Buzz
If you remember my pleas for peas from last year, you might be reading this after enjoying a morning snack of freshly harvested peas, with a pile of discarded pea pods beside you. While those pods are excellent for composting due to their nitrogen content, I’d like to propose a different route: why not turn them into pea shell vinegar?
This is part of Eating Trash, a Mytour series where Claire Lower (and a friend or two) convinces you to turn your kitchen scraps into something tasty and worthwhile.
Pea shell vinegar is a wonderfully light, subtle vinegar with a soft green tint. It can be used just like champagne vinegar and adds a unique touch to recipes like a vibrant Caesar dressing. It’s mildly herbaceous, but the flavor is so delicate that you’d struggle to identify its origins (unless you knew it came from peas); it’s understated and refined, never overwhelming your dishes.
Everything you need to create pea scrap vinegar:
Jars for steeping: Regular Mouth 16-ounce Mason Jars (4 Pack)
A vinegar mother to kickstart your own vinegar culture: Supreme White Wine Mother of Vinegar
Cheesecloth to keep the bugs at bay: Regency Wraps 100% Cotton Cheesecloth
Making it is also a breeze. Simply pack your shelled pea pods into a clean jar and cover them with vinegar. Ideally, use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, both with their own mothers. A vinegar mother is a yeasty puck that forms and signals that healthy fermentation is underway, much like kombucha. You can also purchase vinegar mothers separately.
Cover the jar with cheesecloth to allow air to circulate while keeping bugs out, and then store the vinegar in a cool, dark location. After a few weeks, check back, and with luck, you’ll have your own vinegar mother growing. Decant the vinegar whenever you’re ready to use it; it’s stable on the shelf.
I firmly believe that most people don’t use enough acid in their cooking, so having a selection of flavorful vinegars within arm’s reach of your stove is a must. Good quality flavored vinegars can be pricey, so making your own is a fantastic way to save money. Try a dash on vegetables destined for the grill, pour it into sautés, or stir it into rice as it cooks for a vibrant taste. I wouldn’t even mind if you splashed a bit into a martini.
