Two Cold Brews!

Two Cold Brews:

Lavender Vinegar and Cold Brewed Coffee

First, the vinegar.  So easy.  So many uses.  Just add lavender flowers (freshly cut from your neighbor's lovely lavender plant) to a jar, cover with white vinegar, seal (put plastic wrap between the lid and the open jar to discourage yucky metallic odor/taste) store in a dark cabinet, shake occasionally and wait.  You could use rosemary, too.  

 By day.

By night.

Now, the coffee. Also easy.

Thanks to The Pioneer Woman  for her lovely post that motivated me to give it a try.

Here's my effort:

Pour about six quarts of water over the pound of coffee and stir well.  Let sit 8 hours to overnight.

 Naked strainer.

 Shrouded.

 Strain well, use a few layers of cheesecloth in addition to the fine metal strainer.  Afterwards, you can rinse the cheesecloth and re-use many times over.

If you don't know what to do with this, I can't help you :-)

This is (going to be iced) coffee. Cold brewing yields a lighter strength brew than hot brewing, so don't expect the same concentration, but you can tweak to your liking (brew longer, with more coffee, etc.).  Iced coffee made this way lasts up to thirty days (but not in my house!) in the refrigerator.  Serve over ice with organic soy creamer, almond milk, agave, or whatever you enjoy in your coffee.

Stay cool, everyone!