some of the following combinations: Coriander leaf, garlic, and rice vinegar Borage, dill, shallots, and white wine vinegar Sage, parsley, shallots, and red wine vinegar Mint, honey, cardamom seed, and white vinegar Rosemary, raisins, orange peel, garlic, and white wine vinegar Chillies or capsicum, garlic, oregano, and cider vinegar Savory, chive blossom, and cider vinegar Dill, nasturtiums, garlic, and cider vinegar Fennel leaf, garlic, parsley, and white wine vinegar Rose petals, violet petals, and rice vinegar Tarragon and white wine vinegar Tarragon, rose petals and white wine vinegar Thyme and white wine vinegar Raspberry leaves and white wine vinegar Flower Vinegar Many different flowers may be used to make a vinegar that is delicious and delicately tinted. Roses, violets, primroses, nasturtiums, lavender, clover, elder flowers, rosemary, or thyme flowers are all good choices. Remove the stems and the green and white heels from the flowers or petals. If using large flowers, fill a wide-mouthed jar half or two-thirds full with the flowers, then pour either a good white wine vinegar or cider vinegar over the flowers to fill the jar, making sure the flowers are completely covered. The blossoms will sink to the bottom of the jar within a few days. When this occurs, you can add more flowers if you wish. Taste the vinegar regularly until it achieves the strength you want. Rebottle in clean, smaller bottles, adding fresh smaller food flowers to the liquid for decoration. If using small flowers, simply insert them into the bottle of vinegar without decanting it. A cup of flowers to 600ml of vinegar serves well. If possible, leave the jar or bottle of vinegar with the flowers added in the sun - it will help draw out the flavour of the blooms while they steep. Best if kept refrigerated. You could add this if you printed it out prettily: Uses for Herb Vinegars Basil Vinegar: Stir-fried vegetables; tomato salad; tomato soup; "overnight" pickles of marinated slices of carrot, cucumber, peppers, etc. Chives Vinegar: Whenever onion flavour is desired; egg salad; cooked broccoli or Brussels sprouts; marinades. Dill Vinegar: Cooked beetrrot or cabbage; three-bean salad; coleslaw; potato salad; poaching eggs or fish; cucumber salad. Garlic Vinegar: Green salads; vegetable salads; spinach; marinade for sauerbraten. Lemon Thyme Vinegar: Mayonnaise; fish and fish salads; stirfry vegetables. Mint Vinegar: Stir into mayonnaise or whipped cream for fruit salad; sauce for lamb; fruit gelatin; fruit punch. Nasturtium Vinegar: Whenever peppery flavour is desired; pickled eggs; meats before grilling; green bean salad. Oregano Vinegar: Scrambled eggs; salads; pizza Raspberry Vinegar: Spinach salad; baked pears or apples; hot chicken; meat marinade; add to yoghurt for fruit salad; add to soda or tonic water for a refreshing drink (1 tablespoon per glass). Rosemary Vinegar: Pork or lamb marinade; tomato and cucumber salad; orange and onion salad; fried potatoes; fruits. Tarragon or Winter Tarragon Vinegar: Chicken; crabmeat and tuna salads; vegetable juice cocktail; chicken gravy; hollandaise and bearnaise sauces; peas and;onions combined; green salads. Salad Burnet Vinegar: Cucumber flavor without indigestion; salads; clear or potato soup. Mixed Herb Vinegar: Crisp green salads; bean soup; cooked green beans. Consider herbal oils for external use only: Pack a jar with fresh herb and pour in enough olive oil to completely cover. Leave on a sunny window sill for 2-6 weeks. Strain liquid into another jar through a fine cloth or coffee filter, seal and label bottles. Use as a massage oil or add to creams and lotions. OR Heat about 280g dried herb or 840g fresh herb in about 700ml oil in a double boiler for 2-3 hours. Strain off the solid matter. Or for culinary use, try doing the oil this way. Use olive or canola oil for best results. Hot Infused Oil Place a ratio of 2 cups oil to 1 cup of dried herbs/ 2 cups fresh herbs, in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Slowly heat on low for approximately 3 hours, and strain into a bowl. Transfer liquid into dark bottles, cap, and place in a cool, dark place. Sniff it occasionally, and if it smells rancid, toss it out.

Food Saver has NEVER advised anyone to use that system to make any home canning safe. To make home canning safe, a high acid is needed, as well as processing times for foods that contain lower acid, which would need a pressure canning. Because I have been canning a very delicate thin skinnned pepperoncini, and using a special vacuum system to remove all the air from these peppers, and also force in all vinegar and salt brine, then fill canning jars with these peppers that have been exposed to the special vacuum (NOT A Food Saver vacuum) my process involves no heat of any kind, but instead, a high acid, and a high amount of vacuum with no chance of any air that would be trapped in the jars. My peppers are safe, and have no chance of being contaminated by any bacterial botulism or any other kind of spoilage. The ONLY think I used the vacuum process for is a specific pepper type, with no added water, only full strength 5% vinegar and pickling salt as the brine.

I have a different questions that relates to the safety questions here. I have a jar of artichoke hearts in the fridge, a big jar from Costco. I've had it for months. It contains both oil and vinegar, and the oil sits in a pretty thick layer on top of the artichokes and brine. Should I be worried about safety, because the oil is creating an anaerobic environment underneath? I've been eating these sporadically in uncooked pasta sauce with no ill effect. Now I want to bake them inside some turnovers to bring to the ALS fundraising walk in my city. Of course I don't want to put strangers at risk, especially not sick strangers. Should I throw out the artichokes and stop buying big jars? If I buy new artichokes, can I assume a newly opened commercial jar is safe, or should I forget the artichokes for this potentially immune-compromised population? Melissa

WalnutCreek, I used to crack an egg into a custard cup and put it into the microwave when I was still working. Cook it hard, slap it onto an English Muffin and a quick breakfast sandwich. It was the occasional substitute for an english muffin with peanut butter when I accidentally ran out of peanut butter! I don't like microwaved eggs as well as I do those prepared in more conventional way, but they're fine in a pinch. I don't care for scrambled eggs at all, so never tried those, but I did show my granddaughter how to make french toast in the microwave, she does that before school sometimes. It's easy, just beat an egg with a couple of tablespoons of milk, add a little sugar and vanilla if you like, cube a slice of bread and add that, stir to make sure all the bread is covered and submerged as much as possible. Microwave 2 minutes, stick a knife in the middle to see if it's done. If not, cook 30 seconds at a time until it does test done. I have some of those small square corningware dishes, and they are the perfect size for the french toast. Annie